Gregor Paul: Quality cover not on scene

Stephen Donald. Photo / Getty Images

Experience, talent, confidence, ability and leadership, take your pick. The All Blacks of 2010 are the equal, if not more, of their predecessors in 2006.

The All Blacks are better equipped to challenge for the World Cup now than they were at the corresponding point in the last cycle.

They have a better captain, more ways in which they can play and, above all, a greater realisation that when it comes to the crunch, they might have to scrum, grind and kick their way to glory.

But the current squad has one major weakness that wasn't the case in 2006 - they don't have the same quality of cover for Dan Carter and Richie McCaw. This could prove to be a non-factor as Carter and McCaw could sail through the tournament untouched, play every game and back-up won't matter.

It might not happen like that, however. What if one or both succumb to injury or illness? What then? Stephen Donald to start a semifinal against Australia? Daniel Braid to front the South Africans in a final?

When Carter was possibly going to miss the fateful quarter-final in 2007, there was comfort that Nick Evans would have taken his place. Evans had been in rollicking form through the pool rounds - albeit mainly at fullback but he'd shown in the previous four years he could play.

He wasn't Carter, but he was test class. He had a huge boot, could break, could pass and keep a handle on the game plan. He was a different class to Donald who might actually be quite glad to get home, escape and never play for his country again.

The coaches know it, the rest of the country knows it and even Donald must now be feeling it; that he's not the man for the job.

Evans, more and more, looks like the one who got away and, to a lesser extent, so too does Chris Masoe.

The Hurricanes loose forward was high impact. When he played, the world knew he was on the field. He didn't have the range or composure of McCaw, but he had ball-carrying clout and presence at the breakdown.

Braid is a class act at Super rugby and below but it's hard to be excited by what he might bring to the international game. It's hard to believe the Boks or the English would take him seriously while David Pocock would grow about two feet seeing Braid and not McCaw in the All Blacks No 7 jersey.

Evans and Masoe or Donald and Braid? The former by a country mile.