One weekend into Super Rugby and already a difficult question has arisen for new All Blacks coach Ian Foster and his selection panel to answer.
It's maybe more philosophical than difficult, but still, Foster and his panel are going to have to ask where they stand on the issuesof specialist versus generalist.
Do they want to build a team that plays a style of rugby where it is imperative to have specialists in their position across all 15 jerseys? Or can they work with hybrid footballers, men who possess such a range of skills and are of sufficient agility and mobility as to be able to flit around the team as deemed best?
This question has to sit fairly high on Foster's agenda for two reasons. The first is that it became the dominant selection theme of 2019.
The All Blacks came into last year with a changed view about selection. They fixed on the idea that they wanted to start with their best players on the park and that meant asking some to play in positions that were not necessarily deemed their best.
All Black coaching staff Scott McLeod, John Plumtree, Ian Foster, Greg Feek and Grant Fox. Photo / Getty
We saw Ardie Savea injected into the team at blindside, although he actually played more as an openside and No 8. We saw Kieran Read, adjust to accommodate Savea, and play more as a blindside.
Beauden Barrett was switched to fullback to make way for Richie Mo'unga and Anton Lienert-Brown bounced between second-five and centre depending on which midfield partner he was paired with.
There were times when the All Blacks found incredible attacking fluidity by having so much firepower on the field and there were other moments when their lack of cohesion and familiarity seemed to leave them confused.
Ardie Savea was injected at blindside at the Rugby World Cup. Photo / Photosport
The selection that threw the whole business of specialist versus generalist into question was that of Scott Barrett starting at blindside in the World Cup semifinal.
The rationale made sense – of using a lock at No 6 to target what was a vulnerable English lineout given their lack of height. But the execution backfired when the All Blacks couldn't find their lineout accuracy and were outplayed at the breakdown where they missed the presence of Sam Cane.
It was a harsh reminder that it is dangerous to overlook the value of core skills being done well by players who have proven their ability to execute core skills. Sometimes it is best to determine who is the best in a certain position and not who is the best all round footballer.
Which brings us to the second reason why Foster will have to still be thinking about this.
What's clear, even at this preposterously early stage of the year, is that New Zealand has an incredible number of rangy athletes who can fit, or nearly fit, into multiple positions.
Take someone such as Tom Robinson at the Blues. Last year he caught the All Blacks' attention for his abrasive work as a blindside. On Friday at Eden Park he played at lock and was part of a dominant Blues scrum and was always on hand to take the ball up the middle of the field.
He looked the part and at 1.98m he has the height to play lock at test level but the All Blacks are looking for their specialist locks to be around 120kg, which Robinson is not.
He brings the confrontational approach the All Blacks need. He can win lineout ball, cleanout rucks and pass and catch close to the ruck and in the wider areas of the field but knowing what jersey to stick him in is going to be tricky for Foster and his panel to determine.
The same can be said for Rieko Ioane, whose leaner frame this year conversely seems to have made him more powerful. His two tries against the Chiefs came from his strength rather than speed and deepened his case to play at centre.
The selection panel will question where best to place Rieko Ioane on the field. Photo / Photosport
But wing is where he's playing for the Blues and wing is where he's gained all of his test experience and it is still the position where he seems best suited despite his desire to revert to his schoolboy home in the midfield.
Again, the selection panel will need to be clear about how they want to use Ioane and not twist themselves into knots about whether he's a wing or centre.
The list could go on. Cane played No 8 for the Chiefs and maybe he's the right player to fill that role for the All Blacks rather than Savea. Or maybe he's not, given the problems the All Blacks had when they didn't have him in the No 7 jersey against England.
Jack Goodhue is playing at second-five for the Crusaders but his distribution and awareness about how to exploit space is such as asset at centre that however tempting it may be to shift him to 12 in the test arena, such a move should perhaps be resisted.
The good news for Foster is that one week into the competition and it is apparent that he has an abundance of riches from which to pick.
