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'It's up there': How McKenzie is planning for biggest test at No 10
All Blacks playmaker Damian McKenzie hasn’t shied away from the fact this weekend’s re-match against Los Pumas will be his biggest test yet in the No 10 jersey.
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As part of an overhaul from All Blacks head coach Ian Foster, McKenzie has been named to start at first-five for just the second time in his international career.
With squad rotation paramount amid the chaotic travel restrictions in which the Rugby Championship is being played under, and with the end-of-year tour to the northern hemisphere still to come, McKenzie finds himself at No 10 for the All Blacks the first time since 2018.
In Dunedin three years ago, McKenzie tore a depleted French side apart in his maiden outing as an All Blacks pivot during a dead-rubber outing in the final instalment of that three-match series.
The circumstances of this match are vastly different, and it’s for that reason that the 26-year-old, who has predominantly played at fullback in test rugby, is under no illusions this week’s clash against Argentina presents a bigger challenge.
A week after the All Blacks thumped the South Americans 39-0 on the Gold Coast, the New Zealanders are aware of the potential fightback Los Pumas could hit them with at Suncorp Stadium as they look to restore to their pride.
The starting team appointed to deal with the expected Argentine resurgence in Brisbane features 11 new players, but the inclusion of McKenzie at first-five in place of the impressive Beauden Barrett is arguably the biggest talking point of the lot.
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Despite the wholesale changes, the All Blacks remain strong favourites to do the double over Argentina, but, with valuable Rugby Championship points on the line, McKenzie expects plenty of himself to ensure victory.
“It’s up there, I guess,” McKenzie told reporters when asked if this week’s test will be the biggest match of his career as a No 10.
“It’s obviously a great opportunity for myself to have a run around myself. I’ve had one start at 10 before and then come off the bench in the 10 position before for the All Blacks.
“It’s a position I’m familiar with, played a little bit there during Super [Rugby] and obviously trained a bit over here in Aussie with Baz [Barrett] and I being the 10s here, so it’s an exciting challenge, but really looking forward to it.”
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How exactly McKenzie plans on putting Los Pumas to the sword, as he did against France at Forsyth Barr Stadium, remains to be seen, but he may have to do so in a different manner than he normally would given his new role in the All Blacks.
Courtesy of some heavy rotation, a significant number of key #AllBlacks will earn physical respites this weekend. There are no breaks from the mental challenges of a massive tour, however. #ARGvNZL
?? Justin Marshallhttps://t.co/j4dyX8nkvo
— The XV Rugby (@TheXV) September 16, 2021
When he doesn’t start at fullback, McKenzie often finds himself on the bench as the team’s back-up playmaking option, a role of which he flourishes in as he’s able to utilise his electric running game against tiring defences to full effect.
It might be more difficult to make such an impact from the get-go in a position far closer to the thick of the action, and that’s something of which the 34-test international has acknowledged in his preparation for this week’s contest.
“It’s completely different,” he said of his starting role this week compared to that of an impact player off the pine.
“Obviously everyone is ready to roar into it from the first 20 minutes and I guess, later in the game, play starts to open up a little bit more, so I tend to enjoy that sort of style of play when the game opens up and everyone tires a bit.
“Obviously a bit different this week starting, so I guess it’s just about trying to break the opposition down and playing our game.”
It’s for that reason that McKenzie may call on the services of fullback and good friend Jordie Barrett to help assist him in a playmaking capacity.
The added five-eighth chemistry with rookie midfielder Quinn Tupaea, McKenzie’s Chiefs teammate who will make his third test appearance from the No 12 jersey this weekend, could also help the All Blacks in their quest to stay atop the Rugby Championship table.
“It’s exciting,” McKenzie said of playing alongside the younger Barrett brother, who he has started with just twice in test rugby, but never as a dual-playmaking combo.
“Jordie plays what’s in front of him, he plays off the cuff and he’s very optimistic with his play, so that’s great to be able to play alongside him.
“I’m really excited to pair up with Jordie and obviously a lot of the other backs. We’ve got Quinn outside me, who I’ve played a bit with at the star of the year.
“It’s exciting to pair up with those guys and hopefully we can play some free-flowing footy.”
Comments on RugbyPass
Dagg is still trying to get enough headlines to make himself relevant enough to get a job. The Crusaders went back to square one at all levels. Shelve this season and nail the next one.
4 Go to commentsHe was in such great form. Sad for him but only a short term injury and it will be great to see him back for the finals.
1 Go to commentsAfter their 5/0 start, I had the Crusaders to finish Top 4 only…they lost the plot in Perth but will reload and back themselves vs 4th placed Rebels…
3 Go to commentsBoth nations missed a great opportunity to book a game that would have had a lot of interest from around the world. I understand these games can’t be organised in 5 minutes but they should have found a way to make it happen. I don’t think Wales are ducking anyone but it’s a bad look haha.
