Tough All Blacks gig for late-bloomer

LAWRENCE SMITH/Stuff.co.nz

ALL EYES CENTRE: Tamati Ellison, who will get the start at centre against Italy, fends off Wellington team-mate Ma'a Nonu during an All Blacks practice.

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Mike Delany has just inherited rugby's toughest gig.

It can be cold and cruel living in the shadow of a colossus like Dan Carter.

Delany might pay a visit to Stephen Donald's hotel room this week and ask for some sage advice.

Donald could tell him guts, character, and skill won't always be enough. He might mention that he's played 17 tests, won 13 and scored more than 100 points in the process.

That he's rarely missed a tackle and kicked most of his goals, some under intense pressure, yet still has plenty of critics.

The problem for Delany, as it was for Donald, is that when you are being compared to Picasso even your best work can sometimes look like a scribble.

It seemed fitting that as the new kid and his halfback Andy Ellis presented the game plan for the Italy test, Carter was out of town.

Carter's London date with the RFU judiciary was a timely reminder of how crucial a quality backup could be in two years' time. It is significant that Delany has been preferred to his Chiefs team-mate for the Italian test. The door is not shut on Donald, but his future in black will lie a position further out if the Bay of Plenty kid nails his chance at San Siro.

The signs are more than promising for a player who must have wondered if the credits were already rolling on his career. At 27, Delany joins the ranks of the All Blacks' late bloomers club. Frank Bunce, who made his test debut at 30, must surely be the president.

In age, Delany has an ally in a position that requires poise above all else. He has all the elements of a good first five. His hands are as fast as they are soft. He lets the ball arrive in his hands rather than throwing them out to meet it.

He has a big punt, but it is not his kicking that got him to where he is. Anyone who followed the Super 14 this season would have noticed Delany's try against the Cheetahs in South Africa.

The pint-sized pivot beat six defenders when he stepped off his right foot, accelerated, and produced three right-arm fends on an angled run to the try line. "We just had to take notice of him," All Blacks assistant coach Wayne Smith said this week.

"We did a bit of research, talked to Fozzie [Chiefs coach Ian Foster] about him and got some really good feedback.

"We looked even closer and here he is. I think given that he's 27-28, that will really help his maturity. I think he's a mature player.

"Frank Bunce and Joe Stanley were the same. Life doesn't have to start at 19 in the All Blacks. There's still a good path for 27-28-year-olds."

Delany will run a backline that has little experience, centre Tamati Ellison and wing Ben Smith also on debut, but plenty of flair.

Second five Luke McAlister gets a chance to put his last outing against Italy behind him and display the class that has yet to emerge since his return from Europe.

And at fullback, Cory Jane gets a chance to push his case for his favoured position in the absence of senior custodian Mils Muliaina.

It is a team of men with points to prove and one which will provide a crystal ball of sorts for the men in the coaches' box.

Many of the new combinations have been training together since the side left New Zealand and, on the evidence of that, they are set to hit the ground running.

All Blacks: Cory Jane, Ben Smith, Tamati Ellison, Luke McAlister, Sitiveni Sivivatu, Mike Delany, Andy Ellis; Rodney So'oialo (captain), Tanerau Latimer, Liam Messam, Anthony Boric, Tom Donnelly, Neemia Tialata, Corey Flynn, Wyatt Crockett.
Reserves: Andrew Hore, John Afoa, Jason Eaton, Richie McCaw,  Jimmy Cowan,  Stephen Donald,  Mils Muliaina.