Richie Mo'unga and Beauden Barrett during an All Blacks training session. Photo / Getty
OPINION:
The reignited Richie Mo'unga-Beauden Barrett conundrum that appears destined to dominate All Blacks selection discussions will dissipate in the not-too-distant future. And not due to reasons widely grasped.
The missing piece of this debate that has, at times, consumed the passionate rugby public is its looming expiry date that threatens to reveal the underbelly of New Zealand's unproven depth at first five-eighths.
Debating the merits of All Blacks first-fives forms a long held national pastime. Mo'unga and Barrett are merely the latest instalment. Their duel has evolved full circle from rivals to starting teammates, when Barrett switched to fullback during the much-touted dual playmaker experiment, to friendly competitors this season.
Mo'unga is expected to start on his home patch for the first test in Christchurch in six years against the Pumas this weekend. Despite delivering an influential performance in the Ellis Park victory, when he ignited the All Blacks attack by injecting depth, width and direction through his kicking game to savour his first test start this year, Mo'unga was no guarantee to retain the No 10 jersey until Barrett suffered a knock at training on Tuesday.
Mo'unga now appears to have regained the upper hand — yet Ian Foster has consistently favoured Barrett to leave no certainty around the immediate future of the All Blacks starting No 10.
While the nature of Barrett's injury remains unclear at this stage, if, as suspected, he sustained another head knock, concerns will resurface after he considered retirement following lingering concussion symptoms throughout the summer after a nasty head clash in the defeat to Ireland last November.
The wider context few have yet considered in the Mo'unga-Barrett debate is that it has a seemingly short shelf life, with both backline directors off contract after next year's World Cup.
In a revealing interview with the Herald in June, Mo'unga made his intentions clear when he outlined his desire to spend one, possibly two, years in Japan from 2024.
Barrett turns 32 next year. While he could feasibly continue for another three years beyond the World Cup his concussion history will be a factor and, like Mo'unga, he too will weigh the right time to cash abroad at the backend of his finite career.
It is possible, probable even, then, that Mo'unga and Barrett could both depart New Zealand rugby following next year's World Cup — leaving a 14-month window for the debate about their respective starting claims.
Losing Mo'unga and Barrett at the same time would be a body blow for the All Blacks and Super Rugby. For all their differences, all the entrenched favouritism one way or the other, New Zealand has again been blessed with depth other nations could only dream of.
The Wallabies are in the midst of a first-five crisis after recalling Bernard Foley from his three-year test absence. The Springboks are lost without Handre Pollard. Even Ireland remains unconvinced about their succession plans beyond Jonathan Sexton.
After the World Cup, the pressing concern for the All Blacks is depth beyond Mo'unga and Barrett could be exposed. Stephen Perofeta is the next in line as things stand but, before his likely audition off the bench this weekend, he is yet to make his test debut.
Exposure to the dramatically constricted time and space on the ball in the test arena is the only sure way to allow the 25-year-old, who recently re-signed with the Blues through to 2024, to grow his game.
Damian McKenzie is another option to fill the likely void. Like Barrett and Perofeta, McKenzie has flittered between first-five and fullback throughout his career. He returned from one Japanese season in June to slot in at No 10 for Waikato and press for an All Blacks recall from the NPC.
McKenzie is 27 but he, too, has only committed through to 2023 to leave his future beyond the World Cup unclear. Of his 40 tests, two have come at first-five and he is therefore unproven as an orchestrator at the elite level.
Behind the scenes the New Zealand Rugby contracting team must be increasingly anxious at the prospect of Mo'unga, Barrett and McKenzie all leaving after the World Cup. As the eligibility criteria stands, none can be selected from abroad.
That concerning scenario would leave Perofeta as the de facto chosen one — and a host of contenders battling to rapidly develop their case.
At this stage New Zealand's next crop of first five-eighths have either tailed off or are not ready.
Josh Ioane has failed to kick on from his sole test appearance off the bench against Tonga prior to the 2019 World Cup.
Brett Cameron could yet come again. The 25-year-old struggled to cope with expectations attached to his shock test debut three years ago but after switching from Canterbury to Manawatū, in between a season in Japan, he has since rebounded to sign with the Hurricanes from next year.
Chiefs and North Harbour's Bryn Gatland is an accomplished kicker but his attacking game is too limited for the next level.
Fellow Hurricanes playmaker Ruben Love, 21, presents the most naturally gifted future prospect but, at this point, questions persist about whether his compelling attacking talents are best suited to first-five or fullback.
Such an underbelly of unproven first-fives suggests that while the Mo'unga-Barrett debate is certain to rage on until the World Cup, it may be worth pausing to appreciate their presence before they are gone.
Not content with concessions designed to guarantee their sides feature prominently in the bloated eight team Super Rugby finals format, Rugby Australia are now pushing for a draft system to be adopted as part of the competition's long-term future. Drafts in American sports are popular TV events so there's no surprise Sky are interested but it's difficult to view the value in New Zealand rugby propping up the Rebels and Force.
Anthony Joshua's post-fight tantrum after his second loss to Oleksandr Usyk last weekend, when he chucked the heavyweight belts on the floor, stole the mic and limelight by claiming he was the more skilled boxer, was a clear case of the mask slipping. Joshua had every right to be disappointed, to openly display his emotions, but his erratic behaviour and lack of grace in defeat, revealed plenty about his true character and the team around him that have consistently fed his ego and the notion he is the greatest gift to heavyweight boxing. Joshua is an impressive athlete, no doubt about it. Yet his sharp comedown reflects an illusion that gradually grew beyond all realism. The reality, that he is not in the same league as Tyson Fury or Usyk, is now clear for all to see.
Record: 10/24 (-$18)
Last time out The Sauce tipped the Springboks to cover -4.5 at Ellis Park which, of course, did not transpire. The previous week I favoured the Boks to win by 1-12 in Mbombela, only for the All Blacks to be blown out in their largest defeat in 94 years in South Africa. Such is the fraught nature of sport betting. This week, I'm going with Auckland (against Otago) and Canterbury (Tasman) head-to-head in a multi paying $2.
The 31-year-old will take up a second sabbatical in his NZ Rugby contract.