All Blacks: Read faces ultimate test

All Black No8 Kieran Read. Photo / Getty Images

In Marseilles last year, Kieran Read came of age - laying claim to the All Black No 8 jersey through to the World Cup.

That claim was strengthened significantly last night. The Springboks present the All Blacks with their greatest challenge of the season. They also, through Pierre Spies, provide the ultimate barometer of whether Read really can be the world class No 8 he's starting to resemble.

The All Black coaches need to see Read look at the whites of Spies' eyes; to see the Springbok No 8 knocked down well behind the gain-line; to see him cleaned out at the breakdown and his influence reduced.

On top of all that, they want to see Read everywhere - with the ball in hand, in support of the wide runners, taking clean ball in the lineout and never letting his workrate fluctuate.

He did. Read completely overshadowed Spies last night.

They needed to see it not only because that's what it takes for the All Blacks to end the series 2-0 ahead, but because the coaches believe they have a bloke in waiting who can do all they want at No 8.

That, of course, is Victor Vito. A regular blindside this season, the All Blacks are confident No 8 might be his long-term future. That pace out of the boot, that explosive drive into the tackle and ability to carry as effectively as the long-striding Spies - Vito could be the perfect No 8.

It's a patience game for the selectors and one they are happy to play. For all Vito's potential, they can't ignore Read. They invested in Read as a slow-burning project and he's done everything he was asked; become the sort of player they thought he could be.

Despite having been the form flanker of the Super 14 in 2008, Read missed All Black selection as the panel felt he needed a break - was too immersed in the rugby life and wasn't ready for test football.

It rocked him hard to hear he was not in their immediate thinking. He's seen enough in the past two years to understand that without that time off, he wouldn't be 20 test caps into his career and possibly on the verge of cementing his role for the foreseeable future.

"Obviously at the time you are not too happy about it," he says. "It was a pretty strategic move from them and their reasons were sound. It gave me another season with Canterbury and the opportunity to win a championship.

"They were really happy with my development, they didn't want me to be too involved with the footy as they saw me having a couple of big years if they could unload me at the end of 2008. They felt if they did that, they would keep me really fresh through 2009 and 2010 and it's proven to be the case - I haven't picked up any injuries in the last couple of years."

Freedom from injury has been critical. Read is reliable - he always seems to be available; always in the right place doing the little things right.

Vito has a more engaging skill set, the potential to be a superstar. But sometimes test rugby needs footballers like Read, who have accuracy, discipline and relentless engines that never stop purring.

To portray him as simply a low error-rate, high-energy workhorse doesn't do justice to his contribution. There's more to Read than the basics - he's deceptively quick, makes some clever passes and competes for the ball strongly in the air.

He's also a leader. In 2008, at just 22, he was asked to captain Canterbury and led them all the way to the title. A year later, he was at the helm of the Crusaders when McCaw was injured.

His leadership is about calm authority. He's not a shouter. He's like McCaw in that he inspires more by action than words.

He shares another characteristic with McCaw - he is fiercely professional. Read is a dedicated trainer. Doesn't suffer from injury much and never noticeably lets his form vacillate. He's consistent from February through to November and that's what builds respects with his peers.

It helps that unlike many aspiring No 8s, he doesn't have a vision of Zinzan Brooke locked into his brain. Read knows what he offers and makes no apologies for not offering the same range as the man so many New Zealanders view as the benchmark for No 8s.

"Watching him play, I know how skilful he was. I am never going to be that skilful in terms of the things he did," Read says of Brooke. "There is no real reason for me to try to compare. All I can do is play my game and put performances on the track."

It also helps that he's aware of the pressure Vito could apply. "It's great to have that competition. If he wasn't here, you would still want to be doing the best you can. For me, it is just about doing justice to the jersey and that is the only way you can hold on to it."

Given the efforts of Read so far and the way he continually drives more from his game, it would be a surprise to see him usurped by Vito at No 8 before the World Cup.

Possibly in greater danger is Jerome Kaino. His inconsistency has long been his biggest enemy and now, with the coaches so determined to unleash Vito, the Aucklander might be more vulnerable.