Hugh McGahan: Lance is the specialist so he should get the nod

There's two things I'd like to say about the Kiwi team to play Australia which will be announced soon: 1) Lance Hohaia should play five-eighth; 2) I'm impressed with the potential and depth of Kiwi talent.

There's no surprise seeing Brent Webb, Jake Webster, Nigel Vagana, Paul Whatuira, Hohaia and Stacey Jones in the backline.

But the choice between Vagana and Hohaia in the halves combination will be vital in these two initial games before heading to the UK - a great start is necessary for confidence.

The forward pack again has no surprises but starting positions will be interesting when the 21-man squad is trimmed down to a 17-man team.

For me, Roy Asotasi and Nathan Cayless should be the bookends of the scrum and David Faiumu a debutant at hooker. Ruben Wiki and Frank Pritchard will combine in the second row with Louis Anderson locking the scrum.

Here, New Zealand will need size to combat the Australians who, under Wayne Bennett, look for bulk to steamroll the opposition. McClennan will have the ability to match this with the players at his disposal, with Tony Puletua, Paul Rauhihi, Wairangi Koopu and Iafeta Palea'aesina from the bench. With this line-up available, who cares who starts?

The bench will also contain Iosaia Soliola and even the experienced David Kidwell and, as such, this Kiwi team has a formidable look about it.

But I'd be keen to see specialists playing in their rightful positions. Gone are the days when we juggle a side to replace players and that's why I am not willing to see a player like Vagana at five-eighth, when we have Hohaia available.

New Zealand have options at hooker, considering Louis Anderson can cover if injuries strike. The bench is where we will see players covering a couple of positions each and, combined with the starting line-up, giving flexibility at interchange time.

When the team arrives in the UK there will be a host of players in form. Ali Lauiti'iti, Vinnie Anderson, Shontayne Hape, Willie Talau and Lesley Vainakolo, to name a few.

And when you look at those unavailable - Sonny Bill Williams, Matt Utai, Benji Marshall, Dean Halatau, Jason Cayless - you can see that New Zealand now has a crop of players from whom we can select two teams these days.

I am really looking forward to this series and the future of New Zealand rugby league.