The All Black selectors have some certainty that the system is producing highly capable young men - many of whom have the mental strength and physical gifts to thrive in the professional scene.
When Cruden made the All Blacks in 2010, he owed his call-up as much to the mastery he'd shown as captain of the under-20s the previous year as he did his efforts in his rookie campaign with the Hurricanes.
Brad Shields, Luke Whitelock and, to a lesser extent, Sam Cane owe their presence in the 35-man wider squad to what they achieved last year with the 'juniors'.
Brodie Retallick, Beauden Barrett, Ben Tameifuna and Tawera Kerr-Barlow have been impressive with their respective Super Rugby franchises and wouldn't have been far off selection based on those efforts alone. They have been nudged over the line by their exploits last year.
It's not quite a fast-track guaranteed route to the full national side but nor is it far off it and there will be plenty of interest in the 2012 squad which assembles this Friday before travelling to South Africa on May 30 and playing their opening tournament game against Samoa on June 4.
Departing Canterbury coach Rob Penney has charge of the under-20 side this year before he takes up a role with Munster.
He says the 28-man squad he's picked for the tournament lacks the experience of last year's group but none of the talent. TJ Perenara was not available, as he's required for Hurricanes duty, while Cane was wanted by All Blacks coach Steve Hansen.
"When you look back on previous teams at this level, there were some in the group who had some experience in the ITM Cup or maybe even Super Rugby," says Penney. "We don't have anyone of that experience this time but we are still excited by the potential of the group, as we are not down on talent. I don't think it's stretching things to say we have a few front-rowers with the capability to really push on."
To Penney's mind, the big difference between the emerging talent of today compared with their peers of five years ago is their level of game understanding, technical expertise and physical conditioning.
Until 2009, the IRB ran under-19 and under-21 tournaments before deciding to merge them into the current under-20 set-up.
The under-20 players of today more closely resemble the under-21 team in terms of their all-round ability, which is why so many are able to make a seamless transition to Super Rugby and even the All Blacks.
Judging by the fact the under-20s are undefeated in three campaigns, the New Zealand set-up is more advanced than that of any of the other leading rugby nations.
The focus for Penney is to strike the right balance between nurturing the talent at his disposal and preparing them for the next step, and winning the tournament.
"You have to tip-toe down the tightrope between development and success," he says.
"I don't see the two as mutually exclusive. If you ignore the development of the athlete, you are not serving the players in the long-term.
"If you shape the development and growth of the squad, then results won't quite take care of themselves but you will, I think, be providing the best opportunity for success to follow."
