Ross Filipo: Big chance for fringe players

Missing out on a World Cup spot inspired Ross Filipo to work harder to become an All Black. Photo / Getty Images

Opinion

The All Blacks selectors will have already picked their World Cup squad - they would have locked it in 12 months ago - and it will take a dozen injuries for anyone to crack the squad.

We've seen in the past that players aren't necessarily picked on current form but form shown in the black jersey.

That can be hard for individuals on the fringe in World Cup year, especially with most of the All Blacks missing from the opening weeks of the competition. They might feel that, no matter what they do, they're not getting a look-in.

I was in that position in 2007. But rather than feel down about it, I looked at it as an opportunity and, ultimately, it helped me make the All Blacks that year - and the fact nearly every top lock fell down injured.

I made my All Blacks debut against Canada and then played in the Tri Nations against South Africa and Australia and that might not have happened if the All Blacks players had been on duty from the start of the Super Rugby season.

Without the big names around at the Crusaders, I felt empowered. Like a number of players, I felt like I had to step up to fill the void.

Youngsters can often feel scared to say anything or do anything wrong when All Blacks are around. They don't look at the bigger picture, instead focusing entirely on making sure they merely do their core role.

Guys can flourish and become household names. Johnny Leo'o always sat behind Richie McCaw at the Crusaders but he got into a real groove without the All Blacks skipper around and played really well that season. Stephen Brett was the same. The rest of the team gelled, with some great enthusiasm from the young guys, and the All Blacks had to fit in with that when they returned.

I understand this year's competition might not hold as much appeal for fans without All Blacks on deck but it's not devalued in my eyes. We're going to discover some new stars and it isn't hugely detrimental to sides. In 2007, as defending champions, we made the semifinals and played some good rugby.

There's a difference between trying to impress selectors and trying too hard. One thing I worked out was that collective success can lead to individual success. If you do your best for the team, then you'll start to get noticed. Once that happens, it's important to continue to do the things that might have got you into the All Blacks in the first place rather than trying to do anything differently.

The South African teams are also resting a number of their Springboks in the early rounds of Super Rugby and the first week of the competition threw up some interesting results. Who would have predicted five of the six games would have been won by the away team?

It will mean a much more open competition full of tries and upsets and that can only be a good thing.