KEY POINTS:
Gaps have a habit of finding John Afoa.
Take last week's kickoff against Taranaki. The ball floated high and deep before settling in the prop's clutches. Taranaki's defence went up in a line, covering pretty much every blade of grass - except, of course, the ones being occupied by Afoa.
Somehow the black-and-yellow shirts managed to slide past his 122kg frame, allowing him to thunder deep into Taranaki territory without a hand being laid on him.
Such a run from a kickoff is rare for a back. For a front rower, it's pretty much unheard of.
But it's the sort of play at which the mercurial Afoa specialises.
"I've always had good skills," he says of the entertaining side to his game, "but, as the game changed, it became all about the set piece so I've had to put them on the backburner and just worry about scrums and lineouts."
Well, kind of.
Auckland's set piece may have been rock solid this season but it would be a stretch to say Afoa had limited his game to pushing, lifting and the odd tackle.
His regular linebreaks have been one of the features of Auckland's campaign. But Afoa knows the flashy stuff counts for nought if the basics aren't being attended to.
"We have got a killer backline but it's no good if we can't get the ball to them. So we really work hard all week on our scrum and lineout and attacking the opposition there too."
Last weekend's quarter-final was perhaps the first time this season Auckland's dominant pack haven't had it their own way at scrum time.
Afoa believes the hurry-up provided by Taranaki came at just the right time.
"It brings us back down to earth and it gives us things to work on, instead of just giving ourselves pats on the back each week."
A member of Auckland's 50+ cap club, and with three tests for the All Blacks under his belt, Afoa's experience is vast considering he will celebrate his 24th birthday on Tuesday.
Having made his Auckland debut as an 18-year-old against Counties in 2002, success came early to Afoa. His graduation into the Super rugby ranks with the Blues in 2004, and then the All Blacks a year later, was smooth but this season brought disappointment as he slipped off the international selectors' radar after playing against England in last November's 41-20 victory at Twickenham.
"You can't get too mixed up about trying to make the [All Blacks] because you don't play your best footy," he said of the letdown.
"I just went back to basics with the Blues. I carried that on with this team but now I am getting the ball in hand and putting the whole package together.
"Hopefully, we can finish on a high this year and I can take that into the next Super 14 season."
The departure of test incumbent Carl Hayman could open the door for Afoa's return to the national team. He certainly feels he is ready.
"When I was younger, I thought I was playing awesome footy but, as the years go by, I keep learning new things and, hopefully, over the next couple of years I can really turn it on."
With his NZRU contract due to expire at the end of next season, the next 12 months will be crucial in determining Afoa's long-term future.
"I'm only 23 but you can't play forever. I want to have a good crack here but, if things don't go well or there are opportunities overseas, well, I'll keep my eyes open."
Perhaps the biggest curiosity of Afoa's career is his try-scoring record. Despite his mobility, he has managed just a solitary try each for Auckland and the Blues. That record is a source of frustration for Afoa - and much mirth for his team-mates.
"I scored one at the end of the Blues' season and I scored one for the Juniors [All Blacks], so I thought I was on a roll. But reality has come back and bit me," he says somewhat ruefully.
But, at the rate gaps have been finding him recently, it's hard to see the drought lasting much longer.
