The All Blacks are loving their super-sized squad – except for when they’re at the food table or on the bus.

The addition on Tuesday of No.8 Luke Whitelock, as injury for Jerome Kaino, lifts the European tour party to 43 players.

It is comfortably the biggest squad in New Zealand rugby history.

A larger-than-usual initial group of 37 players has been joined by six players from the Barbarians they played on Saturday, including Whitelock.

Assistant coach Ian Foster says numbers had created a vibe of its own, although not all of it is plain sailing.

“There’s scraps to see who sits where on the bus. They’re fighting for every bit of food and every seat they can get,” Foster said.

“That side of it has brought a bit of energy to the squad at a good time.”

The extra players cater for two non-Test matches and also allows the coaching staff to assess a greater pool of players two years out from the World Cup.

Foster said it also made for a busy week in France for the coaching staff.

They must prepare the Test side for Saturday’s clash in Paris but bear in mind the remaining players face a France selection in Lyon three days later.

Foster says all 43 are initially focused on the Test.

Having extra numbers at training has proved highly valuable, with two full 15-man squads able to work against each other while a decent-sized group of others get the rare opportunity to assess tactics at close hand rather than later on video.

“We’ve put the pressure on everyone to learn, not just by doing but by watching,” Foster said.

“But we have to make sure we don’t get distracted by the size and we stay focused on one task, which is the Test match.”

The size of the squad compares favourably with the numbers that travelled on All Blacks tours of previous generations.

The “Invincibles” to Europe in 1924-25 needed just 32 players for 32 matches.

The 1976 tourists to South Africa employed 31 players for 24 fixtures.