The New Zealand Herald's Chris Rattue suggests a glamorous makeover for Kiwi 'second-fives'.
"Second five, to use its short form, has been the poor relation for too long.
"It's the LA Airport of rugby positions, a hectic mishmash of a place where people move with confused urgency and empty hearts, hoping desperately that Lady Luck ensures they reach their next destination and quick. Players must feel that second five is a transit lounge to nowhere. Kiwi kids put posters of first fives on their wall, and the ones of second fives under their bed.
"Hardly anyone seems to want to specialise at No 12, even though the career prospects are excellent through lack of competition. First and foremost, second five needs to cut itself adrift from first five. A name change is in order. New Zealand rugby should drop the second five and call it inside centre, like the rest of the world does.
"A problem for second fives is that the job description sounds second-rate. Our second fives appear as blokes who weren't good enough for the far more authoritative roles that are suggested by the tags first and centre. Second five-eighths is for the losers, the way the old traffic cops were people who couldn't get into the police force."
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