'We've got some talented people' - 2018 All Blacks squad Steve Hansen's toughest to pick

All Blacks coach Steve Hansen says his 2018 squad to face France next month has been the toughest to select of his career, due to the sheer number of quality players currently plying their trade in New Zealand.

With today's 33 man squad announcement, a number of standout players from Super Rugby have been left out of Hansen's reckoning, including top try-scorer Ben Lam, as well as the consistent duo of Matt Todd and Akira Ioane just some of those to miss out.

Speaking to media, Hansen spoke about the difficulties his selection group faced.

"Most of them are tough (to pick) because we've got some talented people and we're always leaving somebody out that you wish you could put in," he said.

"A guy like Luke Romano, he's been really solid for us over a number of years, so to ring him and tell him he's not in is difficult."