Rugby: Unpicking the midfield muddle - the All Blacks' biggest selection conundrum

Of all the selection conundrums confronting the All Blacks in the final three weeks of their season, one will be front of mind. That of what to do at second five-eighth.

This is a big week in Quinn Tupaea's rookie test campaign. Five tests in, he has nailed every chance.

The 22-year-old is expected to start at No 12, probably alongside Braydon Ennor, against Italy in Rome on Sunday morning to rekindle their midfield partnership that impressed in the USA.

Italy are ranked 14th in the world and have not won a Six Nations test for six years – yet they present a significant step up from the USA, whom the All Blacks humbled 104-14.

Tupaea's uncomplicated, simplistic approach to being direct with his carrying and clam with his decision-making has quickly put forward an alternate option to David Havili.

Continue that form by impressing against Italy, and the Chiefs second-five will force his way into serious consideration to retain the starting role for Ireland in Dublin the following week – though there is one other option the All Blacks will weigh up, too.

Quinn Tupaea during an All Blacks training session. Photo / Photosport

In the early stages of this test season, during the July series against Tonga and Fiji and in Rugby Championship fixtures against the Wallabies and Pumas, Havili looked a readymade rockstar in his second coming to the All Blacks.

Second-five was never his preferred role but after shifting there out of necessity for the Crusaders, following Jack Goodhue's season-ending injury, Havili brought a different style to the 12 jersey with his subtle skills - variety of passing, kicking and footwork - combining to form a compelling package.

Four years after his debut test season as a fullback, Havili enjoyed a seamless transition from the Crusaders to All Blacks. That was until he and All Blacks ran into the green brick wall of the Springboks. Those two tests, split one apiece, where the All Blacks struggled to gain front foot ball and impose their high tempo game on the Boks, appears to have rocked Havili's confidence.

In last week's 54-16 demolition of Wales he endured another difficult night. Havili is not the first nor the last midfielder to be flummoxed by the Northern Hemisphere's rush defensive patterns but his reduced influence in his last three starts poses cause for concern.

The All Blacks will retain faith in Havili as a long-term prospect. The best way to continue his development may be to give him another chance against Ireland, but his struggles in recent weeks will force the All Blacks to second guess whether others deserve a crack at dealing with the smothering pressure elite defensive teams bring.

David Havili skips past the tackle of Wallabies second-five Samu Kerevi. Photo / Photosport

Part of the attraction with Havili is he offers a triple threat game. He should, in theory, mitigate pressure on Beauden Barrett or Richie Mo'unga by sharing the kicking load that aims to shape the opposition's back field and allows the All Blacks to launch lethal counter attacks.

Rushed for time and space against the Boks and Wales, however, Havili has not shown that side of his game, nor his deft distribution skills, which brings others firmly into the frame.

While Tupaea's strong, combative approach is challenging the All Blacks' thinking by providing a punchy point of difference, Anton Lienert-Brown's performance in the final 20 minutes against Wales after shifting from centre to second-five to partner Rieko Ioane throws up another potential combination.

Lienert-Brown is beginning to emerge from a frustrating test season and while he's been largely used at centre in recent times, the All Blacks may ask him to slide in one and combine with Ioane against Ireland.

Speaking from Rome on Tuesday, Lienert-Brown admitted the hamstring niggle - his first significant injury for the All Blacks - that kept him out for much of the Rugby Championship made him realise the time needed to regain his rhythm.

"It was harder than I thought. I thought I could just roll up and it would be alright but it did definitely take a while, especially with the hamstring trying to get back to full speed. It's good to go through that experience," Lienert-Brown, the senior All Blacks midfielder, said.

A meeting of the All Blacks midfielders: Braydon Ennor, Anton Lienert-Brown, Rieko Ioane and Quinn Tupaea. Photo / Photosport

After returning for the second test against South Africa, coming off the bench against the USA and starting at centre in Cardiff, where he led the defensive pressure and gained one breakdown turnover, Lienert-Brown is in a much better place to tackle the remainder of the season.

"After the Africa game I took a lot of personal lessons away from that. The first one was winning that physical battle. South Africa is always going to be physical. Us as a midfield, and as a whole team, all admitted that we weren't good enough in that space. To learn from that and to win that physical battle last weekend was a real positive."

Finding ways to get the ball to the edge and vary the attack through kicking options in the face of the midfield rush is high on the agenda for the All Blacks - a quest that may count against a potential Tupaea-Ioane pairing.

"We kicked the most we have in the weekend and that helped our attack because they're not just having to worry about our running. We're learning all the time. We hate losing, but you learn the most when you lose. There's definitely been growth in that space."

With three tests left this year, Goodhue to return next season and others knocking on the door, the All Blacks midfield remains a constantly evolving picture.