All Blacks: Anscombe quickly in Wales frame

Former Chiefs utility Gareth Anscombe. Photo / Christine Cornege

The All Blacks have arrived in Cardiff with question marks around who will wear the No10 jersey against Wales and there is a similar debate brewing around Warren Gatland's selection for first-five.

Dan Biggar started there in the narrow defeat to Australia a week ago before leaving the field with injury, with Rhys Priestland replacing him only to face boos from the Millennium Stadium crowd, a bizarre welcome which attracted a verbal lashing from assistant coach Shaun Edwards.

"You boo one of us, you boo all of us," Edwards said. "If you boo Rhys Priestland, you boo myself, you boo Warren Gatland, you boo Leigh Halfpenny, you boo the Welsh jersey. Personally, I don't think that's on."

Priestland started at No10 in the unconvincing win over Fiji last weekend, but there are growing calls for the more attacking James Hook to be given a go.

Gareth Anscombe, the New Zealander who played for Auckland in the recent ITM Cup semifinal defeat to Taranaki, and who has only just arrived in Wales to join up with his new club Cardiff Blues, is also in the frame, but not for Sunday's test against the All Blacks.

It's a far cry from Steve Hansen's dilemma. The All Blacks coach has four quality first-fives to choose from - Dan Carter, Aaron Cruden, Beauden Barrett and Colin Slade. The biggest challenge for him will be deciding who to leave out as he looks to select his strongest line-up for his team's last test of the year.

Cardiff Blues coach Mark Hammett, formerly of the Hurricanes and Crusaders, has vowed to ease Anscombe in slowly, but the injury and form issues around the Wales first-fives could force Gatland's hand for next weekend's test against South Africa.

All Blacks flanker Sam Cane, a friend and former teammate of Anscombe's, said his mate was capable of the step up, but possibly not this early.

"He's only been over here for a week or 10 days I suppose. It would be a pretty big call to get him straight into that environment. He's a quality player and has a lot to offer and is still young so has a lot of improvements to make as well. He's a hard worker, I can see him fitting in well over here. It's a big step for him and to make that call early in his career. He's obviously backing himself. For me, having played with him and as a mate I hope to see him go well.

Asked about Anscombe's decision to set his sights on Wales rather than the All Blacks, Cane, who played alongside him in New Zealand age group teams and the Chiefs, said: "In one sense he's lucky to have the option to represent Wales and represent his mother's side of the family, but I don't envy him having to make a tough decision like that when he's grown up with the All Blacks as his main goal."