Damian McKenzie will start at No 10 for the All Blacks. Photo / Photosport
Damian McKenzie will start at No 10 for the All Blacks. Photo / Photosport
Handing Damian McKenzie the keys to the All Blacks – as one of 11 starting changes – underlines the risk and reward balancing act adopted for the return test against the Pumas.
Throughout his engrossing career McKenzie has frequently flittered between first five-eighth and fullback, with many high-profile coaches includingSteve Hansen and Dave Rennie disagreeing on his best role.
In recent times, though, McKenzie has been seen as a fullback first, No 10 second, for the Chiefs and All Blacks.
With Richie Mo'unga in Queensland quarantine and Beauden Barrett rested on the bench this week, circumstances dictate McKenzie will start his second test at first-five – three years after wearing No 10 in the 49-14 victory over France in Dunedin.
In switching roles from the outset, McKenzie's major change will be curbing his instincts to be more game-management focused than free-spirited. The backline director is first required to grasp control, before chasing flamboyance.
"It changes doesn't it," said McKenzie, who suggested Jordie Barrett will assume the goal kicking duties. "That's not to say I'm going to chuck everything I know out the window and go to a robotic player. I'll still play my game but as a driver I want to be in the game as much as possible. It's about creating opportunities for other people around me and making sure I'm in control and getting the team around the park."
With five tests in as many weeks, successive battles against the world champion Springboks to come, and a six-day turnaround, All Blacks coach Ian Foster always targeted Saturday's rematch with the Pumas at Suncorp Stadium as the ideal juncture to roll the dice, somewhat.
Damian McKenzie will start at No 10 for the All Blacks. Photo / Photosport
Foster has no reservations about McKenzie guiding a vastly altered team that includes an entirely changed forward pack and green Chiefs second-five Quinn Tupaea, who plays his third test.
"He's trained a lot there; he has filled at times and he's started there before in a pretty big test match and did that well," Foster said of McKenzie. "He played 35 minutes last week against Argentina. He's got a clear understanding of his role in this Rugby Championship.
"It's a common-sense selection in terms of managing Beauden for the next couple of weeks but it's also a vote of confidence that we think he's progressing in that position."
Brodie Retallick, captain for last week's impressive 39-0 win, David Havili, Nepo Laulala, Akira Ioane, Dalton Papalii and Karl Tu'inukuafe are all rested while Anton Lienert-Brown has not fully recovered from the late hamstring tweak he suffered during last week's captain's run.
The combined absences of Mo'unga, Sam Whitelock, Aaron Smith, Dane Coles and Sam Cane further highlights the All Blacks' depth.
On the surface, there could be vulnerabilities in pairing so many new combinations.
The overhauled forward pack contains five players with fewer than 10 tests each but Foster takes comfort from promoting senior figures such as Blues captain Patrick Tuipulotu and Crusaders veteran Joe Moody, following his return from a five-month absence last week, into the starting side.
Blues prop Ofa Tuungafasi will play his first test of the year off the bench after repeat knee surgeries and Ardie Savea also returns to captain the team, with Hoskins Sotutu starting at No 8.
All Blacks coach Ian Foster. Photo / Photosport
After his last disappointing display against Fiji in Dunedin, Sotutu is tasked with improving his work rate and physicality alongside the notable silky touches off the back of the scrum.
"We've been able to bring back some experience when you look at Paddy, Joe Moody and Ofa," Foster said.
"We're still growing experience in some positions. Five tests in a row, it's a smart thing to do to give opportunity to a wider group of people.
"People have had to earn that, so the fact they've trained well has given us the chance to give them a crack and the only way to get good at test level is to play."
Outside McKenzie and Tupaea's inclusions Will Jordan's return to the right wing is the only change to the backline. On the bench Braydon Ennor is set for his second test – first in two years – after suffering appendicitis in July and Blues halfback Finlay Christie gets his chance, too.
Foster admitted widespread change could disrupt cohesion but he spoke with confidence about the detailed planning behind selecting what, on paper at least, appears an experimental team.
"It's always the great balancing act but the other issue is you don't want to run out of steam in the last couple of tests in a five-test block.
"With a few changes people get excited by that and start to worry about the performance but it's the art of selection.
"We had 99 per cent of these changes locked in when we went into this two-game phase against Argentina. South Africa losing has given us a lead in the Championship and we'd be foolish to go in and hand that back straight away.
"We know Argentina are going to respond. We know we had a really good win last week and expectations are high. The danger is if we think it's just going to happen then we're going to get smacked so there's a lot of pressure on this group.
"From a Championship perspective this win is massive for us."
