McKenzie against Folau’s power
What makes his game work is his speed. It's that simple. He gets into his running quickly and is one of the faster men on the park when at his top speed.
His size then becomes his weapon because he shifts his centre of balance better than big men and his agility is freakish.
The All Blacks will look to get the ball in his hands in open spaces. They are going to ask him to trust his instincts, pop up where he likes and take on the defence.
“It's like chasing shadows sometimes. He's pretty quick,” says All Blacks teammate Ryan Crotty.
“You saw in the [ Super Rugby] semifinal how hard he was to tackle because he was cutting us up all over the place.
“It is nice to be passing him the ball rather than trying to tackle him. He's quick. His feet are really fast and his line running is sharp.
“He's got a massive engine and he pops up all over the field and it is that acceleration and top-end speed that makes him difficult to tackle.”
There is another significant factor that marks him out as special. McKenzie is fearless. While he is a player who is always looking for space, doesn't seek the contact by choice, he's brave enough to charge into places where men his size probably shouldn't when he's left with no choice.
He's brave enough to throw himself into his defensive tasks and while he's conceding close to 30kg to Folau, McKenzie won't flinch if he finds himself one-on-one with his opposite man.
“He's got that toughness about him, too,” says fellow All Black Sonny Bill Williams. “He will run into the frontrow without hesitation and that is another thing he has in abundance and what makes him such a special player.”