The revolving door at six continues for the All Blacks.
Since Jerome Kaino retired from test rugby in 2017, the All Blacks have used nine players in the starting blindside role.
Liam Squire (injury-enforced retirement) and Vaea Fifita (offshore) have come and gone. Shannon Frizell, Luke Jacobson, Scott Barrett, ArdieSavea, Akira Ioane, Ethan Blackadder and Dalton Papalii remain.
During this five-year talent quest audition to replace Kaino others such as Jackson Hemopo and Matt Todd also spent time on the side of the scrum off the bench.
That sheer volume of players to traverse through the six jersey underlines how problematic it has been for the All Blacks to permanently fill the vacancy.
Kaino, like the late Jerry Collins before him, set the enforcer blueprint future contenders struggle to emulate.
The All Blacks will likely never harness a better balanced loose forward trio than the Kaino-Richie McCaw-Kieran Read era. In terms of complementary qualities, theirs was close to perfection.
For the second test against Ireland in Dunedin this week the All Blacks are essentially starting three openside flankers – Papalii, Cane and Savea - in different jerseys after Sam Whitelock's concussion absence forced Barrett's move from blindside to his more accustomed locking position.
Barrett's selection at six – for the first time since the 2019 World Cup semifinal defeat against England – evoked an emotive reaction last week.
All Black Dalton Papalii. Photo / Dean Purcell.
Yet his industrious performance – Barrett made 18 tackles and six carries while pressuring the Irish lineout – silenced the many doubters to offer the All Blacks possibly their leading option for the six role particularly against sizeable forward packs, the likes of Ireland, England, South Africa and France.
Papalii presents another compelling prospect. While he does not possess the same height or lineout ability as Barrett, the Blues captain will bring punishing defence, strong ball carrying, turnover threats and a relentless work rate to the six jersey. In many respects, he is the closest comparison to Kanio the All Blacks can embrace.
"In my opinion the six is more of the hit man so I've got to try smack someone early on," Papalii said, casually, on Thursday. "I'm going to try add my own flavour to the jersey."
With All Blacks captain Cane locked at openside and Savea seemingly ensconced at the back of the scrum in Ian Foster's preferred loose trio, Papalii knows his best chance to nail a starting role comes at six.
"I haven't played much at six this year but nothing really changes for me mentally or physically. All three loosies have different roles around the field but I'm looking forward to the challenge. I want to play my own game, add a twist to the six jersey and leave a bit of a legacy in that jersey.
"I've been following guys like Jerome Kaino growing up watching him, playing with him at the Blues and getting a few tips from him.
"This is an opportunity for me to put a stamp on the six jersey and leave my mark there."
Papalii's Blues teammate Ioane has been held back during the Irish series due to a lingering foot injury. Ioane is sure to get his chance at six in the coming weeks but following an underwhelming performance in the Super Rugby final question marks remain about his ability to consistently dominate the collisions when his forward pack doesn't have ascendancy.
Blackadder's season-ending shoulder surgery leaves him to target a return with the Crusaders next season, while Frizell's powerful frame and Jacobson's versatility sit on the fringe.
Unlike other blindside contenders where form fluctuations cause frustrations, the All Blacks know what they'll get with Papalii.
The 24-year-old is increasingly comfortable and confident in his confrontational style. Having just re-signed through to 2024, he promises to be an influential asset and is, indeed, already a highly-respected leader in the Blues.
Make the most of this latest audition and Papalii's future could well switch between seven for the Blues and six with the All Blacks.
