KEY POINTS:
Just when it seemed the rising first five-eighths in New Zealand rugby were Canterbury's Stephen Brett and Waikato's Stephen Donald, both were overtaken in the latter part of the season and in terms of impact by another number 10.
Isa Nacewa's starring role for Auckland in the last
four rounds of the Air New Zealand Cup now seems likely to win him national honours, at least as the ANZC's player of the 2007 year.
But there are some curiosities about Nacewa. He would prefer to play at fullback or on the wing.
And the other is an issue which, it is understood is being addressed by Auckland union officials, possibly national ones and certainly his agent, Auckland sports lawyer David Jones.
That's the fact that, despite being a proud Kiwi and New Zealand-born and educated, he is ineligible to become an All Black. During the 2003 World Cup Nacewa accepted an invitation to join the Fiji squad, for which he was eligible because his father is Fijian.
During the tournament Nacewa took the field for the last minutes of Fiji's match against Scotland, and that, under the strict rules now enforced by the International Board, has been enough to debar him from being considered for the All Blacks. The IRB has a strict stipulation that a player can appear at the highest international level for only one country.
The eligibility problem is one Nacewa prefers not to go into in much detail, and nor does Jones.
Nacewa, however, can joke about the fact that the stricter IRB eligibility rules, of which he seems to be a prime victim, have come about in part because of the celebrated case which involved his now Auckland back coach, Shane Howarth. An All Black in 1993-94, Howarth a few years later began playing for Wales on the basis, subsequently found to be not entirely true, of having Welsh grand-parentage and having observed one of the rules then in force, a three-year, stand-down period.
"To be honest, I'm not holding my breath waiting for the IRB to change the rules," Nacewa says. "So far they've allowed no exceptions and it seems to be something that is now set in concrete."
And because he feels essentially a New Zealander, having lived here all his life and having a New Zealand mother, Nacewa has no real desire to revive his so-far brief international career by returning to play for Fiji.
"I just love playing for Auckland and the Blues," he says. That will continue at least until the end of the 2008 season when he comes off contract.
Nacewa will be 26 by then and will then look at his options which could include overseas travel.
If his rugby can get him a place in either Britain or France or anywhere else then it has to be something to be considered.
As for his playing position, Nacewa is also relaxed, saying he does not really mind where he starts as long as he is in the playing 22, and better still, the starting XV.
But the back three is where he is the happiest because it allows greater freedom and doesn't quite have the big, playmaking responsibilities which go with first five.
He's also happy in the midfield, especially at second five eighths and in those sides who use it as an additional pivot. Nacewa is just about the ultimate utility back and probably not since Pat Walsh in the 1950s and 60s, who played anywhere from second five to fullback, has New Zealand rugby had such a versatile back.
The only backline position Nacewa has never played is at halfback.
Happily, Nacewa has never been a victim of his versatility - the fate of many a utility who finds himself ear-marked for a permanent place in the reserves.
Nacewa's emergence strengthens the arguments of those who feel rugby should always have a place for late developers and that club rugby still should have a part to play in preparing young players.
After attending Onehunga High School in the third form, went to Auckland Grammar, where mainly as a first five or fullback, he made the first XV in 1999 and 2000. But he was not a star schoolboy and never made even the Auckland secondary schools side, let alone the national side. Similarly, he was overlooked for all national age group sides.
"I made the Grammar-Carlton premier side in my first year out of school and it has been from there that it has all happened," he says. "I made the Auckland colts side but for the first three years or so I was playing club rugby, which I really enjoyed. When I first made Auckland in 2003, Wayne Pivac and Grant Fox were the coaches and encouraged us to play as much club rugby as possible."
Undoubtedly, the highlight of his 54 Auckland A games has came with the championship win of 2005 and again this year, especially the last four matches of this season.
"That was really a lot of pressure and it was hard going from the high of the Ranfurly Shield win over Canterbury to straight into the play-offs. We had to think through all those games carefully.
"What was good about this year was that we had different game plans and we used a different plan against Canterbury. We knew we had to play that game inside their half and not play off-the-cuff. If we had and had made mistakes they would have punished us as they always do."
Nacewa is only two papers away from completing a bachelor of physical education degree and a diploma of business studies at Unitech.
