There’s never a great time for any All Black to be ruled out of a test match.
But having had that happen to him in Wellington, Sevu Reece is itching to make the most of whatever chance comes his way in Hamilton.
In the first minute of the All Blacks’ season opening victory over France in Dunedin, Reece suffered a head knock that sidelined him for last weekend’s demolition job at Sky Stadium.
In his absence, the All Blacks put in arguably the most comprehensive performance under Scott Robertson, and defeated Les Bleus 43-17 to reclaim the Dave Gallaher Trophy for the first time since 2018.
Now, with nothing bar pride to play for in Hamilton, the All Blacks have the luxury of being able to rotate.
Robertson has insisted since he first picked the squad that he wants to see every member take the field during the French series.
And now that Reece has gone through the mandatory stand-down for a head injury, the winger is out to make up for lost time at FMG Stadium.
“It’s not the ideal way I’d have planned my first test of the year, but that’s rugby,” he said.
“You don’t know what’s going to happen.
“But I’m back and healthy now, and if given the opportunity to go out there this week, it’ll be awesome.”
While never implicitly said by an All Blacks coach, players missing a test for any reason realistically gives a rival the chance to take their spot.
Reece’s availability adds to an intriguing selection mix for Robertson. Having only named two specialist wingers in his squad to face France, the All Blacks coach has so far been caught short in both tests.
Reece’s injury in Dunedin forced a reshuffle that moved Will Jordan out of his preferred position at fullback, while Caleb Clarke’s scratching on the eve of Wellington meant Emoni Narawa had to be drafted in from outside the squad.
Under All Blacks coaches of the past, wingers have arguably had the least job security of any position.
Being the position most defined by physical attributes, namely raw speed, players have tended to hit a ceiling in their late 20s, and be replaced by a newer, younger model.
Even Julian Savea, who was odds-on to break the All Blacks’ try-scoring record, was moved on to accommodate Rieko Ioane in 2017.
Robertson, meanwhile, has emphasised the need for players to cover more than one position – evidenced by Ioane shifting outward from centre, and Timoci Tavatavanawai also covering the wing and midfield.
The All Blacks coach even went as far as asserting that playmakers like Damian McKenzie and Ruben Love could be used on the wing, given their ability to cover the outside backs.
But while some players would shy away from having to fight for a first-XV spot every week, Reece embraces that challenge.
“That’s the cool thing about this level, you’ve got the best of the best all competing,” he explained.
“We’ve got Rieko Ioane, Emoni, unlucky for my brother Caleb, but he was there as well.
“Everyone is pushing each other, everyone wants to start. It comes down to the coaches.
“All we can control is how hard we work.”
Just because the All Blacks will rotate in Hamilton, though, doesn’t mean any drop off in intensity.
After the victory in Wellington, stand-in captain Ardie Savea outlined that the team won’t rest as they hunt a 3-0 whitewash.
Before this series, the All Blacks hadn’t beaten France since their last visit to Aotearoa in 2018.
In that time, Les Bleus have become one of the world’s great sides, even if they’ve not been able to name their strongest XVs on this tour.
For the All Blacks, though, Saturday night represents the chance for even a rotated squad of their own to show exactly what they intend to do this year.
“We got an opportunity now to put a statement that this is our 2025 season, this is how we’re going to roll out,” Reece said.
“We’re two-and-oh, how cool would it be to go three-and-oh?
“[France have] a nothing-to-lose mindset.
“We’re expecting anything and everything from them. They’ll throw everything at us, so we’re preparing like it’s the first test.
“We know how they play, they don’t go away, they stick in there until the last minute.”
Alex Powell is a sports journalist for the NZ Herald. He has been a sports journalist since 2016.