All Blacks: Steve Hansen has poser on blindside

Jerome Kaino felt he came up short. Photo / Brett Phibbs

One of the most eagerly contested positions in the All Blacks' pack is blindside flanker, and Jerome Kaino, who was disappointed with his performance against Manu Samoa, will be hoping he has done enough to see off his friend and rival Liam Messam for the next test against the Pumas.

For Kaino, in his first match since dislocating a finger playing for the Blues 10 weeks ago, the test was significant for several reasons.

Born in American Samoa to parents of Western Samoan heritage, the 32-year-old was playing in front of friends and family at Apia Park, but also for his mate Jerry Collins in the first test since the former All Black loose forward's death in France a month ago.

"I had to put a lid on it," Kaino said of his emotions. "The No 1 thing for me was to focus on my role. There were a couple of factors - a couple of things I thought of heading into this game.

"One was trying to honour Jerry with the way I played, the first outing in the No 6 jersey after his passing - but also being home in front of my family and friends. It was hard to put a lid on it, but I was happy with the way it panned out."

Kaino's happiness was mainly due to the sense of occasion and the fact the All Blacks did enough to win the test 25-16 in the face of a ferocious Manu Samoa comeback. But he is generally a harsh critic of his own performances and he felt he came up short.

"I don't think I did the jersey justice - I could have done more.

"I was always going to be rusty but the way the Samoan team played and the nature of the game, it was a lot harder than I anticipated."

Kaino prefers to start every match in order to find his rhythm, so it will be interesting to see what Steve Hansen does for the Argentina test in Christchurch on Friday.

Messam wasn't involved in the Apia match-day squad, with Matt Todd replacing Kaino after 60 minutes, and Hansen may want to give the Chiefs' co-captain an extended run at AMI Stadium ahead of the test against the Springboks in Johannesburg on July 26.

Messam's Chiefs' teammate Sam Cane, also not involved in Apia, is due for a run too, but Hansen is unlikely to make too many changes. One will probably be Luke Romano, unable to see out of a swollen left eye, with Brodie Retallick.

The All Blacks' set piece, one of the areas in which the Pumas will look to attack them, was solid in Apia, with 24-year-old Nepo Laulala, who made his debut when replacing Owen Franks, looking a man suited to the test environment.

Skipper Richie McCaw ruled the breakdown in turnovers, but the All Blacks' ball control will need to be improved in what will probably be slippery conditions in Christchurch.