All Blacks will have to be at their best

IN some ways the New Zealand system means that they are not at full strength between World Cups. You can see it in the way fly-half Richie Mo’unga, blindside Shannon Frizell, and veteran lock Brodie Retallick, who are all in Japan, are ruled out by taking up overseas contracts, despite being number one picks before they went.

- JEREMY GUSCOTT

It’s a bit confusing because other All Blacks who are also playing club rugby in Japan, like Beauden Barrett, Ardie Savea, and Sam Cane, are available to New Zealand head coach Scott Robertson because they are on overseas sabbaticals awarded to key players by NZ Rugby.

However, if players like Mo’unga take up overseas contracts it gives them time to have a respite in a less demanding rugby environment, and it also gives New Zealand the opportunity to discover new talent and build the overall strength of their squad.

There are still so many players in some positions in New Zealand with the same quality of skill-set that it is not a player drain, but in some positions – like fly-half at the moment – it is difficult to replace Mo’unga because of the inconsistency of Damian McKenzie and Beauden Barrett at 10.

Every side suffers when players are inconsistent, and New Zealand are no different. McKenzie is a classic Barbarians/Harlem Globetrotters style of fly-half, and everything is sexy about the rugby he produces.

What you’ve got in McKenzie is a bit of a Carlos Spencer, or Freddie Michalak, who just wants to go out and play, and be a free spirit. The only issue with these guys is that they are not tactical bosses on the field, or commander-in-chief strategic kickers – i.e. the sort of game- manager 10s that Northampton’s Fin Smith promises to be.

I love watching McKenzie, and at Bath they still talk about his majestic performance for the Barbarians a couple of years ago at The Rec. However, while he’s the player everyone wants to see, the great entertainer stuff is not always what his Test team-mates want to see. He’s brilliant – but it’s also the ying and yang of rugby union.