Hansen keen on Aumua

Wellington hooker sensation Asafo Aumua is firming as a favourite to occupy the All Blacks’ designated apprentice spot for the end-of-year tour.

National coach Steve Hansen has confirmed the hugely talented No 2 is very much on their radar, though he said there was still some water to flow under the bridge before the apprentice spot would be nailed down for November’s trip north.

The 20-year-old star of this year’s world championship-winning New Zealand Colts team has started brilliantly for Wellington in the Mitre 10 Cup, scoring three tries through the first three games and showcasing his outstanding all-rounds skills and athleticism with a series of eye-catching displays.

‘‘He’s a good player,’’ said Hansen, confirming he was not overly concerned by the positive press the youngster was receiving on the back of his feats for the Lions.

‘‘I don’t think you can ever be too worried about anyone coming through too quickly.

‘‘He’s playing very well, especially around the park. But it’s his core roles you really want to see him do well in and he’s doing OK in those too. He’s got a big future.’’

Hansen said he ‘‘could be’’ a candidate for the apprentice role previously occupied by Jordie Barrett and Ardie Savea who both springboarded off their tours to become fully fledged All Blacks.

‘‘We’ll see how he goes,’’ added Hansen. ‘‘It might be better for him to just have a good off-season. We’ll make a decision about all of that nearer the time.’’

Aumua’s stock has been on the rise for a couple of years now, with obvious comparisons made to the all-round package of skills that Coles possesses.

Last season, as a 19-year-old in his first year out of school, he was the Lions’ leading try-scorer with six in 10 games, including a hattrick against Northland.

Earlier this year he grabbed headlines at the world under-20s championships when he scored a hat-trick in New Zealand’s 64-17 win over England in the final. One of the tries included him beating six defenders on his way to the line.

Hurricanes coach Chris Boyd told Stuff earlier this year he had been tracking Aumua’s rise in the game since he was 14.

‘‘We’ve been watching him since he was at St Pats Silverstream college,’’ said Boyd. ‘‘He’s a wonderful athlete, loves playing footy, and is a great kid, from a great family, and is really humble, and really diligent.

‘‘Ardie was another one like that, and Ma’a [Nonu]. You could tell when they were 13 or 14 they were going to be special.’’

Hansen is smart to monitor Aumua closely. In Coles he has the best hooker in the world at his disposal.

But Coles’ recent head issues that have seen him sidelined for much of the season have exposed a slight lack of depth, as well as concerns about how much longer the Wellingtonian can go on for.

Cantab Codie Taylor is easily the next best hooker in the national pecking order, but behind him the options thin out a little. Nathan Harris is a solid operator and Liam Coltman and James Parsons have been around the All Blacks in the past.

But Aumua looks to have the sort of skills that could soon see him leap-frogging people into All Black squads.