McKenzie still in All Blacks’ plans
FEAR not Damian McKenzie fans, the All Blacks omission of the Chiefs fullback is only likely to be temporary.
The 22-year-old McKenzie has missed out to the emerging force that is 20-year-old Jordie Barrett in Steve Hansen’s All Blacks squad of 33 (plus injury covers) to prepare for the three tests against the touring British and Irish Lions, as well as the warmup clash against Samoa in Auckland on Friday.
That in itself was revealed to be an extremely close decision, with the All Blacks selectors conceding McKenzie’s form had remained where they wanted it to be through the Super Rugby season. In many ways it was simply Barrett’s freakish combination of size, skill and athletic talent that got him the nod.
‘‘Choosing between him and Damian was hard, like really hard,’’ admitted national selector and All Black great Grant Fox. ‘‘Part of that is what we think they’ll bring, how we look to play the game and how Jordie fits in to combinations.’’
‘‘Damian was definitely unlucky,’’ added assistant coach Ian Foster. ‘‘He has played really well, and I guess there will be a bit of debate about Damian v Jordie.
‘‘Damian is an outstanding player. He probably has got a slightly higher error-rate in some aspects but he does some brilliant things and I know he’ll be back.’’
That is likely to be sooner rather than later in All Black terms, with experienced first fiveeighths Aaron Cruden due to depart after the Lions tour to take up a contract with Montpellier in France.
That could open the door for talented Crusaders pivot Richie Mo’unga, or it could herald an immediate return for McKenzie to eventually fill a first five/fullback supersub role, a la Beauden Barrett so successfully through to the 2015 World Cup.
The All Blacks selectors know enough about McKenzie’s capabilities at fullback, based on backto-back standout seasons of Super Rugby and his time in the national squad through 2016.
But it’s as a first five-eighth they need to see more from McKenzie, before anointing him as the 2.0 version of Barrett the supersub.
‘‘We’re really interested in see- PHOTOSPORT ing him spend a bit of time at 10,’’ added Foster. ‘‘I would imagine things do change for him at the Chiefs without Aaron there. But until we’ve had sufficient time to see him there it’s hard to go into the test arena with someone at 10 who hasn’t really played a lot there.
‘‘And as a specialist 15 we really feel we’ve got some good options there already.’’
McKenzie is the heir apparent to Cruden at 10 with the Chiefs, and time in the saddle there will only help his cause as the ideal All Blacks bench man to cover 10 and 15. Fox said it was the logical progression for the talented youngster.
‘‘Damian says he wants to be a 10 and we see a great skillset at 10. But it’s hard to pick him when he’s not playing there. If you think about Beauden as a supersub on the bench, we’re not saying that’s where we see Damian’s future, but if you look at that mould he could be that person.
‘‘Then he could ultimately become good enough to demand a starting position, which Beauden got to. But we need a lot more evidence. It would be a tough ask for him to do a 10/15 bench role at test level now without some time in the saddle at 10.’’ back this goes, merely that it exists in the family heritage.
‘‘There’s been a couple of guys he has turned away because they haven’t been able to come up with the paperwork to prove they are Maori,’’ Maori coach Colin Cooper said.
The team spectrum ranges from those who grow up clearly indentifying as Maori. They’ve lived that way all their lives; speaking and affiliating back to their respective marae. Then there are those not so disposed and those with no prior involvement.
Crawford’s task is to simply identify the specific Maori descendant.
‘‘They explore it themselves and I have to be satisfied they’ve gone through the right process.
‘‘People say ‘what if they’re lying?’ Well I fall back on 28 years of policing; of understanding people, a lifetime of growing up Maori and having a knowledge and connections across the whole country to people who are gifted in the area of geneology.
‘‘At the end of the day there are a few that have given me paper lineage and I’ve connected them up with people and say that’s not enough. Those people are still turned away.
‘‘I’m happy it’s a good process.’’