A leg fracture to Waisake Naholo on Friday night has put Israel Dagg firmly back in the sights of the All Blacks selectors. Photo / Getty Images
A leg fracture to Waisake Naholo on Friday night has put Israel Dagg firmly back in the sights of the All Blacks selectors. Photo / Getty Images
The congestion building in the All Black back three didn't ease any on Friday night but did yesterday morning when it was confirmed Waisake Naholo had broken his leg.
What was looming as the hardest selection decision of all arguably became a little easier as a result of Naholo being ruled out for three months.
So instead of flying to South Africa with the rest of the squad, Naholo was heading home to rehabilitate and reflect on what might have been.
His first 30 minutes were hugely encouraging — there was enough there to believe he was comfortable enough at test level to merit another crack and that he would be tough to leave out of the final 31.
"Very exciting," was coach Steve Hansen's summation. "By his own admission, he'd probably be disappointed by some of his errors. He's a young guy and coming into our environment is pretty daunting. But to train the way he did, prepare well and up until he hurt his ankle, he was great. He can do things other people can't and that's quite exciting."
As unfortunate as it is for Naholo, his injury has cleared the picture, that was, in the immediate wake of the Pumas test, looking more convoluted.
Not only did Naholo play well, Israel Dagg was also impressive. Charles Piutau made ground with a high work rate and a well-taken try, while just one curious, ill-considered cross kick was the only blight on his night.
Even with Naholo out, it will still be fascinating to see how the selectors end up picking between Dagg, Piutau, Julian Savea, Corey Jane, Ben Smith and Nehe Milner-Skudder. There is, best guess, room for four when the squad is cut from 41 to 31 at the end of August.
Smith and Savea, as long as they avoid injury, are banked. Those two are a cut above: they offer too much to come properly into the debate about who goes and who stays.
Waisake Naholo. Photo / Getty Images
Dagg, arguably, now has the indicator on and is poised to shift into the outside lane and motor into the final 31. The selectors have been adamant since they picked Dagg that all he's lacking is game time.
They have held their line that once match-conditioned after barely playing in the past three months, Dagg will prove himself. It's now hard to argue against that thinking.
Dagg wasn't 80 minutes of magic but was better than his Apia outing. The bit that really mattered was his pace and willingness to back himself.
At his best, Dagg pulls defenders into places they don't want to go and creates space for those around him. He's a coaster rather than a blaster and is at his most dangerous when he accelerates from half to full pace.
It looked like he's getting close to recovering that top-end speed and one more outing, on the hard ground of Ellis Park, may be enough for him to satisfy everyone he's playing as well as he needs to be.
"He looked fast, I thought," said All Blacks backs coach Ian Foster. "He's like a lot of outside backs that once they get their legs back, they start to back their acceleration and speed, and that brings confidence to them.
"When you haven't played a lot of rugby, that's one thing that takes time to come back. He could still kick better and there are still parts of his game that he'll get better at. But I think it was his speed and confidence to take people on that stood out."
There was also the mental fortitude he showed to channel the anxiety he was inevitably feeling as a result of his lack of form and the widespread criticism that followed his performance in Apia.
Hansen revealed during the week that some players were struggling to deal with the pressure of the impending selection cull. His message was to refocus and remember that they couldn't control selection, only performance, and if they delivered on that front, the rest would take care of itself.
It was a message Dagg obviously took on board. "I try not to read into what you fellas write about me," he said in reaction to whether he was one of the players who was stressing.
"I try to stay calm and clear and I know I have just got to trust my abilities and trust what I can do. I have got to try to stay positive and for me, it was just about having that belief I can do it and that I can play rugby. I've been doing it for years."
If Dagg provides more evidence in Johannesburg that he's ready, then it may come down to a straight choice between Piutau and Jane. And that one could go to the wire.
Piutau was solid and industrious. He took his try well and covered a huge amount of ground. He's in the running but will feel better about his prospects if he can, between now and August 30, deliver one more, impossible-to-ignore performance.
Because he knows Jane is a World Cup veteran with proven experience and a magical skill-set. And just like Dagg, all Jane is lacking is game time.
