All Blacks: Diminutive star on the rise

Aaron Cruden has made huge progress in the past 11 months. Photo / Getty Images

Despite the hype and the name recognition from Graham Henry, this time last year Aaron Cruden was not a feature on the All Black radar.

When the selectors drew up an extended list of potential candidates to tour the Northern Hemisphere in November, Cruden wasn't on it.

The World Junior Player of the year had captained New Zealand Under-20s to World Cup success but he hadn't played Super14 or barely even provincial football.

At 75kg, Cruden could have been snapped in half in the test arena. That lack of experience; lack of bulk which manifested itself in a lack of length to his kicking game, meant Cruden was some way down the list of possible first fives.

Only 11 months have passed since that assessment and Cruden will start at first five for the All Blacks in Sydney. From being certain he wasn't ready 11 months ago, the All Black coaches had no hesitation telling Cruden he would start against the Wallabies in the final Tri Nations clash.

They knew Daniel Carter required surgery and would need to have it as soon as he got home from South Africa to ensure that his recovery would be complete before the end of year tour.

There was time enough to take in the next two weeks of ITM cup action; to re-assess the likes of Colin Slade, Stephen Brett and Luke McAlister and then make a decision on who should wear No 10.

But the coaches didn't need to wait. Their confidence in Cruden began to grow in mid March and has continued unabated since.

It has been a systematic march to conviction with Cruden ticking more boxes as the season has progressed. The first was his physique or more accurately the improvement in his core strength and subsequent power to weight ratio.

"He might be a little guy," says Cory Jane of Cruden, "but he is a dynamo in the gym.

"He is powerful, lifts some big weights."

Cruden is now close to 85kg and any fears he will be squashed have subsided. Back in February, Benson Stanley lined Cruden up and clobbered him in the opening game of the season. It was a colossal hit, but Cruden leapt off the turf and settled into his game.

He's brave, robust and durable and the heavy artillery, be it at Super 14 or in his test appearances so far, have not had much joy charging down his channel.

Among all the many attributes possessed by Carter, his defensive clout is the one often overlooked. He makes big tackles every test and his technique, his timing and his accuracy are every bit as good as they are in all other facets of his game.

The All Black coaches know what Carter brings defensively and know the importance of a hard-tackling No 10. Cruden has done enough to convince he can handle that side of the job - something no one could be sure of this time last year.

His other critical improvement has been made behind the scenes with the All Blacks' kicking coach Mick Byrne.

"He's worked very hard with Mick," says coach Henry of Cruden. "He's worked on both his goal-kicking and his kicking out of hand and made some big improvements."

Cruden averaged a disappointing 54 per cent success rate during Super 14 and while he might have refined his technique in training, it will be a big call to entrust him to kick for goal against the Wallabies.

However, he may have to as the only other recognised option is Piri Weepu who almost certainly won't play 80 minutes because of the dual halfback policy to lessen the aerobic burden.

Some observers will view that as a major risk but the All Black coaching staff wouldn't have stuck with Cruden; wouldn't ask him to take on the goal-kicking if they didn't think he could handle it.

What Cruden has done in the past 11 months - particularly the latter three - is show a resilience of character and convince the panel he has the ability to cope with the demands of test football.

"He just needs time," says Henry. "I think he can put people in holes, play in the traffic and make good decisions. We were impressed in the way he navigated with the Hurricanes.

"He can be very a positive international player he's just got to build the confidence."