All Blacks: Crockett needs to rebuild his reputation

Reputations are as fragile as glass in the world of test rugby. Poor old Wyatt Crockett knows all about that now.

The image of him being buckled by Italy's Martin Castrogiovanni will linger. The admission from IRB referee boss Paddy O'Brien that most of the Italian's work was illegal won't carry the same resonance.

Sometimes the truth isn't allowed to get in the way of the story people want to hear. Most of the rugby world will want to believe that they saw an All Black scrum take a frightful pasting in Milan.

They will want to believe that the All Blacks don't have the depth to pose a threat at the scrum. The All Blacks in trouble - that's the story everyone outside of New Zealand wants to hear. It gives them confidence that there is vulnerability; a facet of their work not as good as it should be.

That story also paints Crockett as a scrummaging lightweight - an image that forwards coach Graham Henry and O'Brien say the young prop doesn't deserve.

"It is unfair on a young prop who is getting absolutely caned when his opponent is illegal," said O'Brien in his unprecedented admission that Stuart Dickinson had been awful in refereeing the test in Milan.

"Not on every occasion, but on many occasions the scrummaging was illegal and we have addressed that with the Italian management."

The All Blacks, understandably, quickly jumped on O'Brien's vindication.

This was their chance to tell everyone there is no deeper problem; they encountered a referee having a shocker. That's all, time to move on.

But that would hide the niggling truth. "Not on every occasion," said O'Brien. That's pertinent information.

Forget the last 10 minutes in Milan. That's when the Italians really were cheating. Maybe they weren't so illegal in all of the other 70, though. Maybe there has to be a question asked about why an All Black, albeit a young, inexperienced one, was left so exposed.

All Blacks props of old didn't really need the referee to sort out illegal work by opponents. We can talk of it being a different game these days, of there being cameras everywhere and the threat of disciplinary action, but would Castrogiovanni have buckled Tony Woodcock in the same way? Would he have been allowed to dominate to that extent, to have taken an illegal bind?

We all know the answer. The front row remains a jungle and if the referee isn't going to get involved, then the protagonists have to work it out for themselves.

Part of the mystique of the All Blacks is built around the perception that they hold a zero tolerance attitude towards cheating opponents - they are dealt to; put in their place and left looking for alternative means to work an advantage.

That's the real concern from what happened in Milan - the streetwise culture of old has been lost.

Crockett will hopefully come again. He has the physique. He has the mobility and aerobic base to play for 80 minutes and to contribute in the loose.

The message on this tour for props has been simple, however. Henry delivered it last week when he explained why John Afoa had missed out on selection - their core job is to scrum. That's where the All Blacks are struggling a little. They have two props in Woodcock and Tialata who can do the core job well.

Behind those two, the scrummaging talent is unproven. Henry said Afoa "has issues" when it comes to scrummaging. Afoa is the best performer away from the set piece, the weakest when he's in it. Clearly, Crockett has work to do as well.

Now he needs to show he has the mental strength to recover and make sure no opponent ever gets the better of him in the same way. He'll have to show he's prepared to do whatever it takes to protect himself.

The All Blacks need some depth in their resources. Their scrummaging has appeared to be on the wane for the last two seasons. It's not been dramatic - just a gradual erosion of their power and efficiency.

It's hard to remember the last time they really put the screws on an opponent - when they used the scrum as the platform for victory.

At the peak of their scrummaging power between 2005 and 2007, they frequently would destroy sides at the set piece; especially Australia.

There was a certain Carl Hayman on the tighthead back then, and what a difference he made. New Zealand desperately needs him to come home and resume hostilities in the front row.

Owen Franks has to keep progressing, Woodcock has to hold his form and Tialata his fitness. Crockett and Afoa need to take some big steps and only then can we be sure that the likes of Castrogiovanni will not be a problem.