Wynne Gray, writing for The New Zealand Herald, believes that the All Blacks should look to under-20 star Aaron Cruden to fill their vacant fly-half berth.
"The dearth of All Black first five-eighths is not surprising given the lack of quality playmakers in the Super 14.
"With Stephen Donald recovering from injury and reluctant practitioner Luke McAlister crocked, the national selectors whistled up Stephen Brett to join their squad this week as cover for the start of the Bledisloe Cup series.
"Good on Brett but he wasn't any raging success in the Super 14 and was not even an original choice this season for the Junior All Blacks. Using both he and Piri Weepu appears real band-aid material in the national squad.
"It might have been time for the All Black selectors to have taken a reasonable gamble and promoted Aaron Cruden, who was the captain and star of the under-20 junior world championships. With McAlister almost certain to recover before the test, it would have been a two-way street for the selectors and Cruden if he had been whistled into the national camp in Wellington."
RSS feed
