Chris Laidlaw: Hunt narrows for pressure-game halfback

Jimmy Cowan is unlikely to buckle. Photo / Getty Images

Of the few remaining positions still needing to be sorted out before the World Cup next year, halfback is the one with the most lingering uncertainty.

The field has narrowed to four contenders - Piri Weepu, Jimmy Cowan, Andy Ellis and Alby Mathewson. All are now tried, tested and experienced and any combination of them could do the job.

Bad luck and indifferent form seem to have taken Brendon Leonard out of contention. It will take world-beating Super 15 form to get him back in the frame.

The question is: Who is going to do it best when the business end of the World Cup is reached and the winning and losing of games comes down to cold, hard nerve under supreme pressure?

Believe me, a final at Eden Park in 2011 with the world watching and a nation's unforgiving expectations will flush out the slightest character defect in any player.

We know what has happened in the past as personalities have crumbled when things turned against them.

The halfbacks in both 2003 and 2007 suffered panic attacks as the quality of the possession they got deteriorated and the All Blacks' greatest advantage, their strike power out wide, was effectively neutralised.

If the All Blacks get to the playoffs next year (and it would be catastrophic if they didn't), then it is the halfbacks who will be targeted by their opponents in a bid to compromise the 15-man game our team plays better than anyone else.

Jimmy Cowan simply has to be the first option. Now that he has learned to contain his volatile temper when things get hot, he is the least likely of the four to buckle under physical and mental harassment. On the contrary, Cowan stands out above the others as the one most likely to get better the tougher things get.

He isn't the fastest or the most accurate passer of the group. Mathewson is clearly the fastest, followed by Cowan and Ellis, with Weepu the slowest by a significant margin.

When it comes to accuracy, the differences are narrower. Ellis is arguably the most accurate.

But speed and accuracy are only part of the jigsaw. Defence at finals time becomes a far higher priority and here Cowan stands out on his own again. He is little short of phenomenal in his vision and presence when the opposition break through.

Somehow Cowan always seems to be there with the saving tackle. It is a precious skill and one that will ensure he makes the 2011 squad. Ellis is not far behind in this respect and both Mathewson and Weepu are good defenders in their own right - but neither is a Cowan.

When it comes to tactical kicking, Weepu and Cowan are out front. Both are masters of the high box kick and Weepu can chip it or grubber it better than just about any halfback in the world.

Mathewson is getting better but he's not quite in their league yet. Ellis is not far behind the others but his accuracy is often questionable.

Then there's the question of running. Here, Mathewson is well out front and this, like defence, will be a more important attribute next year as the All Black options on attack diminish.

Oddly, the other three contenders have run less often and less effectively this year than in the past. Cowan in particular has rarely chanced his arm and Ellis has at times been messy and indecisive.

If Weepu could get his running game going with some real consistency, then he would be a natural choice but he can't seem to do that.

Injuries and eccentric selection policies in Wellington certainly haven't helped him. But there's something special about Weepu.

He is a proven big match man with an instinct for the unexpected and that could be a game-breaking quality that Graham Henry can't ignore.

So, on the strength of all this, who should be picked?

To some extent, the choice will be conditioned by form in the Super 15 but on the basis of what we have seen of them this year, Cowan and Mathewson must have their noses in front. Next year, who knows?