Sopoaga bides his time for 10

Twenty seven months have passed since Lima Sopoaga last wore the All Blacks’ No 10 jersey.

But the longer Beauden Barrett stayed on the sideline during the All Blacks’ training session on a muggy, wet morning in Brisbane on Tuesday the more likely it seemed Sopoaga would finally get a chance to once again wear the starter’s number at first fiveeighth.

Sopoaga, 26, hasn’t played as a run-on first-five since his debut in the 27-20 win over the Springboks in Johannesburg on July 25 2015; his remaining 11 appearances have been as a replacement.

Things could be about to change. Ongoing symptoms from the head knock suffered against the Springboks on October 8 has put Barrett in serious doubt for the test against the Wallabies at Suncorp Stadium on Saturday night and the fact he wasn’t involved in training fuels speculation that a change in playmaker is imminent.

Not that All Blacks assistant coach Ian Foster felt the need to throw Wallabies coach Michael Cheika a bone by publicly declaring Barrett was a nonstarter. As far as Foster was concerned, Barrett remains in contention. But for those looking from the outside, the signs don’t look great.

‘‘There is still scope (for him to play) but … We have said it before, if there is any doubt he won’t be playing,’’ Foster said. ‘‘It is Tuesday, we are doing the best we can to see where he is at.’’

The All Blacks name their team on Thursday morning.

While Richie Mo’unga has joined the squad as a temporary replacement, he wasn’t tossed into the furnace of a full-on All Blacks’ practice session. Instead the 23 year old Cantabrian was mainly an onlooker.

Given Damian McKenzie has a far deeper understanding of how the team operates – he has been a regular starter at fullback since Ben Smith and Israel Dagg were made unavailable early in the Rugby Championship – and has played plenty of footy at first-five, he appears likely to be used as cover for Sopoaga at Suncorp.

Hansen has made it clear McKenzie is a genuine option at first-five, where he can potentially do more damage by getting the ball in his hands more often, hence why the All Blacks selectors have asked incoming Chiefs coach Colin Cooper to start him there next season.

‘‘Let’s face it, he (McKenzie) is already a good 10,’’ Foster said.

‘‘We have seen him play 10 and if he can get his decision-making and skillset up to an international level, he gives us a whole lot of great choices.

There is no doubting McKenzie’s self-confidence, or ability to switch positions in a heartbeat.

When right wing Nehe MilnerSkudder dislocated his shoulder late in the first half of the match against the Springboks at Cape Town, McKenzie seamlessly snuck into his position to allow David Havili to fill in at fullback.

McKenzie has been asked to run at first-five at trainings over the last four to five weeks, and although it wasn’t ‘‘to a great extent’’, Foster was satisfied with his efforts.

For Sopoaga, a specialist firstfive,he was expected to start against the Pumas in Buenos Aires on October 1, but didn’t travel because his partner had recently given birth.