Cannot be ignored at fullback
His tackle and steal to snuff out a Springboks attack was just as brilliant. He plucked a high bouncing ball out of thin air. He danced and twirled out of trouble, showed what a terrific long punt he has. He has it all, his most precious commodity being an attacking imagination and instinct let loose by his brilliant feet. He even offers some goalkicking back-up.
Facing the most intense pressure the All Blacks are likely to encounter these days, McKenzie shone out during an epic battle with the Boks.
There will always be the odd error from a player with such extreme limits. But everyone makes errors, and the payoff in his case is well worth the trouble.
McKenzie doesn’t just have pace — he has sideways evasion skills which is a rare thing in the modern game. His appetite for work, the desire to be involved, is amazing. When presented with rare genius like this, Hansen may have little option but to stick with the tiny dynamo. He represents what the All Blacks are all about — taking the game forward.
This was a brilliant test, as good as it gets, won by moments of magic from the All Black outside backs, to counteract the rampant ball running from Bok forwards Malcolm Marx, Steven Kitshoff, Eben Etzebeth and Pieter-Steph du Toit.
Even test rookie David Havili joined the party, again, against a South African backline that was barely above New Zealand provincial level in places.
For my money, the best back three to set for the World Cup is McKenzie, Smith — if he comes back in full form and is over the head knocks — and Rieko Ioane. That leaves a few outstanding outside backs on the sideline — including the unlucky Nehe Milner-Skudder — but there’s no way to avoid that.
McKenzie can adapt to just about anything — he shifted to the wing again during the match. Most importantly, he steps up from fullback to inject playmaking spark, whereas Beauden Barrett’s replacement Lima Sopoaga looked ponderous in comparison.
Smith was a terrific test wing anyway, and Israel Dagg has led the way in showing how an ageing fullback can adapt. This is a moment in history for Hansen to grab.