KEY POINTS:
If the Romanian test was supposed to serve as a trial between Joe Rokocoko and Sitiveni Sivivatu to secure the All Blacks No 11 jersey this week, then it failed to deliver a conclusive winner.
The two Fijian-born cousins, having been the first-choice pairing for most of last season, are scrapping each other for the left wing berth, now the selectors appear to view Doug Howlett as a non-negotiable on the right.
Rokocoko was named man-of-the-match after scoring a hat-trick and Sivivatu wasn't far behind with two.
But in an 80-point romp, All Black wings would be expected to boost their scoring averages and the selectors will have been probing more than the touchdowns.
They would have seen Rokocoko strangely leave a high kick in the first half, when he stood back and let it bounce rather than attack it in the air. They would also have seen him make amends with one powerful run in the second half - a reminder of what a compelling sight he is when locked in fifth gear, cruising the fast lane.
In between, he was steady enough. It was just that there occasionally seemed to be a little hesitancy about his work, a touch of anxiousness that led to him dancing on hot coals once or twice without managing much in the way of forward thrust. Still, Rokocoko was reasonably satisfied with his day at the office.
"I am just happy I have given my input and if I'm not chosen, as long as I know I have played my part, that is all I can ask of myself," he said. "These guys were not easy to tackle. They are big boys. We lacked intensity and again we forced a few errors out there.
"In the first game of this tournament we went for 20 minutes, the second we went for 30, so we have produced about 50 minutes of good quality. Going on to next week, hopefully we will produce 80 minutes."
Whether Rokocoko has done enough to nose ahead of his cousin seems doubtful. Sivivatu didn't quite nail his performance either. He, too, was a little reticent, a little shy getting off his wing and he lacked the conviction of last season.
On the positive side his handling - while still not perfect - was much improved from Edinburgh, and the reduced error count will no doubt have boosted his confidence.
Having started against Italy and Scotland, Sivivatu is the incumbent and there was probably not enough contrary evidence for the selectors to change their thinking.
He'll probably survive, for now, on the premise that with Howlett offering stability and accuracy on the right, the All Blacks can pick their wildest card on the left - the man most likely to break open the game with something unorthodox.
And when it comes to unorthodox, Sivivatu is the man.
