All Blacks coach weighs in on Leicester Fainga'anuku's flanker switch

Dave Rennie has delivered a “time will tell” response to whether or not Leicester Fainga’anuku can wear a No.7 jersey for the All Blacks, three weeks after the 26-year-old’s shock move from midfield to loose forward.

The Crusaders star has impressed his club coach, Rob Penney, with his efforts since switching to the low numbers, with Penney saying “There’s a lot of superlatives, he did everything we asked of him, plus more,” when reacting to Fainga’anuku’s first game at No.7 during Super Round.

Fainga’anuku himself reacted to the match by discussing the game’s evolution and how he hopes to help New Zealand return to the forefront of innovation in the global game.

Whether his efforts have impressed enough to earn an opportunity at the Test level is a question only Rennie can answer, and he offered a preliminary assessment on Tuesday morning in Auckland.

“He’s gone well. I’ve been really impressed with him from a work ethic point of view. He’s carrying well, and he’s getting a lot of ball and so on,” Rennie said.

“There’s a lot to refine there in his game as a seven, but his ability to play down the edge as a winger or as a seven gives you genuine versatility in your squad. If you pick a 6/2 bench split, you’ve got someone who can genuinely play — It’s been a point of discussion.”

There was no mention of Fainga’anuku’s midfield attributes, where he would face a selection battle with a number of Super Rugby Pacific’s form talents. That said, the log-jam doesn’t ease much when it comes to the loose forwards or wings.

Rennie announced on Tuesday that Sir Graham Henry would be rejoining the All Blacks as a selector, bringing on board the 2011 Rugby World Cup-winning head coach to contribute to the big decisions that are fast approaching.

Rennie said there are players who have cemented their spots in the first squad of the year, a 34-man group set to play France, Italy and Ireland in the July block of the inaugural Nations Championship. The coach added that the Super Rugby Pacific playoffs will answer further questions on who is in and who is out.

“I reckon if you have a squad of 34, there are a number of guys who we’ll definitely pick, presuming they’re injury-free. But the next few weeks will decide the fate of some guys. This is where you want to see it, the guys who can function under pressure,” the coach said.

When he was announced in the role, Rennie made a point of highlighting his lack of connections to the current crop of players as a coach coming in from a club 9000 km away, announcing he had “no loyalties” and that selection would be hard-earned.

Now he’s seen 13 rounds of Super Rugby, Rennie says he isn’t trying to reinvent the wheel.

“There have been a lot of players used over the last few years,” he said when asked whether fans should expect “big changes” to the squad.

“I think the game we want to play, the players are here, in the country. The players will decide their fate, so we’re just watching really closely.”