The next big ABs

, 4, 6, 8, it’s never too late to be a World Cup bolter. Blues back-rower Tom Robinson should recognise those lyrics because they were sung by a bloke called Tom Robinson.

The warbling Tom Robinson, not to be confused with the Tom Robinson who was falsely accused of rape in To Kill A Mockingbird, also sang Glad To be Gay, and swerved from punk to melodious pacifist and gay rights campaigner.

That’s a lot of famous Tom Robinsons in the world, so it’s quite an achievement for a 24-year-old from Northland to also be making that name for himself. ‘‘2, 4 ,6, 8 it’s never too late’’ may be a bit of pseudo existentialist pop which doesn’t really go anywhere, but it’s also not a bad line for Robinson to hum in his head as he dares to dream of going to Japan in a black shirt.

Yes, it’s extremely unlikely, because the 24-year-old is not the typical blindside flanker that Steve Hansen has preferred. Hansen likes an enforcer. He likes a man who can run over the top of people. He likes a man who can rattle bones. He likes a man such as Jerome Kaino who knocked out Jamie Roberts with his shoulder a few months ago, pleaded not guilty and copped a five-week ban. Does the All Blacks No 6 really have to play like this?

Since Kaino departed there have been several other bruisers squeeze into the All Blacks shirt. Liam Squire, Vaea Fafita, Shannon Frizell and Jackson Hemopo have all been let loose. Hansen is looking for the next big hit.

‘‘We want good athletes first and foremost,’’ says the All Blacks coach.

Some of that may not go in Robinson’s favour. He is not as powerful a ball-carrier as the others. But in different ways he is an extraordinary athlete. Robinson is just under two metres tall and weighs 110 kg, but he has a phenomenal engine for a man of that size. Against the Highlanders at the weekend he had to take on first Frizell and then Hemopo and he saw both of them off.

There wasn’t much to Robinson’s play in the first half. He did his core duties efficiently. He supported his jumpers in the lineout and made a few tackles. Robinson’s best work was around the breakdown, where he cleared out bodies with aggressive efficiency, providing quick ball for the Blues strike runners.

But the way that Robinson played in the second half made you wonder if the coaches are deliberately limiting his duties in the first 40. They know that his huge twin virtues are a combination of speed and stamina. They expect Robinson to be more effective in the second half. As others tire, Robinson seems to get stronger.

When Hemopo came on for the final 15 minutes Robinson played like a man possessed. We had already seen his pace and his sidestep when he stormed in from nearly 40 metres for a disallowed try. We had seen him thump Ben Smith in a marginal tackle that left the All Black shaken up and might have contributed to a kick that went out on the full shortly after.

We had also seen Robinson win ball at the front of the lineout, and then carry strongly in the