Rugby: Star wingers fail to fire as forwards to the fore in Kiwi derby

Blues winger Rieko Ioane wasn't given much room to run against the Hurricanes. Photo / Getty

Of all the things everyone was hoping to see at Eden Park, no one had the Hurricanes' rolling maul top of their list.

And yet it was the main feature of the night, effectively killing any chance of a head-to-head contest between the macro wings Rieko Ioane and Ben Lam.

Seeing those two get the ball and charge was what most people had top of their priority list. Lam has been a revelation this season, finding unexpectedly good form and while he's looked good against everyone he has met, Ioane is in a different class to what he has so far encountered.

The stage was set – the former Blues man coming back to his old ground to take on the man for whom he was effectively dumped.

But the anticipated clash between the two quickest men in New Zealand rugby never really happened. The game never opened up to let them have a crack at one another and it wasn't possible by the end to advance or regress any opinions on whether Lam is ready for an All Blacks call up.

There wasn't a moment where it was Lam versus Ioane, space and time to see what might happen and so it is none the clearer whether Lam has the defensive capabilities to shut down a wing of Ioane's class.

And just as uncertain is Lam's ability to cope with the high ball as the Blues didn't once test him out.

The two wings only managed a few mini jousts where Ioane was easily quick enough and strong enough to cut Lam down when the Hurricanes wing tried to get on the outside from a standing start.

A Matt Duffie kick ahead in the first half created a foot race between the two, which didn't really establish who was fastest but did, beyond all doubt, prove that the pair of them were considerably quicker than anyone else on the field.

It wouldn't be fair to say it was honours even, more that we had a postponement of the duel and should wait until the two sides meet again before drawing any conclusions.

And hopefully the next contest provides more in the way of expansive, open rugby as the rolling maul isn't such an easy thing to fall in love with, albeit some do.

Watching 16 men grapple in an indistinguishable mass with one team edging forward at glacial pace isn't edge of your seat stuff. Seeing two men, the size of fridges with the speed of small-engine motorcycles, run full tilt at one another is.