Richard Loe: Time running out to test hooker switch

John Afoa. Photo / Greg Bowker

The time has come for John Afoa to decide whether he's going to be a hooker or not.

The All Blacks selectors have talked about Afoa becoming a back-up hooker to Keven Mealamu, Corey Flynn and Andrew Hore. In my mind, only Afoa can make that decision.

If he is serious about it, he needs to go back to Auckland now and petition coach Mark Anscombe for a chance to play there. That means starting and playing large chunks of games, not 10 minutes here and there off the bench when he might not even get the chance to throw in the ball.

It would be difficult for Anscombe, because his priority is to win the ITM Cup and he already has a decent hooker in Tom McCartney. He also doesn't really know, like the rest of us, whether Afoa can even play hooker.

Afoa is a good build for it. He's mobile and strong. But can he throw in the ball? That doesn't mean doing 20 or 30 lineout throws in a row at training. It's the ability to run around the field, bust your gut and still get it on the mark. That's why he needs to play.

Maybe if he was serious about giving it a go, he shouldn't be playing for Auckland. Maybe he needs to move to another province which needs a hooker, whether that's Thames Valley, King Country or North Harbour.

It's not easy making the transition from prop to hooker, as Aled de Malmanche has shown. He's good in most things he's supposed to do at No 2 but his lineout throwing is inconsistent.

I spoke to Steve Hansen about de Malmanche's throwing once and he replied, "but he carries the ball well and is aggressive here and there". Yeah, no doubt, but he can't throw the ball in consistently.

I have little faith in him and would be more prepared to play Afoa as a hooker in a test even now than the Waikato man.

I often get asked whether so-and-so could play a certain position. I always reply, "you tell me what the main attributes of that position are".

If you get a halfback who can pass the ball and yak, you're halfway there. A hooker has to be able to throw the ball in first and foremost, then scrummage and then be effective around the field and defend well.

We talk about changing people and changing positions but rarely ask why. It's dangerous if you become a Jack of all trades and a master of none.

Israel Dagg and Cory Jane have shown they can adapt well to different positions but it is an entirely different proposition in the outside backs. There's not a great deal of difference between fullback and wing and Dagg and Jane have the class and ability to play both but it's different to what's required in the front row.

I used to play both sides of the scrum equally well and that was a bonus for me but not many are comfortable doing that. I even played hooker a few times but didn't enjoy it at all. It was completely different.

I did it one year in France for my club side. I managed to get away with it because we had two very tall locks and I said to them, "I throw it, you jump, right?"

There's a rumour that Hore could be playing again before the end of the ITM Cup.

If that's the case, there's less of a need to have Afoa as a back-up. I certainly don't see the day when he would be the country's top hooker.

He might also decide to remain a prop. He's an All Black and one of our top four props. He's earned that and is good enough to hold that.

We are going into the World Cup and he might be thinking about heading overseas afterwards. It might be easier for him to stay on the side of the scrum.

Meanwhile, I must applaud Adam Thompson for sticking with the Highlanders. It was a good decision by Thompson, and new coach Jamie Joseph to persuade him to stay.

There were no guarantees he would even get a starting spot at the Crusaders with Richie McCaw, Kieran Read and George Whitelock on the scene but there are big opportunities at the Highlanders.

If he isn't captain, he will be one of the key senior players and will lead the forward pack. This is a good chance for him to stand up and be counted and stake a claim for a World Cup spot.