All Blacks coach Steve Hansen. Photo / Mark Mitchell
It's early days, of course, but you'd have to say that Steve Hansen and his fellow All Black coaches will be wondering a bit about what's happening with the locks this year.
With Brad Thorn gone, there was still plenty of room for optimism with Sam Whitelock, Ali Williams, Anthony Boric and Jarrad Hoeata seemingly the natural 'hard man' replacement for Thorn. However, Hoeata has been injured, Boric is now out for at least six weeks and Williams just does not seem to have regained the form that marked his play a few years ago.
I spoke to former All Blacks captain Buck Shelford about Ali the other day and he was scathing. He said some of the senior players in the Blues were too long in the tooth and that Pat Lam should get rid of them. He gave it to Ali Williams right between the eyes.
I do have some sympathy for Williams and all senior players in this situation. We are unforgiving of any drop in form by our All Blacks. We expect them to play to a high level all the time and Williams is expected to play at the level he was before doing his Achilles tendon.
He and Boric were bit part players in the World Cup last year and Boric was expected to have a real push at getting into the senior ranks of the All Blacks this year.
However, his form has just not been there though I suspect it has not helped playing in a team that was out of sorts in the early rounds. That's the scenario for the locking division so far this year - plenty of contenders but few of them in form.
In a short space of time, Sam Whitelock has become the senior partner in the locks. You'd also have to say that Tom Donnelly has done well so far this season. He's a no frills sort of player and maybe doesn't show up round the field like a lot of the competition - but he does the basics very well and always plays with a lot of grunt. I'd say the Crusaders were a bit surprised when the Highlanders let him go, though you can't fault the Highlanders' forward approach this season either where Josh Bekhuis has been doing more good work without necessarily threatening to break into the next level. Converted loosie Nick Crosswell has also been going well at lock; he fits into the Highlanders' play-it-at-pace strategy better than a Bekhuis-Donnelly combo would have.
The other resurgence has come from Jason Eaton. Again, it's early days and a couple of good games does not mean a career is resurrected - but the initial signs from Eaton have been good.
He's been doing his work in the tight stuff and showing up in the running-catching-passing phases as well, which was what originally got Graham Henry and co excited about him. He looked to be a real find at first but then he just seemed to go missing. He has spent some time at lock and some time being fitted into a No 6 role - and I am not sure that did him any favours.
A lot of folk will be harping on about the Chiefs' new lock, Brodie Retallick. There's no doubt about it - he's a big, mobile unit and his performances in the air for the Chiefs have been impressive. he's got real potential. However, he's as green as a golf course. Talk to me in a year or two about All Black prospects - there's plenty of time for him yet.
The All Blacks' first assignment this year will be against Ireland in early June. They are apparently bringing a strong team down here this year (Oh, yeah? We'll see, won't we?) and, if so, they'll be a good challenge.
If we had to pick an All Black squad of 22 tomorrow, Whitelock and Donnelly would be my second rowers with Eaton on the bench.