KEY POINTS:
In sport it's often said consistency of selection brings consistency of performance.
Thomas Leuluai could hardly say he's been afforded that luxury. Since making his international debut as an 18-year-old (and 118 days) - the second-youngest to don the Kiwi jersey - he's played only 12 of a
possible 27 tests.
Injury robbed him of playing in the Kiwis' victorious 2005 Tri Nations campaign, 'forcing' Stacey Jones out of international retirement, and his form hasn't always demanded inclusion. It's fair to say Leuluai's international career has been as stop-start as Auckland rush-hour traffic.
That looks set to change, for the foreseeable future anyway, under new Kiwis coaches Stephen Kearney and Wayne Bennett. Leuluai has known for some time he would play in the upcoming World Cup.
Soon after the pair were handed the keys to the Kiwis, Kearney said the halfback with the famous surname would be given time to cement his place in the No 7 jersey.
"That's the mentality I want to have," Kearney says. "Thomas has to be playing good footy and I have made that clear to him but in the past it has been very inconsistent for him and I want to give him some consistency. So he has a real opportunity to have a crack at the jumper.
"In the past he's probably had the expectation that, 'if I don't play well I'm dropped'."
That's what happened on last year's tour of the UK and France. Leuluai played in the first two tests against Great Britain before being dropped for the final two tests on tour.
He had been poor in those first two tests, although few could argue the team were even acceptable on the disastrous tour, and cast aside in favour of South Sydney's Jeremy Smith.
"It wasn't too good," Leuluai says when reminded of the tour. "It was a tough experience and we copped a lot. I think we all learned a lot from it, which is a good thing coming to something like the World Cup."
Fortunately, only seven of the 24-man squad still bear the scars of that torturous experience.
The Kiwis will perform better in the World Cup but how far they progress will hinge a lot on Leuluai and Benji Marshall.
Yesterday's test against Tonga was their third together and they impressed in a good alround team performance. Leuluai played the role of conductor while Marshall the lead act.
Stacey Jones, who has been in the Kiwis camp as a mentor and assistant coach, said Leuluai was different to the youngster who made his debut six years ago.
"About 15kg different," Jones jokes. "He was about 70kg, a pimply-faced, skinny, young boy who was very shy. Now he's full of confidence. He's a very confident player who's not afraid to talk to the team and tell the big boys what they need to do. He takes the ball to the line and has a nice kicking game.
"The one thing I really like about Thomas is that he's tough, and that's something that gains him respect from his team-mates. He doesn't shirk from the hard stuff and defensively he's very strong."
He's similar to Nathan Fien, Leuluai's back-up if his form dips or injury strikes.
But Fien, who performed so well as halfback for the Warriors in their end-of-season run, looks set to start the World Cup at hooker, where he played against Tonga yesterday.
Marshall could also slot into the No 7 jersey, and it's something his Wests Tigers coach Tim Sheens hoped the Kiwis might consider as Marshall will play at halfback next season, but the dearth of quality five-eighths makes this improbable.
Leuluai is the only UK-based player in the squad and, although he has one year left on his contract with Wigan, is in no hurry to return to the NRL.
"I was looking to come back a couple of years ago but it's not something I worry about any more," he says. "If it pops up, it pops up. I don't have any big desires. It's not a must for me any more to play in the NRL. As long as my family is happy, and I am too, I don't feel like I have anything to prove."
It's probably a different story when it comes to the Kiwis jersey, and he at least gets that chance after being promised a good run at halfback.
