Lack of quality rocks All Blacks

BY MARC HINTON

OPINION: In this week of apologies, it's worth wondering who's going to say sorry for robbing New Zealand rugby of its depth.

Seriously, have the All Blacks' selectors ever had a shallower pool of talent to pick from than the puddle that confronts them ahead of the looming international season?

Maybe the NZRU should start demanding an apology from the French and English clubs who have ransacked the Kiwi game of its second tier of talent. And while they're at it, Wales, Ireland and Japan should have to get down on bended knee and mutter that hardest word of all.

Someone needs to say something, for it's difficult to escape the growing realisation that the situation is getting deadly serious for the All Blacks. Throw in a few injuries in a few key positions and these are worrying times indeed.

Think I'm being alarmist? Pessimistic?

OK, answer me this: who are our back-up men for Dan Carter, Richie McCaw, Ma'a Nonu, Kieran Read and Brad Thorn?

The logical answer, in order, is: Stephen Donald, er Tanerau Latimer till Daniel Braid becomes available, Luke McAlister, Rodney So'oialo and, er, Bryn Evans. Not exactly a glittering line-up of form horses.

Donald is going through a kicking and confidence crisis; Braid won't be available until after the provincial season, which leaves Latimer as the default choice; McAlister has hardly played this Super 14 and can't even make the Blues starting line-up, but might get in anyway given the alternatives; So'oialo is clearly past his best, but could still be the next best No8 behind Read; and at lock there are plenty of options, but none anywhere near Thorn's calibre.

Then there's hooker. Andrew Hore, and his 47 tests, could miss the season with his dislocated shoulder. So who's behind Keven Mealamu? The injury-prone Corey Flynn might be healed in time. Might. Jason Rutledge has played well in the south. Or do they go back to the wobbly arm of Aled de Malmanche?

It's not all doom and gloom, of course, and the exhilarating display by Crusaders left wing Zac Guildford in Friday's semifinal clincher against the Brumbies confirms we can at least rest easy in terms of a replacement for Sitiveni Sivivatu this season.

The Franks' brothers also look a good bet as dual prop back-ups of quality and, with the likes of Carter, McCaw and Read coming into some timely form, and Thorn showing no signs of heading off for the La-Z-Boy just yet, well, thank goodness for the Crusaders.

But the red-and-blacks can't plug all the gaps in the All Blacks squad and, when you look at a likely 26 for the looming test series, there are some big calls to make.

For me the biggest concerns come in midfield, where Isaia Toeava's chronic hip injury is a serious blow, at back-up first five, and with the fifth loose forward and third lock. There will also be a close call at second halfback, where Alby Mathewson could end the New Zealand career of Piri Weepu with his inclusion on form.

But even that relatively straightforward call brings further concerns. If Carter happened to go down, could we rely on Donald's shaky boot in a big-time test? Weepu's goal-kicking, not to mention his ability to shift into first five-eighths, might well be more compelling credentials than his halfback play.

The injuries to Mils Muliaina and Tom Donnelly also cloud matters. We're told they should be fit again by June, but they won't have played any top-level rugby in a couple of months. Can they be seriously picked on that basis? You'd think not, but desperate times and all that.

All things being equal, I'd go with the Franks' boys alongside Tony Woodcock and Neemia Tialata as props, pray for Hore to heal quickly at hooker, Thorn, Anthony Boric and, if Tom Donnelly's not available, one of either Josh Bekhuis, Bryn Evans or Sam Whitelock at lock. Definitely not Chris Jack. And in the loose I'd be tempted to go with either Victor Vito or Liam Messam, rather than the declining abilities of So'oialo, as the fifth loosie alongside certainties McCaw, Read, Adam Thomson and Jerome Kaino.

Mathewson and Donald should be back-ups at nine and 10 (it's way too early for Aaron Cruden), but midfield is murky behind Nonu and Conrad Smith. Who covers second-five? Do you take McAlister on trust? Or pick, say, Benson Stanley. Similar story with the out-of-sorts Richard Kahui. Is Rene Ranger worth a punt? The back three, thankfully, is much healthier, with Cory Jane and Guildford certainties, Joe Rokocoko a likely recall and Israel Dagg, Hosea Gear, Ben Smith, Lelia Masaga and even Ranger lurking, depending on Muliaina's status.

All told, hardly a cause for unbounded optimism a year out from a certain tournament.

Then there's the other mob. Is Robbie Deans already feeling the pressure ahead of a season where expectations for the Wallabies are the highest they've been since his trumpeted arrival as the Kiwi messiah?

A polite request for a chat with Deans ahead of the international season was met with a firm "thanks, but no thanks" from his lackey. The message: he'd been doing the rounds of the Aussie media and felt he'd talked enough.

Hmmm. Deans has had some pretty favourable treatment from rugby scribes this side of the ditch and it's interesting to see him putting the shutters up now. What's he got to hide?

Maybe he's looking to keep things as under the radar as he can ahead of a key season for the Wallabies. The signs are certainly positive, based on a Super 14 campaign that's confirmed the suspicion the Australians have a crop of young players on the improve.

My read on Deans' silence is he wants to do his talking on the field this Tri Nations. Given the way the likes of Will Genia, Quade Cooper, Lachlan Turner, Matt Hodgson and any number of other young comers have been going, it looks like being an exciting season for the Wannabes. But can they put to rest their All Blacks' hoodoo?

I suspect Deans backs his men to do just that, but doesn't want to say so.

- © Fairfax NZ News