All Black Luke McAlister is one of the few inside backs who can play as a second receiver or a linebreaker. Photo / Getty images

All Black Luke McAlister is one of the few inside backs who can play as a second receiver or a linebreaker. Photo / Getty images

When Richie McCaw, Dan Carter, Rodney So'oialo and Ali Williams regain their match fitness, the All Blacks will instantly transform into a more potent side. But the June tests have hinted at there being endemic problems in New Zealand that need to be addressed. Gregor Paul highlights seven areas of concern.

1. The death of the traditional first-five
The Blues just can't find one. The Highlanders don't really have one. The Hurricanes have had to force a halfback into playing there against his will. The Crusaders have three - Dan Carter plus two who have plenty of potential, although one seems hellbent on not quite fulfilling it. The Chiefs are the only franchise that has a first-five who approximates the real deal and even he, as is becoming clear, isn't quite All Black class.

So what's happened? In 2005, there was a queue of genuine talent trying to crack the jersey - Carlos Spencer, Andrew Mehrtens, Luke McAlister and Daniel Carter. There were young promising hopefuls, too, in Stephen Donald and Jimmy Gopperth and even David Hill, who was maligned at the time but would be appreciated now.

Why stocks are so bereft is hard to answer. The best guess is that the obsession with power rugby is to blame. At schools and age-grade level, the rugby is all about the biggest, fastest, strongest athletes. The territorial game is anathema to most top schools.

First-fives are not required to run the game as such; they are essentially distributors rather than gameplan managers.

Auckland Rugby even run clinics to instil the missing skills. The typical elite first-five who emerges through provincial academy programmes can run, kick, tackle, catch and pass. What he can't do is meld all these skills into the context of the position and use them to push his side around the field; to take control of the game and apply pressure.

New Zealand under-20 captain Aaron Cruden is one of the few up and comers who has the ability to play like a real No 10, as does Colin Slade, although how fast he will develop is questionable given Carter's presence at the Crusaders.

The void behind Carter is beginning to look deep, dark and dismal.

2. The evolution of locks into hybrid loose forwards
All Black coach Graham Henry recently touched on this point. New Zealand rugby has stopped focusing on the core skills of the position, he seems to be saying.

Maybe the introduction of the ELVs is to blame. There was a definite switch in selection focus last year. Rather than look for big lugs who could dominate in the air, the lock of choice was someone extremely mobile; someone capable of delivering an 80-minute aerobic shift where they could make a big impact in the loose.