KEY POINTS:
If Daniel Carter and Nick Evans are joining the offshore exodus, the All Black selectors should pick a new five-eighths from the start of the test programme.
The panel will argue they need to pick the best players and have been charged with winning every All Black international. They will choose a fit Carter, who is expected to return to rugby next week, although Evans' lack of form makes him a marginal choice anyway.
Coach Graham Henry says he is aware of players' intentions with the Herald undertanding that Carter is contemplating a post Grand Slam exit while an unsettled Evans is eyeing a contract at Harlequins much sooner which makes his selection in the June 1 All Black squad more debatable.
If both senior five-eighths' minds are on alternate employment, the selectors should consider a promotion for Stephen Brett or Stephen Donald, guys who are desperate to wear the black jersey and remain in pursuit of that sporting goal.
Otherwise it is just a holding pattern. Forget the woolly theory that Carter could play the bulk of this season then go on a European club sabbatical and return in time for next year's test programme.
Guaranteeing All Black places is a no-no, a further erosion of the jersey's mystique. Judging one player's marquee value against another is a very dangerous tactic in a team sport.
The sabbatical tactic looks a little like the New Zealand Rugby Union getting their defence ready so, in future, they can point out how they tried to keep the five-eighths in New Zealand.
If Carter goes and wants to return then let him show his form is stronger than whoever is wearing the All Black No 10 jersey, rather than guaranteeing him his old job. If Carter is heading away, what is the point in selecting him for the entire season, keeping him in prime condition to hand over to his European club? Same with Evans.
Instead it would be more beneficial to pitch one of the newcomers into tests against Ireland and England in June, rather than waiting to introduce them later in the year.
Brett and Donald have been playing Super 14 rugby for three months, in a competition where standards are not far removed from test rugby. The gap from Super 14 to test rugby would be smaller than asking them to make the leap later this year from the national provincial championship.
Had the Junior All Blacks continued, Brett and Donald could have continued to improve and gain experience but it has been replaced by the NZ Maori side and they may be excluded by race from that opportunity.
