All Blacks: No panic despite injury to Carter

Stephen Brett. Photo / Getty Images

The trepidation that engulfed New Zealand rugby when Dan Carter was last injured has not surfaced in 2010.

Instead there is the unusual feeling of being intrigued, almost excited, at the prospect of seeing Aaron Cruden start a test. There has been no debate about his selection - no suspicion he's been promoted beyond his skill-set as there was with Stephen Donald.

The Wallabies will have marked Cruden as a target - a 21-year-old who can be cracked and put off his game. The All Blacks are quietly confident the Wallabies will be caught off guard by the impact Cruden can make.

Cruden will not offer the same quality as Carter but he appears at least to be much closer to claiming genuine test status than Donald.

When it came to finding someone to back up Cruden, there were three options - Colin Slade, Mike Delany and Luke McAlister.

Slade was selected because of his form and again, that decision is hard to knock. The Cantabrian has shown over the past two years that he is remarkably versatile with the pace to play on the wing, as well as the kicking portfolio and tactical vision to handle fullback and first five-eighths.

Like Cruden, he's a player who could make a positive contribution. The only doubt with Slade is if he can handle the occasion should his chance come, although there is every reason to believe he can, given the way he's performed for the Crusaders on the big stage.

If Delany had been able to play more football than just one outing against North Harbour, then it's probable he rather than Slade would have been called up for Sydney.

This is all in stark contrast to last year when Donald was never quite quite convincing an All Black first five.

McAlister, painfully short of form and confidence was the only other option, while Carter was recovering from a damaged Achilles.

It was a difficult period - one where it felt as if New Zealand was bereft of ability at first five.

The landscape has changed for the better, something All Black assistant coach Wayne Smith says has been a long-term project. When he returned from Northampton in 2004, Smith was of the view that some of the now prominent skills required of first fives were dormant.

"My comment on the game at that point was that tactical kicking hadn't been developed to any extent - it wasn't used to shape the game, to move the opposition.

"It hadn't been lost as such, it just hadn't been a big part of the game. It was very ball in hand and an attacking brand of rugby had been encouraged.

"One thing we [All Black coaching panel] wanted to encourage was greater tactical awareness and better decision-making, as we felt these could become areas where we could gain a real advantage in time. I think some of that thinking and work is bearing fruit now."

Smith says the key to the improvement has been greater unity in the coaching set-up where, from schoolboys through to the All Blacks, there is a better appreciation of the skills first fives need to play the preferred style of rugby.

The dispersal of talent around the country has also been a critical factor in developing a deeper pool.

One of the long-term frustrations for the All Black coaches has been the clustering of talent.

In 2005, Graham Henry tried to persuade one of Dan Carter, Andrew Mehrtens or Aaron Mauger to shift to the Hurricanes, who at that time didn't have a recognised, experienced first five.

The same issue of over-supply came up last year, with Stephen Brett and Slade both in the queue behind Carter.

Brett opted to join the Blues this year and Slade has also been persuaded to shift - to the Highlanders - to win a regular starting place. For the first time, possibly in the history of Super rugby, the five leading No 10s will be spread across five franchises.

The only team likely to have real competition is the Chiefs, where Delany and Donald will have to scrap it out, although the latter might view himself better suited to No 12.

It is significant there has been a dispersal. Not only will the selectors have the luxury of seeing the best first fives in action most weeks, there is a fair chance regular game time will fast-track development.

While he was far from faultless, Brett advanced with the Blues and finished the season a better player.

Cruden, too, made major steps towards the end of the campaign when he was playing regularly.

There is confidence that, despite playing for a weaker side, Slade will add new dimensions to his game with the Highlanders.

Smith says there simply isn't any substitute for time at the coalface.

"Even when you look at Daniel [Carter], he wasn't trusted as a first five by Canterbury until the end of the 2004 campaign.

"He showed that maybe they weren't quite right but it does take time to learn the role and to build the skills."