Owen was still proving himself and for the first half of the year, Tony Woodcock had been virtually a passenger with the Blues. John Afoa missed the initial selection, being recalled only when it became apparent scrummaging wasn't such a feature of the Southern Hemisphere test landscape.
Over the course of the Tri Nations, the pecking order worked itself out. Owen Franks sealed the tighthead spot on account of being obviously the best scrummager and for his improving contribution around the field. The class and experience of Woodcock emerged once he put his niggling injuries behind him and the mobility of Afoa became invaluable off the bench.
Ben Franks was the piece of the puzzle that didn't quite fit and when he was forced home from the Grand Slam tour due to injury, he missed the chance to demonstrate how and where he fitted in.
The last two weeks have been the ideal opportunity for Franks to establish just what it is that he does. As he sees it, his task is particularly difficult. He wants to be considered both a specialist tighthead and a specialist loosehead.
Being versatile works for Franks only if he can prove he's good enough to start on either side of the scrum. The coaches have to see him as the second-best loosehead and the second-best tighthead. Afoa is the perfect bench man but if either Owen Franks or Tony Woodcock can't start, then Ben Franks has to fill in at No3 and No1.
What has added to the pressure on Franks is the emergence of Wyatt Crockett as a credible force this season.
The form of Crockett was superb for the Crusaders, both showing enough as a destructive scrummager and around the field to allow doubt to creep into the established thinking.
Franks junior was the first choice tight-head at the Crusaders and Crockett established he was the best loosehead - so similar to the situation in the All Blacks, Franks senior was the unlucky man.
Playing off the bench during the critical playoff games was a clear signal that the 27-year-old was destined to be the bridesmaid and maybe never the bride.
He has been selected for the Tri Nations ahead of Crockett, whose presence will supposedly be required only until Woodcock recovers. But Franks won't be so complacent. He knows the World Cup with its restrictive rules around replacements favours the specialists.
He also knows that Crockett has taken giant strides in the past 12 months and is getting closer to convincing the selectors he is a different player to the one who was destroyed in Milan two years ago.
Crockett has given up alcohol, improved his strength and conditioning regime and refined his scrummaging technique.
"When the referee blows his whistle [for a scrum], I am really excited now," says Crockett. "I know that it is an opportunity for me, whereas maybe last year, I was a bit nervous about what the outcome might be.
"I wasn't confident we were going to get the outcome we wanted. But things are going a lot better for me now and I know I have done the hard work so I feel really confident going into those situations."
Like a few of his All Black team-mates, Franks senior will be a little nervous about his World Cup prospects. His brother will be back this week, no doubt furiously wound up and ready to explode into the Wallabies at Eden Park.
Woodcock isn't far off a return either so Ben Franks knows last night's test and the Bledisloe will probably be his last opportunity to state his case.
There is the longer term to think about as well. In his quest to be a recognised specialist, Franks needs continued game-time. That may not be forthcoming at the Crusaders and while the continued rotation of the two Franks and Crockett works well for the team, it doesn't necessarily work for individuals.
There have been some murmurings about Owen possibly heading to the High-landers, who are desperate for a destructive tighthead. That would clear the way for Ben to establish himself in the Crusaders' No3 jersey.
It's a neat theory and a nice story - little brother making the sacrifice for big brother. But theory is all it is - Franks is dealing in reality for now.
