Chris Rattue: Come on Steve Hansen, Sir Graham Henry nailed this All Blacks 2019 Rugby World Cup issue

Which of these number sixes will make the All Blacks? Photos / Getty and Photosport

Let's play the word association game.

All Black blindside flanker. Quick now. Give us THE name.

Ahhhhhhhhhhhhh...ummmmmmmmm.

In other words, World Cup winning coach Sir Graham Henry is absolutely right.

"If you look at the All Blacks right now, they're obviously going to miss Damian [McKenzie] but the only other position is probably six, where they haven't really found Jerome Kaino's replacement," Henry told Radio Sport last week.

The All Black selectors have fiddled around with their World Cup number six, the injury situation with Liam Squire notwithstanding.

There is tension in the air whenever Sir Graham says something not totally complimentary about Steve Hansen's All Blacks.

This stems back to Sir Graham's claim that rugby was a bit boring because of endless All Black victories.

International sport is a tough arena, victories are hard won, and I'm not surprised that Hansen bristled at the comment. He made a very pointed response soon after, without naming the target.

This time though, Sir Graham is absolutely right even though Hansen "took exception", as one report put it, to a fairly gently made but wholly accurate observation.

The All Blacks are still in a great position to win the World Cup. They have developed superbly in some areas, but preparation for this tournament has been far from perfect.

Their pursuit of Blues blockbuster Akira Ioane, who was airlifted into the foundation day squad somehow, has to be questioned given his erratic form.

Ioane had a shocker against the Highlanders in the last outing, managing to get through an entire Super Rugby clash without making one decent run with the ball.

They may also have backed the wrong horse at prop in terms of Angus Ta'avao, whose frailties as a loosehead have been brutally exposed.

If versatility was his calling card, then Ta'avao simply can't be a World Cup option as the prop who covers both sides, the role currently held (presumably) by Ofa Tuungafasi.

There are other issues.

The third halfback is completely untested, a situation which has been overshadowed by the nationwide hunt for the third first five-eighths.

With Aaron Smith's form having wavered post toilet incident, and remembering that Tawera Kerr-Barlow overtook TJ Perenara for the number two role during the last World Cup, the third halfback is not a moot point.

Te Toiroa Tahuriorangi isn't even the Chiefs first choice halfback and gets limited game time, although his fast pass on the run holds plenty of possibilities. With a World Cup this close, he looks raw.

And the battle for the No. 12 jersey has turned into a mess, one as concerning as the blindside flanker conundrum.

The ageing Sonny Bill Williams hardly ever plays, poor Ryan Crotty just suffered another head knock, the gifted Anton Lienert-Brown lacks a confrontational edge and has performed better as a test bench player, Ngani Laumape is not really kicking on, and despite the public clamour Ma'a Nonu is showing his age.

There is a significant question remaining in the outside backs, with Waisake Naholo struggling for form and fitness, although brutal Crusader Sevu Reece has burst into the frame.

There are more than a few plus sides, particularly the brilliant development of centre Jack Goodhue, wing Rieko Ioane, hooker Codie Taylor, lock Scott Barrett and loosehead Karl Tu'inukuafe, to go along with the rise of long-heralded loosie Ardie Savea.

Savea's sheer energy is amazing, as seen again when he created and finished a long range try for the Hurricanes against the Chiefs. He's a one-man hurricane in the Hurricanes.

But for a country which has turned its entire resources over to the All Blacks, whose touring sides are so big they should have to pay excess baggage on people, the build-up to the 2019 tournament in Japan cannot be rated an entirely successful exercise.

Which is the way it goes. Coaches and selectors deal with a lot of variables, and they don't always get on top of them.

But the fact is, there are a few too many loose ends.

Getting back to the original point: Shannon Frizell v Vaea Fifita v Scott Barrett v Tom Robinson v Jackson Hemopo is a fascinating blindside flanker debate, but it's taking place a little too close to the tournament for comfort.

None of the above have even remotely established their blindside credentials at Super Rugby level. The hole left by the great Jerome Kaino is essentially still a hole, given Squire's frailties. Kaino, Elliot Dixon, Squire, Fifita and Frizell have all started tests since the 2015 triumph.

So yes, it is a position where New Zealand rugby has fiddled about.