Gregor Paul is one of New Zealand’s most respected rugby writers and columnists. He has won multiple awards for journalism and has written several books about sport.
OPINION
The last time England were in New Zealand, the Junior World Championship was being played in Auckland,and one of the unforgettable stories was the presence of a skinny, blonde-haired kid playing fullback for the hosts.
He was fearless and frantic, played with no inhibition or restraint and his rugby was all built on spontaneity and impulse which meant he produced almost equal bouts of brilliance and catastrophe.
The skinny, blonde-haired kid in question was obviously Damian McKenzie, who a decade after lighting up the 2014 Junior World Championship (which England won), is expected to be named at No 10 for the All Blacks on Thursday and begin the process of trying to establish himself as the national team’s first-choice playmaker through this World Cup cycle.
It’s been quite the journey to this point – with as much uncertainty existing today as there was a decade ago as to what the right role is for McKenzie and how his unique skillset can be best utilised by the national team.
In the last decade, McKenzie has retained the essence of his Under-20 self. Be it for the Chiefs or All Blacks, he’s played with that same spontaneity – that same desire to trust his instincts.
His fearlessness is not confined to his physical bravery – it’s also that he’s prepared to attempt the highest-risk plays without a hint of hesitation, and it’s meant that his career to date has continued to jump between triumph and disaster, with former All Blacks coach Sir Steve Hansen using the fly in the bottle metaphor to encapsulate McKenzie’s early test years.
Be it as a fullback or first five-eighths, neither Hansen nor his successor, Ian Foster, were able, when all the various contenders were fit, to find a regular starting spot for McKenzie.
They loved his energy, his ability to beat defenders and they particularly loved the carnage he could cause from the backfield off a snaffled turnover or loose kick, and so the idea grew that he was best used off the bench against tiring legs.
Both Richie Mo’unga and Beauden Barrett were seen as the better options at No 10 between 2016 and 2023.
Maybe it was a trust issue, a sense that both had better control of their impulses and a more measured, strategic approach to playing No 10 at a level that requires a chess mentality to succeed.
McKenzie, for all that he did learn to somewhat temper his instincts in that same period, never quite delivered the same confidence that his game management had the right balance of pass, kick, run.
Damian McKenzie has waited patiently behind the likes of Richie Mo'unga for a clear shot at the 10 jersey. Photo / Photosport
It seemed, although it was never expressed like this, that neither Hansen nor Foster saw McKenzie as the sort of No 10 who could steer the All Blacks to victory in a rainy slugfest against the Springboks.
And so on the eve of the launch of McKenzie 2.0, it’s inevitable that the question of whether he is ready for what lies ahead will be asked.
The kid who played a decade ago is by and large the man we have today, in that McKenzie’s game remains broadly defined by his energy, his fast feet and ability to dance through the heaviest traffic and tempt defenders to make high-risk, high-reward decisions.
But throughout the Chiefs’ campaign this year, there was more balance in McKenzie’s option-taking and a greater variety in his tactical offering.
He learned the art of variation and used it to create doubt in opposition minds about what he might do next.
He was content to kick more from the backfield and won his team the semifinal in Wellington by having greater patience and accuracy in the prolonged bouts of kick-tennis that broke out.
It was all tracking so well until the Super Rugby Pacific final, when he found himself behind a pack being monstered by the Blues and there was nothing in his bag of tricks to enable him to get himself or his team back into the contest.
For some critics, that one game was enough for doubts to resurface about McKenzie’s readiness – enough to trigger concerns that he still isn’t the sort of No 10 who could steer the All Blacks home against the Springboks on a rainy night.
But on balance, McKenzie’s Super campaign was a strong enough case on which to believe he’s better equipped now to be the All Blacks No 10.
He adjusted his thrills to spills ratio, he wasn’t intent on making every play a winner and there was a newfound patience about his approach.
No one, though, should expect it to be plain sailing or believe he’s going to nail his new gig immediately.
It will take him time to adjust to the demands of the role, to lock into the rhythms of what is likely to be a heavily innovated game plan, and inevitably there will be a few heart-in-the-mouth moments.
But McKenzie, based on what he’s shown so far in 2024, looks destined to end this year a better test No 10 than he started it.
That’s the all-important breakthrough – he has a capacity to learn and evolve and that’s primarily why he’s a different player to the one he was 10 years ago.
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