KEY POINTS:
Doug Howlett is an easy man to keep up with these days - as a thoroughly modern rugby player he has his own website.
As to be expected, the website has a heavy Doug emphasis with highly favourable editorial content.
To quote: Gimme a D, gimme an O, gimme a U, gimme a G, not to mention the Doug Howlett Loyal Fan Award.
Gimme a bucket.
I jest of course, because you never bag the fans and their loyalty.
To be fair, you can send messages to Doug on any of the latest rugby issues, although it is suggested that in particular, these issues should be about ... you guessed it, gimme a D, gimme an O (and so on and so forth).
The Doug's Diary photo section is also wondrous: Doug on a bicycle (being ridden by Keven Mealamu for those keen on technical details), Doug in a boat, Doug carrying his golf clubs, and - most interestingly - Doug standing next to a fountain.
This was the point to halt what had been a fascinating journey however, mainly out of fear that there were photos of Doug wearing gardening gloves, Doug putting out the rubbish, Doug feeding the cats. There comes a point for all of us where enough is enough in terms of delving into the lives of great footballers, and for me it came with Doug next to the fountain. For a start, the fountain looked like a concrete pour gone wrong with leaks at the top. Beyond Doug and the lump of leaking concrete was a world I did not want to know.
Why this sudden Howlett obsession, you might ask.
Simple really. The bloke is playing brilliant football, and his prominence in the All Blacks' World Cup campaign has come as a bit of a shock.
Shock number one is this. A few years ago, it looked as though Howlett was about to be usurped by the wild talents of men such as Joe Rokocoko and Sitiveni Sivivatu. Howlett had emerged from an era dominated by the wing class of Jeff Wilson and in comparison, Howlett was sometimes portrayed as an athlete who played rugby rather than a very athletic rugby player. Having established himself, Howlett then appeared in danger of being overtaken by even bigger athletes who played rugby, such as the two heavyweight Fijian flyers.
He definitely started this World Cup year on the back foot. An Australian media acquaintance rang early in the season to ask if Howlett would make the All Black World Cup squad - his publication wanted the Auckland wing as their cover story. I replied that Howlett appeared to be a marginal selection and that he had been unceremoniously dumped from major All Black contention by being asked to play all of the Super 14. How times have changed, because rather than a fringe selection, Howlett has emerged as crucial to the World Cup hopes because he is on top of his game and can read the game. Howlett is rugby primed, with his skills honed and instincts on red alert.
Which leads to shock number two, especially for All Black coach Graham Henry you might imagine. While it is easy for the public to keep up with Doug, thanks to his website, some of his teammates are finding it more difficult.
It wasn't supposed to be this way. Howlett, remember, was lumbered with the onerous business of playing the entire Super 14 while Rokocoko, Sivivatu and a host of other All Blacks embarked on a rest and revival programme.
In other words, Howlett should be knackered by now. Conversely, a bloke like Sivivatu should be full of the joys of spring, buzzing like a bee, muscles rippling, unburdened by the duress of full Super 14 demands.
And yet, it just doesn't seem to have panned out that way, especially in the backs. In fact, it appears to be working in reverse.
Maybe Sivivatu is still deep in resting mode because when Dan Carter chipped a crossfield kick his way early in the game against Scotland, the Waikato wing tried to catch it with the sort of hand co-ordination you might employ tying a hammock to a tree. Sivivatu spent much of the game looking like someone trying to control a beach ball on a bouncy castle. While Sivivatu was clearly out of football shape, Howlett zapped around all over the place to great effect. He even seemed to be enjoying himself.
Of the backs given two Super 14 months off, Piri Weepu has been dumped, Aaron Mauger is apparently out of favour, and Byron Kelleher, Dan Carter, Sivivatu and Rokocoko are trying to claw their way out of form slumps. I would contend that superstar Carter has never really recovered from the recovery period. Only Leon MacDonald and Mils Muliaina are near their best. By comparison, 2007 Super 14 veterans Brendon Leonard and Howlett have been the most energetic All Black backs of the year.
Funny that, although as the NRL finals series is proving, footballers actually thrive on playing lots of tough football.
Howlett should thank his lucky stars that he wasn't deemed good enough to be stood down. He might have missed a few covers back then, but he is the main feature now.
