The injured Beauden Barrett and Colin Slade were left on the sidelines as the legendary Dan Carter and World Cup long shot Lima Sopoaga led their sides to surprisingly big victories against New Zealand rivals over the weekend.
Herald columnist Chris Rattue reckons optimism about Carter's form has been overstated because observers are blinded by his amazing deeds from the past.
But for a position where New Zealand shines, genuine challengers to Carter's No. 10 jersey are thin on the ground with Aaron Cruden out of World Cup contention unless he has a miraculous recovery from knee surgery.
