All Blacks: Thomson steps into McCaw's big boots

Halfback Jimmy Cowan runs with the ball during the All Blacks' training session in Dunedin. Photo / Getty Images

Super 14 blindside flanker Adam Thomson has persuaded the All Black selectors his skills are the best fit as understudy to openside Richie McCaw.

The All Black team named yesterday for the opening test of the season against France in Dunedin has a number of notable firsts.

Experienced fullback Mils Muliaina will take over the captaincy for the first time, Isaac Ross will debut at lock and there are potential breakthrough caps for Tanerau Latimer and Bryn Evans who are on the bench.

Once the squad was announced without the injured McCaw, Rodney So'oialo, Anthony Boric, Sitiveni Sivivatu and Daniel Carter, then Richard Kahui was injured and it was revealed Ali Williams, Jerome Kaino, Brendon Leonard and Conrad Smith would not be ready this week, the selection became far more straightforward.

There had been ideas, before the injuries, about playing the versatile Isaia Toeava on the wing but he has been shifted into his ninth test start at centre, while Tony Woodcock has persuaded the selectors he is fit enough to start after illness chopped into his season.

Toeava has all the skills and deserves a chance somewhere after a superb Super 14 campaign and his versatility makes him "gold" for the selectors.

The quicker-than-expected call for Luke McAlister's talents has him on the bench with the versatile Piri Weepu and Cory Jane.

The greatest change has been in the loose forwards where the All Blacks have shed the massive experience of 141 caps shared among McCaw, So'oialo and Kaino and replaced them with the 13 combined caps of Liam Messam, Adam Thomson and Kieran Read.

A year ago, the selectors tinkered with a left-right flanker combination of McCaw and So'oialo to start the season against Ireland and England with Kaino in the boot of the scrum. That theory lasted only a couple of tests before there were reshuffles when McCaw was injured, with So'oialo and Daniel Braid used on the openside.

With McCaw again damaged, Braid offshore and last year's tourist Scott Waldrom also hurt, Thomson became the premier opensider.

"We were struggling to find a place for him at six if everyone played well during the Super 14," said coach Graham Henry yesterday.

"We were always going to pick Thomson and always going to play him at seven as an understudy to Richie [McCaw]. We thought he had an outstanding Super 14. He left the tour last year thinking, 'oh will I get back in this team?', and he went away with things to work on and his stats and his ability during the Super 14 was pretty special, I think.

"He turned over more ball than any other New Zealand loose forward, so he has got all the skills to play seven. There is a bit of a traffic jam at six and in our humble opinion, as three selectors, we thought he was the best person to play seven after Richie.

"He is a very good lineout forward for a start and he can run all day like a seven has to. We see his long-term international future as a seven."

Forwards coach Steve Hansen said the requests to Thomson from the selectors after last year's tour, were simple.

They wanted him to be much stronger over the ball, they wanted more grunt from his work at the breakdown and in his cleanout.

They had also asked him to work on several aspects of his character and he had achieved in all those areas. He had been one of the leaders for the Highlanders during the Super 14 and his work had been of a consistently high standard.

"He went away and started to work on the things we wanted him to work on and we started to see the skillset of a seven and the law changes also suit him. By halfway through the Super 14, his form was such that he was going to be very hard to leave out of the All Blacks," Hansen said.

"There isn't anyone else who has put their hand up and said he is another Richie McCaw so we started to think outside the square and we believe this guy can do the job."

Thomson had been working with McCaw for the past week, picking up tips on technique and how best to deal with the law change which allows the initial defender, only, to continue to use his hands at the breakdown.

Thomson was in strong form, he had become a very selfless rugby player, he had a great amount of self-belief and was relishing the chance to be a starting All Black.

Once Williams and Boric were injured, the search for other locks centred on the 2.01m (6ft 7in) Ross - the son of one of the tallest All Blacks of all time, Jock (2.03m) - who was an athlete of genuine ability in the middle of the lineout and who had pushed his credentials into the spotlight.

It would take time for him to develop into a test player but the panel felt Ross had the ability, Hansen said.

It would help having his experienced Crusaders teammate Brad Thorn there for some guidance and the panel was excited about Ross' potential and also that of Evans, who Henry described as having all the basics to push on in the game.

"If we just give those guys time at test level I think they will develop into pretty decent international locks," he said.

The All Blacks had been fortunate this season with a two-week break to prepare between the Super 14 final and their opening test.

"The main concentration, about 85 per cent, is about us. We did a bit of defence work today which was a bit rusty I reckon," said Henry.

The list of unavailable players meant the pressure was ramped up more on his side but he felt that would be beneficial in the long run. The players were adapting while Muliaina had already shown he was a natural leader and had several seasons captaining the Chiefs as a strong apprenticeship.

He could not lead the team by himself, however, and the assistance of the other lieutenants, like topline hooker Andrew Hore, would also be critical.

All Blacks
Mils Muliaina (captain), Joe Rokocoko, Isaia Toeava, Ma'a Nonu, Rudi Wulf, Stephen Donald, Jimmy Cowan, Liam Messam, Adam Thomson, Kieran Read, Isaac Ross, Brad Thorn, Neemia Tialata, Andrew Hore, Tony Woodcock.

Reserves: Keven Mealamu, John Afoa, Bryn Evans, Tanerau Latimer, Piri Weepu, Luke McAlister, Cory Jane.