Savea turns 27 next month and after moderate form last year when he was dropped by the Canes and All Blacks, he is once again struggling to get the selectors' approval.
The All Black panel overlooked Savea for the first two tests against the touring Lions and his reprieve for the decider only happened because of a slew of injuries to Waisake Naholo, Reiko Ioane and Ben Smith.
Savea made a blistering debut as a 21-year-old All Black in 2012 until wings such as Charles Piutau, Naholo and Nehe Milner-Skudder brought their wider skills to the workplace.
Teams have worked on ways to reduce Savea's impact and zero in on his lack of dexterity and decision-making on defence. They'll get him to turn and chase kicks, make choices in the defensive line, stack the inside channels when he runs off the ruck or crowd his space near the touchlines.
At full noise on attack, Savea remains a daunting challenge for any defenders as he powers up his 108kg frame but finding enough room for those opportunities to balance the defensive work rate demands on a modern wing, is proving his issue in the selection room.