Kaino faces real test of

Coach Steve Hansen has made it clear no-one can take their position in the All Blacks for granted, writes Marc Hinton.

OPINION: Jerome Kaino might want to keep his head down as he works through the toughest period of his All Blacks career.

He probably does not want to see that writing on the wall.

He is now clearly the All Blacks’ third choice No 6, and that is a precarious position to occupy for a rugby player who is 34 and whose most explosive days are clearly behind him. More so when you factor in the youth, athleticism, power and vitality of the two young men ahead of him – Liam Squire and Vaea Fifita.

Kaino’s body of work as an All Black deserves a much grander conclusion than the one he would appear to be undergoing.

He has been a long and loyal servant of New Zealand rugby, played 81 tests in a career that began all the way back in 2004 and has been a key part of two muchneeded World Cup triumphs.

But this is sport. More to the point, these are the All Blacks. Harsh realities don’t always line up on the side of the good guys. And glorious, ticker-tape endings are the preserve of the fortunate few.

It is becoming increasingly difficult to view this as anything but the last days of Kaino’s career. Being left out of the side to face Argentina in Buenos Aires this morning was the latest nail in that metaphorical coffin.

If Kaino was a serious chance to resurrect his test career, he surely would have been given this Rugby Championship clash to show he still has what it takes to continue at the highest level.

Instead, he has received a flea in his ear from a coach whose astute judgment on the matter of talent and test readiness deserves the utmost respect.

‘‘He’s the same as everybody else, he’s got to earn the right to play in the jersey,’’ said Steve Hansen after naming Fifita to start at No 6 against the Pumas.

With Squire on the plane