Rugby: Jordan Taufua a ready-made All Black enforcer

If Jordan Taufua doesn't make the All Blacks squad for next month's tests against France he could be forgiven for believing he will never wear the black jersey.

The loose forwards mix is looming as perhaps the most intriguing of all the decisions the selectors will make given the various injuries of the incumbents and form of men such as Akira Ioane at the Blues and Taufua at the Crusaders, and the latter is playing so consistently well he really does deserve to get the nod.

No8 and skipper Kieran Read is out following his back surgery – the timing of his return to play is very much still up in the air - and so, probably, is Liam Squire, the Highlanders player suffering a setback in his return from a broken thumb (it had to be re-set).

Fellow incumbent Jerome Kaino is an unlikely selection due to his early-season form, limited game time following a hamstring injury and the fact he is leaving the Blues and New Zealand Rugby for France at the end of the season – although he performed well in playing 80 minutes against the Waratahs in Sydney.

The definite selections, if fit, are Sam Cane, (and he currently has an abdominal injury), Vaea Fifita and Ardie Savea. Chiefs No7 Cane is a potential captain in the absence of Read, although Sam Whitelock also has claims, blindside flanker Fifita was a breakout star last year, and Savea offers an explosive presence off the bench.

Luke Whitelock, who toured Europe with the All Blacks late last year, must also come into the mix, but so too should Ioane, who has been a huge presence for a Blues team which hasn't given him the best platform to impress. Ioane, 22, played for the All Blacks against the French Barbarians in Lyon last November but has yet to play a test.

Which leaves us with 26-year-old Taufua, an uncapped player, who, crucially, has the potential to add to the All Blacks' fear factor in terms of their close-in defence.

This is an area which Kaino has traditionally owned, and it is a mantle picked up, at least in Super Rugby, by Taufua, who has been such an explosive presence for the Crusaders over the last couple of weeks during their wins over the Brumbies and Rebels he really has been a danger to be around.

There have been question marks around Taufua's workrate in the past, but he has surely put those to bed this season. His best work with the ball is done around the ruck – where he runs straight and incredibly hard – and the same goes for his defence.

At 1.87m tall and 108kg, Taufua hasn't got the size of the 1.96m and 110kg enforcer Kaino, but his power and desire to put his body through the pain barrier and beyond cannot be denied. After re-committing to the Crusaders and NZ Rugby to the end of next year, Taufua deserves his shot.

The selectors are likely to name six loose forwards in the squad of 33 for the three tests against France.

Here are mine: Sam Cane, Ardie Savea, Vaea Fifita, Akira Ioane, Luke Whitelock, Jordan Taufua.