Do the All Blacks have a problem at number 10?

When news of Dan Carter’s injury broke, the biggest concern for All Blacks’ fans was who would take his place. After six weeks of Super 14 the answer is anything but clear.

Of the five New Zealand teams in the Super 14, only one has an absolute first choice first five: The Chiefs with Stephen Donald. Everyone else has tried at least two players in that position over the tournament so far.

Former All Black Grant Fox sums up the conundrum facing the All Black selectors well when he said, “We’ve got some good players running around who do a good job at the levels below test level. But I do have concerns if we have someone of real test quality who can run a game of rugby.”

Indeed we have. Nobody would question the ability of players like Jimmy Gopperth, Daniel Bowden or Tasesa Lavea at Super 14 level, but likewise nobody would be pushing them for higher honors either.

In fact, if one were to be brutally honest the race for Carter’s spot is a two horse race between Donald and Hurricanes’ half back turned first five Piri Weepu. The case could be made from Crusaders Stephen Brett or Colin Slade but neither of them have really made the step up in this year’s tournament and probably need a few more seasons to develop.

Fox was also reluctant to endorse Weepu as an international fly half, “He’s a good footballer. He’s got a good feel for the game he does things quite instinctively. But he’s a bit lateral but not particularly aggressive. He does it much better at No 9 than at No 10.”

So perhaps it would seem that Donald is the only viable option for the All Blacks, particularly as the returning Luke McAlister is now injured and certain to be short of game time when he returns to New Zealand in May. While McAlister will likely be included in the All Blacks squad, rushing him back into test match duty could be a mistake.

Fans will remember how the All Blacks played with Stephen Donald at the helm in Hong Kong and will be hoping that his Super 14 form improves and he is able to take the bull by the horns when the international season rolls around, otherwise it could be a very rough ride for the All Blacks and supporters alike.

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The Do the All Blacks have a problem at number 10? by Hamish McBrearty, unless otherwise expressly stated, is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License.