McKenzie supersub in waiting
Beauden Barrett has a natural successor as the ABs’ imapct man. MARC HINTON reports.
As Steve Hansen ponders his Beauden Barrett dilemma in the All Blacks, it will not be lost on him that a pint-sized, sidestepping, tackle-busting, grin-and-kick solution to his problems continues to light it up for the Chiefs.
In many ways 21-year-old second-year Chiefs fullback and rookie All Black Damian McKenzie presents as the logical successor to Barrett as the impact man in the national team, should Hansen anoint the Canes star as his starting No 10 for the upcoming Rugby Championship.
First things first. Barrett, on the back of three high-quality outings against Wales, is now the frontrunner in the hotly contested first five spot in the All Blacks. He proved decisively he can run the show at No 10 every bit as well as he can change the game off the bench at fullback.
Before the series, Hansen admitted to reservations about shifting Barrett away from the bench role he had performed so well for the All Blacks over the last few seasons. But the playmaker’s body of work against the Welsh may have persuaded the Gaffer to rethink his stance. Certainly review it, at the least.
Which is where McKenzie comes in. If Hansen does decide the inform Barrett deserves to start, and he wants to retain someone on his bench capable of covering both first five and fullback, then surely McKenzie is an appetising solution. If not immediately, certainly in the near future.
The kid remains on a tear in Super Rugby. He added two tries and 20 points in Friday night’s 50-5 romp over the Reds, and revelled in the free-flowing approach from the Kiwi conference leaders.
He is also a statistical outlier, leading the competition in defenders beaten (59), offloads (25), metres (1147), points (160) and tries (nine), and second in clean breaks (25). Plus, he’s played every minute of every game in 2016.
Rennie said McKenzie’s month with the All Blacks, that did not involve a second of game time, was just what he needed. ’’He enjoyed the environment. It was a chance to reduce his play minutes, and getting a bit of a sniff is really good for him. It makes him determined to keep performing.’’
And Rennie believed the supersub role at national level was something the young man could take in his stride.
‘‘The All Blacks will have a plan for him. We’ve primarily used him as a 15 this year who can play a little bit of 10, and it really suits his skillset. I guess the All Blacks are spoilt for choice back there.’’
But Rennie cautioned not to write Cruden off as a starting No 10 in the black jersey. ‘‘Aaron probably would have scored three tries if guys with the ball had given it to him. His support play is phenomenal, and he’s been a massive part of a lot of the tries we’ve scored this year.
‘‘He’s in great form. In my opinion, clearly still the best 10 in the country.
‘‘New Zealand have got some good options. Everyone’s talking about how good Beauden was against Wales, and I thought it was a big step up from how he’d been playing for the Hurricanes. But Aaron’s got a complete game.’’