Hansen sees great things for Mckenzie at first-five
Blink and you might miss the last of Damian Mckenzie’s days at fullback.
As good as the 22-year-old has been at the back for the All Blacks this season, the suspicion is that he’d be better somewhere else.
Well, suspect it no longer; New Zealand head coach Steve Hansen has just flat out said it.
Not only that but - in shades of Vaea Fifita’s recent praise - Hansen’s also mentioned Mckenzie in the same breath as an all-time great.
‘‘Damian Mckenzie’s growing at fullback even though, deep down, we don’t really think that’s his position. He’s going to play a lot of [first] five-eighth, I’d suggest, for the Chiefs this year with [Aaron] Cruden gone, so there’s a guy that could play both positions,’’ Hansen said after naming Mckenzie at fullback for Sunday’s test against South Africa in Cape Town.
Asked to be crystal clear about Mckenzie’s future at fullback, Hansen was happy to oblige.
‘‘I don’t see that as his No.1 position long-term. Just a little bit like Beauden [Barrett], I think he’s better suited with the ball in his hand more often at 10. We could be proven wrong. I’ve been wrong before,’’ said Hansen.
‘‘It’s a little bit like Andrew Mehrtens and Dan Carter. Mehrts had always been a five-eighth but Carter wasn’t, he was a secondfive. But we just felt that when we moved him to 10, he’d have more opportunities to control the game. But we could be proven wrong.’’
You’d have to say the track record is encouraging. Hansen wasn’t wrong about Carter, nor in the way he handled Barrett either. Often a fullback in his early All Blacks days, Barrett had to earn his way up to first five-eighth.
Should Mckenzie make the move too, folk such as Jordie Barrett and Ben Smith should ensure the cupboard isn’t too bare at 15.
In fact, if Hansen is satisfied about anything right now, it’s that there’s real depth emerging in this All Blacks squad. Particularly at prop, which hadn’t appeared a position of much strength.
‘‘You bring Joe Moody and Izzy
"I don't see that as his No.1 position long-term. Just a little bit like Beauden [Barrett], I think he's better suited with the ball in his hand more often at 10." All Blacks coach Steve Hansen talking about Damian Mckenzie.
[Dagg] back and Ben Smith and Owie [Owen Franks].
‘‘So you’ve got two world class frontrowers [Moody and Franks] to come back, so the opportunity to grow [Kane] Hames and Ofa [Tu’ungafasi] and Nepo [Laulala] has been great.’’
Given some of the personnel challenges they have faced, winning this Rugby Championship - if not always in entirely convincing fashion - has been an achievement.
‘‘If you take out Sammy [Whitelock] and [Kieran] Read and Barrett and then Crocky [Wyatt Crockett] off the bench, theres noone else [in this week’s team with] over 50 test matches,’’ Hansen said.
‘‘We’ve got 711 caps in the 23, which is not a lot in number. What we’re trying to do is build people’s ability to play test rugby and to get an understanding of what that’s about and you can’t do that if you keep chopping and changing the team.’’