Is David Havili a genuine contender in the All Blacks No 10 race? - Tight Five with Elliot Smith

David Havili on attack against the Wallabies last year. Photo / Photosport

A question...

Do the All Blacks selectors see David Havili as a genuine 10 they could play in a high-pressure test match?

It seems on the surface unlikely - the hope must be that by encouraging, or rather directing, the Crusaders to play him there, they’ll have a utility option they can use off the bench in any number of positions. Havili - first a fullback then a midfielder and now seemingly a 10 - appears likely to slot into the role for the rest of the Super Rugby Pacific season as Rob Penney indicates a bid for stability in a season that has been anything but.

But back to the point around what it means for the All Blacks. It could mean exactly nothing, but Robertson’s long career working with Havili at the Crusaders, when he moved him in from 15 to 12, indicates the respect he has for Havili. In 2022, when he clocked up his 100th game for the franchise, Robertson labelled him as the most multi-skilled player he’s coached.

Those aren’t words you say as platitudes without meaning it.

An explanation...

It’s probably Stephen Perofeta or Brett Cameron that will be looking over their shoulder the most after noting that Robertson has asked for Havili to run the cutter for the Crusaders.

It dramatically plummets the chances of the All Blacks taking an out and out third first five-eighths in the squad for England behind (presumably) Damian McKenzie and Beauden Barrett. It could allow Robertson and his selectors the ability to carry another outside back in the squad or even an extra loose forward.

While it’s unlikely we’ll ever see him there again, it’s worth mentioning Jordie Barrett has also played 10 at test level - if there are two options that are capable, then carrying a third specialist who may not see gametime may not factor in.

An observation...

I keep going back to a phrase Robertson used to describe the now departed Richie Mo’unga when he coached him at the Crusaders - “franchise quarterback”.

Ergo, in the NFL terminology someone you can build the team around. Get the play-caller right and on the same script as the style of play you want to play first, then the team will slot in around him.

Now, it’s harder to do that with the demands of test level for a variety of reasons, but could Havili be that man for the All Blacks in the absence of Mo’unga, who is in Japan for the foreseeable future?

It seems highly unlikely he’d be the 10 to build around but if there’s one back in the All Blacks mix likely to know the Razor playbook inside and out, it’s Havili.

A suggestion...

If the Rugby Nations Cup is to go ahead with a finals weekend in Qatar, I just hope the powerbrokers admit it’s about getting the bag than trying to couch it in some fanciful growing the game rubbish or like the initial Daily Mail report suggested, being an ideal travel destination for Northern and Southern Hemisphere folk.

No one, absolutely no one believes that for a second. Money makes the world go round. Unions are bleeding it. I get it. But be honest.

A prediction...

They won’t.

Elliott Smith is Newstalk ZB and Gold Sport’s lead rugby commentator and reporter. He’s been a sports journalist since 2010 and has travelled to three Rugby World Cups for NZME, including commentating the Rugby World Cup final in 2023.