Richard Loe: Finding back-ups the key selection issue

There will be two key selections in the All Black team to tour Europe when the squad is named next month - the back-ups to Richie McCaw and Daniel Carter.

That's because we are no closer to finding either of those two players, even though we have been looking for a long time - including the 10 tests we have played this year since June 13, when the All Blacks took on France and began what has been a pretty ordinary season.

That's been part of the problem, I think. The All Blacks haven't played well for most of the season - and that always makes it harder for new guys to shine.

I know that when you come into a team as a new boy, it is made much easier for you if everyone around you has been doing their job effectively. It means you just have to get on and do yours.

But when things aren't going well, sod's law rules and things that can go wrong do ... and that can affect the new guys most of all, as they are often playing for a place and trying and cement their reputation.

So I think players like Tanerau Latimer - to take openside flanker first - have had a hard row to hoe this season. The candidates for Richie's back-up are Latimer, Scott Waldrom, George Whitelock and maybe Serge Lilo of Wellington.

Some people are talking about Victor Vito, of Wellington, and Karl Lowe, of Hawke's Bay. Vito looks more like a No 8 or a blindside to me and his primary attraction is as a runner - not a fetcher or a ball-grubber like McCaw. Lowe is a good player at Air NZ Cup level but, for me, hasn't really done the job at Super 14 level yet.

Latimer is a good player without ever looking like he could rule the roost in the loose. I like Lilo as a hard tackler and physical player but, for me, the two strongest candidates are Waldrom and Whitelock.

Of the two, my preference would be Whitelock - he's big, strong and fast and could develop the sort of ball skills that McCaw has.

I'd also have to say that Adam Thomson probably increases Whitelock's claims. Next to McCaw, he has the best ball-grubbing skills in the rucks and mauls and if the favoured All Black balance is for Thomson at 6 and Kieran Read at 8, that possibly allows for the introduction of someone like Whitelock to allow him to develop without too seriously damaging the All Blacks' turnover ball prospects.

Rodney So'oialo is another with good skillsat the breakdown, although there has been a fair bit of noise that he might have run his race these days.

However, he could be good to take on tour to help skill up a younger guy or guys, even though Rodney might not make it to 2011 himself. He showed his hardness and experience in the Wellington match against Southland last week - and it's difficult to replace either of those qualities, let alone both.

If they select Whitelock, they have to play him a fair bit so he gets that experience - he's just a one-game wonder at the moment. However, he's injured at present - at precisely the wrong time - and I have to admit that, although he is also injured at the moment, Waldrom is a strong contender.

He's one of the few around who has those tackled ball skills and he is very quick. I worry about his size as he is comparatively small but the emergence of Heinrich Brussow for the Springboks has shown what a small, direct and courageous fetcher can do for the balance of a loose forward trio.

As for Carter's back-up, it isn't Luke McAlister and it isn't Stephen Donald either. That has to be faced up to now by our selection panel. I wouldn't go so far as to say Donald has been a failure but I don't think he has done enough at All Black level to show he can do the job - in spite of many opportunities.

They surely have to take a young guy, or even two, away to develop them on this tour. The favourite is Aaron Cruden of Manawatu after his under-20 heroics - but I am not yet convinced he is robust enough for international level.

The bolter could be Southland's Robbie Robinson. I think he's robust enough, he lays his body on the line and he is very quick and a good attacker and link man.