Rugby: All Blacks back three up for debate ahead of England test and 2019 Rugby World Cup

All Blacks Nehe Milner-Skudder, Damian McKenzie and Waisake Naholo. Photo / Photosport

Six players, six different starting combinations for the All Blacks back three this season.

Three more tests this year to continue shaping the World Cup picture which is by no means complete.

In some ways the All Blacks back three is contestable. In others it is not.

Rieko Ioane and Ben Smith are locked, though where the latter plays remains an evolving question.

Jordie Barrett, Waisake Naholo, Nehe Milner-Skudder and Damian McKenzie are others used in starting roles this year.

So much talent, so much versatility, so many different skills.

This is the long game to finding the best trio.

"It has been a year for us to try and chuck a couple of new guys in," All Blacks assistant coach Ian Foster said. "We've put Jordie in there. Rieko is a bit of a given but he's still growing his game too. Ben is so competent in any of those three positions so it's been a matter of working that around as we go through.

"We've also wanted to spend time with Damian at 10 to give us a lot more options in our 23 and how we go about things.

"We've been able to give Waisake plenty of chance and clearly bringing the likes of George Bridge in he made a big impression against Japan.

"Overall we're pretty pleased with the combinations to come out of it."

In other words, it is a work in progress. Information gathering shall continue.

To date Barrett probably hasn't grabbed his three starts at fullback as he would like.

Naholo, with four starts, performed strongly at times but competing with Smith and Ioane isn't easy, and Milner-Skudder's body keeps failing him.

Though not a given, one suspects Ioane, Smith and McKenzie are in prime position to combine for successive weeks against England.

In terms of the long term view, the All Blacks have a preference, to a point.

All Blacks Nehe Milner-Skudder, Damian McKenzie and Waisake Naholo. Photo / Photosport

Just as Milner-Skudder bolted in from the blue for the 2015 World Cup, the door is still open this time around too.

Times remains to alter views.

"Like everything we've got a plan and it's falling into place but we're certainly open-minded."

While he has featured there previously, the value the All Blacks hold in McKenzie from the back as a dual playmaking option arrived late this season, his first start at 15 coming two weeks ago in Yokohama.

For now, the All Blacks like the way it relieves pressure on Beauden Barrett to run the ship alone, and also allows the option of having three playmakers on the field at the same time once Richie Mo'unga is injected.

"There were a lot of decisions Beauden had to make by himself and that's not the way we like to play.

"It's not just about a 15. It's making sure we've got strong voices out there and more than one clear decision maker. We've made strides there but then there's testing accuracy when you get exposed to different defence systems which is our challenge now."

The other element involved in selecting the best trio is the World Cup destination.

Japan, in theory, will produce hot, fast pitches and will, therefore, require teams to be comfortable playing on top of the ground.

"Whether it's going to suit a game purely based on kicking and territory is a little bit to be seen. We learnt a lot in Japan the last two weeks about the surfaces, the grounds, the climate. It's going to be a very different World Cup."

Whoever starts this weekend will be well aware the goal posts are about to shift from Super and the Rugby Championship, with high ball season commencing at Twickenham.

The All Blacks expect to be repeatedly tested, by both England and Ireland, with accurate box kicks and well placed bombs.

That's the next chapter of the 2018 book for the back three.

"Then we'll sit back and say where did we end up?"

As Milner-Skudder proved, the final chapter in this area is often penned late.