Mo’unga could solve headaches
WHEN Beauden Barrett’s head thudded with sickening force into his beloved Westpac Stadium turf, the shockwaves seemed to permeate the All Blacks dressing room.
If France were suddenly, harshly, a man down, when Benjamin Fall was red-carded for his role in the 12th-minute collision, the All Blacks also looked in a collective state of disbelief.
Some individual brilliance and a few gaping holes in the French defensive line ensured the hosts put the second test to bed by halftime, as they should have, but it left coach Steve Hansen with plenty of headaches, for want of a better term.
Barrett, and how the All Blacks cope without the oldest of the three brothers, was top of the list after their very patchy 26-13 win in Wellington.
The ace playmaker and gamebreaker will need to present today symptom-free to be passed fit for Dunedin after failing a concussion test in the players’ tunnel and collecting his jacket for the night.
It saw Damian McKenzie trot on very early in his luminous boots, and in a different position to the one he may have expected.
The situation wasn’t quite chaotic, but the whole show looked like a backline assembled for their first training run of the year.
The disconnect between halfback Aaron Smith and McKenzie was glaring for the rest of the half — one pass grassed and others floating in front of various members of the line untouched.
It raised the question that if Barrett is indeed ruled out of Saturday’s third test, is McKenzie the answer to don the 10 jersey? Surely it will be Richie GETTY IMAGES Mo’unga’s time to start under the Dunedin roof. What better occasion to reward his form for the Crusaders, his ever-growing game sense and ability to run the show from first-five.
Even if Barrett is cleared, it’s a chance for Hansen to test the water with the series safe, ahead of bigger tests later this year. Barrett is not indestructible and with Lima Sopoaga departing the depth of backline generals is worryingly thin.
‘‘I didn’t come in here just to make up the numbers or to hold a hit-shield. I want to give it a good crack, so I’ll do what’s best for the team and push Beaudy GETTY IMAGES and push Damo as well,’’ Mo’unga said when named in the squad for the three-test series.
McKenzie starred off the bench in Auckland and, like Ngani Laumape, the gifted and versatile Chiefs star is fast becoming pigeonholed as a supersub.
In Wellington, McKenzie again showed touches of brilliance, but basic errors, like kicking out on the full early in the second half, kept the All Blacks in second gear.
The All Blacks’ disjointed performance against 14 men gave Hansen plenty of food for thought.
Dunedin was probably the chance to experiment anyway at 2-0 up, but the desire to build combinations was equally clear as Hansen kept the same 23 between Auckland and Wellington.
No doubt there will be some changes, notably the giant shadow of Sonny Bill Williams, which cast across the Cake Tin before kick-off.
Williams looks set to reclaim the No 12 jersey from Ryan Crotty, probably shifting him to centre in a familiar combination from last year.