Lack of true first-five exposes the ABs

You have to worry, don't you.?
Here we were with an All Blacks rugby side about to be named to play the Springboks in a crucial tri nations match at Dunedin on Saturday and seemingly no specialist first-five to take the place of the injured Dan Carter.
Which has to be a major concern if you, like me, regard first-five as about the most important role on the paddock.
After all, it is from that position that the game plan usually evolves with the incumbent generally having two decisions to make, kick or run.
Call the right shots and he can be a hero, get it wrong and you change hero to zero.
It is remarkable that in a country where rugby is so important that our road rules are apparently broken to allow our Prime Minister to be seated in time for kickoff that we have reached the stage where our first-five resources are so depleted.
We all knew when Mehrtens and Spencer left the scene at the same time there would be gaps to fill but how many of us realised just how sorely their absence would be felt.
Undoubtedly the arrival of Carter as a first-five of enormous potential lulled us all into a false sense of security.
But the fact that even he was converted from a midfield back should have been a warning signal, shouldn't it?
At the time this column was penned the ABs line-up for the Carisbrook match had not been announced but the leading contenders as Carter's replacement were Leon MacDonald, Luke McAllister, Aaron Mauger and Nick Evans.
MacDonald and Evans have played most of their rugby over the past season or two at fullback and McAllister and Mauger in the midfield backs.
So for any of them to step into a game against a Springboks side chockful of confidence after beating the ABs at home and the Wallabies in Perth was always going to be a huge ask.
Especially when you consider the quality of the South African loosies who have the speed and aggressiveness to make the life of any first-five a misery, let alone one who has little, or no, experience in the role at international level.
It's a situation which seems certain to have the ABs playing a different style of rugby to that they would employ were Carter available.
My pick is that whoever is at first-five they will be more of a link man than a playmaker.
On defence, of course, they will still have a big part to play from a kicking viewpoint, but when it comes to attack you can anticipate the midfield backs, probably Mauger and Umaga, having the greatest say in what the tactical approach might be.
The ball will be transferred quickly to them and they will take it from there. Strangely enough, it's something which could actually work for the ABs.
It will mean that the Springbok loosies will be forced to cover more ground to place pressure on the ball carrier and that extra metreage might just be enough to lessen their effectiveness in the closing stages of what should be a closely-fought encounter.
But even if that is the case it won't hide the fact that work needs to be done, and done quickly, to ensure that our first-five stocks are boosted well before the next World Cup.
If the MacDonalds, McAllisters and company are seen as Carter's understudies then let's have them playing in that position on a regular basis.
Anything less and we could pay for it big time.