Rugby: Milner-Skudder opens door to All Blacks

No game time, no form used to mean no chance of being picked.

Not these days and not specifically in the case of Nehe Milner-Skudder who has finally managed to get himself back on the track following a broken foot and with that, he has potentially opened the way to be a surprise inclusion in the All Blacks squad.

The All Blacks will be tempted to include him. Or perhaps more accurately, they won't have ruled him out.

The fact Milner-Skudder, who is on the bench for the Hurricanes against the Force, hasn't played for 12 weeks matters to armchair selectors, not to the men actually picking the team.

What matters to head coach Steve Hansen is that Milner-Skudder has shown them with his previous form how good he is.

They know he can beat defenders, they know he can finish in tight spaces and they know he can launch their counter attack game.

Hansen also knows that Milner-Skudder has a big game temperament, a deep rugby intelligence and a strong understanding of how the All Blacks want to play.

Form isn't much of a factor in squad selection. Certainly not as much as perhaps it used to be.

There will be scenarios when it matters - when it is the separating factor in a tight call, but by and large All Blacks selection is driven by longer term criteria.

There are no snap judgements made. The picture forms over a sustained period. While it is not an exact science it is at least a science of sorts these days.

It's a gradual process where selector's build a picture of players pixel by pixel. Heads aren't turned by a few good performances or assessments of players materially altered by their lack of recent game time.

The coaches have an established view of Milner-Skudder that hasn't changed just because he has been injured. Not playing isn't the same as playing badly.

The question for the All Blacks selectors is more about whether they believe Milner-Skudder, based on what they know about him, fits into their overall plan better than the likes of Rieko Ioane, Jordie Barrett or Waisake Naholo.

If they think he does have more to offer then the next question they will have is not whether Milner-Skudder has enough form to merit inclusion, it is whether they have enough confidence he has fully recovered.

And does Milner-Skudder have enough confidence in his own physical state to be able to come into the All Blacks on the back of one Super Rugby hit out against the Force?

There is the rest of the season to think about. The All Blacks have ample choice in their back three options and while Milner-Skudder unquestionably brings a skill set and point of difference, Hansen has the luxury of knowing he can use others against the Lions.

The best course of action may be to give Milner-Skudder more time to rebuild his confidence and prove that his body can again cope with the rigours of top flight football.

Would he, therefore, be better served being named in the New Zealand Maori squad where he can play against the Lions on June 17 and then have another crack at them with the Hurricanes on June 27 with a view to bringing him back into the All Blacks fold for the Rugby Championship?

Whatever decision they reach doesn't alter the fact that by getting himself to the point he has, Milner-Skudder has given himself a chance of being named in the All Blacks next Thursday.