Lock in James Broadhurst for All Blacks

James Broadhurst plays 80 minutes most weeks and enjoys playing 80 minutes. Photo / Getty Images

Now there have been a few breakages in Super Rugby, I think we are going to see a couple of untried players called up to the All Blacks.

Top of that list is Hurricanes lock James Broadhurst. I think he was a good chance of being picked anyway, but with Patrick Tuipulotu now requiring surgery and definitely not available, Broadhurst now becomes more of a probable than possible World Cup selection.

The top three locks in New Zealand right now are Sam Whitelock, Brodie Retallick and Broadhurst. Yep, I'd say he's gone past Luke Romano, Dominic Bird and Jeremy Thrush.

What I like about Broadhurst is that he plays 80 minutes most weeks and enjoys playing 80 minutes. That's so important.

If you're a halfback, you have to be able to pass. If you're a prop, you have to be able to scrummage. And if you are a lock, you have to win your lineout ball. But no matter what position you're playing, the best way to build confidence and skills is to play for 80 minutes.

If you look at Bird, he ticks a lot of the immediate boxes - he's tall and athletic-looking. But, and I don't know the guy and haven't talked to him, he looks to be missing something.

I can't help but feel he'd improve and become a much better player if he was somewhere where he played 80 minutes week after week. If he had gone to the Highlanders, for example, and come under the watchful eye of Jamie Joseph, I think he'd be a different player.

Jamie, I'm sure, would have taken one look at Bird and said, 'Right, look at the size of you. You are going to wear No5 every week and win us the lineout ball and go for 80.'

I know Bird had the chance to go up to the Blues and pretty much be a starting lock for them and turned it down, which was probably bad advice.

When you look at Romano, I'd bet if you went through the statistics, you'd have to go some way back to find the last time he played for 80 minutes as well.

So that's what I like about Broadhurst. He's doing his core role. Nothing fancy, but when he needs to tackle, he tackles. When he needs to take the ball up, he takes it up and he's winning his lineouts.

That's all you want. When Retallick first started, he was all about the basics and doing them well. And then in time, we saw him extend his influence and skills.

Broadhurst has been critical for the Hurricanes this season because he's held the tight five together. He's been the man who has set the standards and been the backbone.

It's all well and good having players like Ardie Savea who can get wider and cause some damage out there but you need graft and commitment elsewhere and that's what Broadhurst has brought.