3 Go to commentsIt will be fascinating to see the effect that Jo Yapp has. If they can compete with Canada and give BFs a run for their money that will be progress
1 Go to commentsFollowing his dream and putting in the work. Go well young fella!
3 Go to commentsPerhaps filling Twickenham is one of Mitchell’s KPIs. I doubt whether both September matches will be at Twickenham on consecutive weekends. I would take the BF one to a large provincial stadium so as not to give them the advantage and experience of playing at Twickenham before a large crowd prior to the RWC.
3 Go to commentsvery unfortunate for Kitshoff, but big opportunity potentially for Nché to prove he is genuinely the best loosehead in the world, rather than just a specialist finisher. Presuming that if Kitshoff is out, it will also give Steenekamp a chance to come into the 23? Or are others likely to be ahead of him?
1 Go to commentsA long held question in popular culture asks if art imitates life or does the latter influence the former? Over this 6 nations I can ask the same question of the media influencing the thoughts of its audience or vice versa. Nobody wants to see cricket scores in rugby, as a spectacle it is not sustainable. With so many articles about England’s procession and lack of competition it feeds the epicaricacy of many looking for an opportunity to pounce. England are not the first team to dominate nor does it happen only in rugby, think Federer, Nadal, Red Bull or Mercedes, Manchester Utd, Australia in tests and World Cups. Instead of celebrating the achievements why find reasons to falsify it pointing towards larger playing pool, professional for a longer period or mitigate with the lack of growth in other nations. Can we not enjoy it while it is here and know that it won’t last for ever, others coveting what England have will soon take the crown, ask the aforementioned?
6 Go to commentsShame he won’t turn out for the Netherlands now they’re improving. U20s are Euro champs and in the U20 Trophy this year. The senior sides gets better every year too.
3 Go to commentsWill rugbypass tv be showing these games?
1 Go to commentsWell where do you start, the fact that England have a professional domestic league and Ireland’s is fully amatuer, that they have fully seperated professional squads at Fifteens and Sevens (7’s thinly disguised as GB), and Ireland have fully pro Sevens squad who loan some players back to the Semi-Professional Fifteens squad (moved from amateur for only a year or so) for a few games at 6N & RWC’s. The Women’s games is a shambles, and is at risk of killing itself by pushing for professionalism when the market isn’t really there to support it outside one or two countnries..
6 Go to commentsWayne Smith's input didn't have as much impact on the last final as Davison's red card for Thompson. England were 14 points up and flying when that happened.
6 Go to commentsBilly's been playing consistently well for 2 - 3 seasons now and deserves a look in at the top level. Ioane and ALB are still first choice but there needs to be injury cover and succession. His partnership with Jordie gives him first dibs you'd think. Go the Hurricanes.
3 Go to commentsIt’s not up to Wales to support Georgian Rugby. That’s up to International Rugby and Georgia. I sympathise with Georgia’s decent attempt to create this fixture. But for Wales the proposed match up is just a potential stick to beat them with and a potential big psychological blow that young Welsh team doesn’t need. (I’m Irish BTW.)
3 Go to commentsCale certainly looks great in space, but as you say, he has struggled in contact. At 23 years old, turning 24 this year, he should be close to full physical maturity and yet there exists a considerable gap in the power and physicality required for international rugby. Weight doesn’t automatically equate to power and physicality either. Can he go from a player who’s being physically dominated in Super rugby to physically dominating in international rugby in 1 or 2 years? That’s a big ask but he may end up being a late bloomer.
36 Go to commentsIf rugby wants to remain interesting in the AI era then it will need to work on changing the rules. AI will reduce the tactical advantage of smart game plans, will neutralize primary attacking weapons, and will move rugby from a being a game of inches to a game of millimetres. It will be about sheer athleticism and technique,about avoiding mistakes, and about referees. Many fans will find that boring. The answer is to add creative degrees of freedom to the game. The 50-22 is an example. But we can have fun inventing others, like the right to add more players for X minutes per game, or the equivalent of the 2-point conversion in American football, the ability to call a 12-player scrum, etc. Not saying these are great ideas, but making the point that the more of these alternatives you allow, the less AI will be able to lock down high-probability strategies. This is not because AI does not have the compute power, but because it has more choices and has less data, or less-specific data. That will take time and debate, but big, positive and immediate impact could be in the area of ref/TMO assistance. The technology is easily good enough today to detect forward passes, not-straight lineouts, offside at breakdown/scrum/lineout, obstruction, early/late tackles, and a lot of other things. WR should be ultra aggressive in doing this, as it will really help in an area in which the game is really struggling. In the long run there needs to be substantial creativity applied to the rules. Without that AI (along with all of the pro innovations) will turn rugby into a bash fest.
24 Go to commentsSouth Africa rarely play Ireland and France on these tours. Mostly, England, Scotland and Wales. I wonder why
2 Go to commentsIt was a let’s-see-what-you're-made-of type of a game. The Bulls do look good when the opposition allows them to, but Munster shut them down, and they could not find a way through. Jake should be very worried about their chances in the competition.
2 Go to commentsHats off to Fabian for a very impressive journey to date. Is it as ‘uniquely unlikely’ as Rugby Pass suggests, given Anton Segner’s journey at the Blues?
3 Go to comments