What McKenzie needs to do in the No 10 jersey
Experiment with Damian is well worth the punt for Chiefs.
Damian McKenzie as a fullback is a dazzling, fearless, exciting, largely one-man band. At his best he’s lightning in a bottle.
The challenges he’ll face this year as the starting first-five for the Chiefs basically boil down to how well he can transmit that electric solo brilliance to those outside him.
Let’s get one thing straight. The move to 10 is his choice. Chiefs coach Colin Cooper says: ‘‘He wants to play there, I want him to play there, and the All Blacks are keen for me to play him there. If he had thoughts about not wanting to play five-eighth then we wouldn’t go down this track.’’
The career logic for McKenzie is obvious. Fullback is currently a very crowded field at All Blacks level. Ben Smith, Israel Dagg and Jordie Barrett are all world class, and probably have better aerial skills than McKenzie, the one area where his gifts can’t quite overcome his size. McKenzie stands 1.77m, so Aaron Smith, at 1.71m, is the only current All Black shorter than him.
On the other hand, at 10 in the All Blacks, now Lima Sopoaga is heading to London, and Aaron Cruden is in France, there are just two other real contenders: Beauden Barrett, now 26 and firmly established as the first choice starter, and 23-year-old newcomer Richie Mo’unga.
Still only 22 himself, McKenzie will bring a very 21st century style to first-five for the Chiefs. ‘‘If you can get a 10 that’s wide and flat off lineouts, or scrums,’’ says Cooper, ‘‘the opposition have to connect very well defensively or he’ll take space. Damian’s very quick off the mark, and 10s that are quick like Beauden Barrett, if you leave them, they’ll make ground.’’
There’ll be three specific areas for McKenzie to master this year.
He’ll face different defensive challenges from when he played fullback. Big forwards now constantly target 10s. In the All Blacks they’ve been impressed with how McKenzie, for whom courage has never been in short supply, has developed his tackling technique as a fullback. At first-five he’ll need to find his own way to deal with the differences runners in the channel near the breakdowns and scrums present.
The second work on for him will be to put others into space. What the Chiefs and the All Blacks will be looking for are the second touches on attack. McKenzie instinctively creates something for himself extremely well. But there are now going to be significant parts of his game where the challenge will be to create something for someone else.
And then there will be the times, which may not be easy for a player as decisive with the ball in hand as he is, where he recognises there is nothing on for him at all, and he has to just pass the ball, and let someone else make a decision.
One reason to be hopeful of success is that the first-five position is not something new for McKenzie. He’s in nothing like the situation John Timu, for example, was in 1991, playing his first ever game at any level as a fullback, in a World Cup quarterfinal, in pouring rain in Lille.
McKenzie played first-five in 2013 for New Zealand secondary
He wants to play there, I want him to play there, and the All Blacks are keen for me to play him there. Colin Cooper
schools, as he did for the Christ’s College First XV. In 2014 he played all of Waikato’s provincial games at first-five, and he started there in nine of Waikato’s 10 games in 2015.
It’s true that one of his biggest games in the 10 jersey, for New Zealand Maori against the Lions in Rotorua last year, was disappointing. As it happens Cooper was the Maori coach that night, and he’s just stating a fact, not making an excuse, when he says: ‘‘It wasn’t so successful [for McKenzie] because we didn’t get the quality of ball. I think [at the Chiefs] we have a forward pack that will get him quality of ball. We’ve got a good tight five to give him that support.’’
McKenzie’s also known to have the belief in his own ability as a decision maker. Inside the All Blacks camp he’s considered very coachable, a good listener, intelligent, and professional, even if he hasn’t reached the stage in his career that Beauden Barrett has, where Barrett himself will initiate tactical discussions.
‘‘He’s from a quality family,’’ says Cooper, ‘‘and he’s a hard worker. And at 10 you’ve got to not only be in control, and have confidence, you’ve got to work hard, not just on the field, but with the video analysis after the game. He’s got the ethic to do that.’’
How good could he be at 10? Cooper had Beauden Barrett as a 10 back in the Taranaki days, ‘‘and he showed a lot of promise that he’d be an All Black 10. So does this kid [McKenzie]. I see a lot of similarities between Beauden and Damian. But Beauden’s been there and proven it, while Damian’s got to do that yet. Damian fits that mould. It’s just time in the saddle really, and that’s what we can give him, by playing him there regularly.’’
Like all experiments, playing McKenzie at 10 may not be a booming success. But it certainly feels like a very worthwhile trial.
Let’s leave with the typically understated words to me this week from All Blacks assistant coach, Ian Foster. ‘‘We’re delighted about Damian going into 10. He’s already a really good 15, and if he becomes a really good 10, we’ve got an interesting athlete haven’t we?’’