KEY POINTS:
It would have been cheering for the All Black selectors to see such a tight and competitive match as the Blues-Hurricanes clash but I'm not sure it would have clearly answered one of their key questions: who'll be the new second five-eighths now we have lost Aaron Mauger
and Luke McAlister?
It was an intense game; exciting because of that although, apart from some silly lapses, the defences ruled and there wasn't that much entertaining attacking play, especially from the Blues who seemed to over-rely on the kick. But that intensity is what selectors look for to assess how players deal with it and how they will carry that over to the next level.
What we saw suggests Ma'a Nonu will be favourite for most people to take the All Black No. 12 jersey. He made a couple of good runs, was strong all night, didn't make any silly mistakes and his ball security was solid. He's such a powerful guy, he can rip up any defence on his day - but I have one reservation about him. I am still not sure that he can play to a team pattern.
If they can absolutely lock him in to the team pattern and have him playing their way, that's fine. He is also the sort of player you can go to and say, depending on the state of the game: "Let it rip" and he can, and will.
So he'd be in my squad, because he can cover 12, 13 and the wing. But he'd not be in my starting side.
Neither would the Blues' Benson Stanley who I thought played well enough and who is a good distributor and tough little defender - but I don't think he's quite ready yet.
And then you start running out of contenders. Some people are beating the drum for Chiefs centre Richard Kahui at second five. I think he's a good player but I think he is too injury-prone; he gets broken too often. I don't see fringe players like Wellington's Tamati Ellison making the grade yet nor do I see, as some people do, Stephen Donald as a 12 instead of a 10.
I like the Crusaders' Tim Bateman as a solid, thinking, distributor but he's maybe not ready either. And that leaves Stephen Brett.
I know some will point to his defence as a weakness and I don't think the All Black selectors will choose him - they'll go for Nonu - but I think they should.
All right, he's not a blockbusting defensive player but he gives you great attacking and kicking options and even dropkick options. He played outside Donald at 12 for the New Zealand A team last year and we all know about his speed and his ability to find and take a gap. Also, his combination with Dan Carter will be helpful.
After that, another surprise. The selectors will probably go for Conrad Smith at centre. I'm not convinced he is near his best yet - and I'd start with Anthony Tuitavake. He's not a big man but he tackles big and I'd hate to take the ball up half-pie and have Tuitavake hit me. He'd cut you in half and he can attack well, even though he only got a couple of chances from broken play with the Blues on Friday night.
For what it's worth, I thought the Blues turned up to play, even if they did kick a bit too much and consistently played down a blindside which was well guarded by the Hurricanes.
I don't think either side looked much like a Super 14 finalist, in spite of the intensity, but I was taken with the performance of the two "junior" locks - Jeremy Thrush for the Hurricanes and Anthony Boric for the Blues who both outpointed their senior colleagues, Jason Eaton and Troy Flavell, I thought.
And one last thought. My guess is that Jimmy Gopperth would have landed at least one of those three failed dropkicks by Willie Ripia - and the Hurricanes would have had a home semifinal.
Gopperth has apparently been the victim of some mishandling by Hurricanes' management. It was a surprise to me that he was left on the bench while everyone else got a trot and that a guy with 50 games for the Hurricanes wasn't on the field when that kind of experience was needed.
