Earlier this year, All Blacks head coach Scott Robertson said that he felt Damian McKenzie was one of the best impact players in world rugby.
It felt a slightly grandiose claim. The theory of it stacked up as McKenzie, with his searing acceleration, ability to scoot east to west to evade defenders, and his comfort with operating at first receiver and in the back-field, has the skill-set to be devastating off the bench.
But the reality has never quite matched the theory and in the nine years since McKenzie made his debut for the All Blacks, there has never been a consistent period in which his impact has been undeniable.
Part of the problem is that there has never been a consensus among his various coaches about how best to use him. He’s been shifted around – at both the Chiefs and All Blacks – from full-back to fly-half to the bench and round it has gone.
He’s lacked the game management to establish himself as a strategic general at No 10, and there has, in his time, always been a better option – Jordie Barrett, Beauden Barrett and Will Jordan – to start at full-back.
When Robertson took over as All Blacks coach last year, he had a clear plan to establish McKenzie as his starting No 10. He gave McKenzie eight consecutive starts at fly-half, but his form was patchy and he was dropped for Beauden Barrett.
Whether Robertson was of the view that McKenzie was going to be his guy through to the 2027 World Cup is hard to know, as the All Blacks coach spent a lot of last year trying to persuade Richie Mo’unga to cut short his contract with Toshiba Brave Lupus in Japan and return to New Zealand.
McKenzie is not an international No 10: he can get by there if the All Blacks have injuries, but he’s not the play-making fulcrum around whom Robertson is going to build the attack.
There seemed to be a correlation between Robertson’s desire to bring Mo’unga home and McKenzie’s form – which was maybe not surprising.
After eight Tests it was apparent that wearing No 10 for the All Blacks was not McKenzie’s natural home.
That demand to be tactically disciplined, to manage the game-plan and kick strategically, has proven to be too much for him.
McKenzie is not an international No 10: he can get by there if the All Blacks have injuries, but he’s not the play-making fulcrum around whom Robertson is going to build the attack.
But whatever the head coach’s original plan was, it has been changed now as the evidence has finally stacked up to conclude that the best way to use McKenzie is off the bench.
Robertson’s earlier claim about McKenzie now looks spot on and he is almost certainly going to be the All Blacks’ wildcard to bring off the bench with a licence to play almost wherever and however he wants.
Basically, putting him on the park sometime in the second half, with a brief to get his hands on the ball and make something happen, is the best way to use McKenzie.
He proved that beyond any doubt in Edinburgh where he was named man-of-the-match after delivering an extraordinary 35 minutes at Murrayfield in which he almost single-handedly dug the All Blacks out of the hole they were in.
McKenzie made critical tackles, covered the back-field supremely well, but he also contributed a game-changing 50-22, a miracle try, and a long-range penalty.
“D-Mac was pretty handy wasn’t he? Player of the day in 20-odd minutes,” Robertson said. “You need someone who is clutch and he’s pretty mercurial. He can kick a 50-22, score a try and kick that penalty. You know he’s going to inject something and he did… his timing, his skill-set. He’s not big but he’s tough.”
There has been a bigger factor at play within the All Blacks – which has been their attempts to reposition the way the bench is perceived by the players.
McKenzie’s game-winning performance against Scotland followed what was a high-impact cameo the week before in Chicago, and what has been a much better contribution from him all season.
He’s had two starts at No 10 and one at full-back, but the bulk of his selections have been on the bench and the consistency of being used mostly in one role has undoubtedly helped him build his form and confidence.
But there has been a bigger factor at play within the All Blacks – which has been their attempts to reposition the way the bench is perceived by the players.
New Zealand’s professional teams tend to still see being picked to start as more prestigious than being picked on the bench. There remains this idea that there should be promotion and relegation between the bench and the starting team and that a performance such as the one that McKenzie delivered at Murrayfield should be rewarded with a starting spot the following week.
But this is where McKenzie has been let down a little in the past. He’s been in and out of the starting team since making his debut in 2016, never quite able to deliver the same impact when he starts as he does when he’s used off the bench.
To some extent a narrative has built that he has constantly under delivered because he can’t hold a starting spot, and that’s because there has been a reluctance to accept that being an impact player is a high value proposition of itself and not a failing.
McKenzie is someone most comfortable playing off instinct. He’s quick, agile, innovative in his skill-set and a player who prefers to live in the moment rather than deliver to a prescribed plan.
He has the respective skills required of a 10, but perhaps one without the patience and mental discipline to deliver the full extent of the game-plan.
The failure to get much, if any, lift in the final quarter of Tests last year was a constant lament for Robertson, which is why this year, there has been greater emphasis on trying to lose any sense of division between bench and starters.
When he’s started at full-back, his influence has tended to be curbed by the natural rhythm of most Tests where there is significantly more kicking in the first 60 minutes and less opportunity to counter-attack.
But stick him into a game when there may be some fatigue building, more opportunity to run at broken defences, less structure and less kicking, and he can be deadly.
“As an impact player it’s about reading the game, coming on and injecting energy where you can,” he said after the 25-17 win against Scotland. “The first half of that 20 minutes we were on defence most of the time. I’m pleased with how we were able to withstand that and turn it around to play some attacking rugby.”
And it’s not just McKenzie learning the art of making an impact. Robertson and his coaching team are improving their ability to select, motivate and utilise their bench.
The failure to get much, if any, lift in the final quarter of Tests last year was a constant lament for Robertson, which is why this year, there has been greater emphasis on trying to lose any sense of division between bench and starting players.
The All Blacks have borrowed a little from the Springboks, who have arguably been the first team to truly embrace the idea that rugby is a genuine 23-man operation and that time on the field, and the time within the game that a player enters the field, is not the right way to measure importance and influence.
They have the famed Bomb Squad – a clever rebrand to up the public and media focus on the importance and influence of the bench – and the All Blacks are trying to build something similar.
The All Blacks really just need to settle on a loose forward and outside back and they will have quite the bomb squad of their own.
“It’s all 36 [players] that get you ready and then a 23 on game day,” says Robertson. “Who is starting and who is finishing is just as important and [we ask when picking the bench] who has done that previously? [made an impact as a replacement].
“Look at Keven Mealamu who is a prime example. A humble hero. Tough, whatever is best for the team [is our philosophy].”
Upselling the importance of the bench has been one step in the right direction, as has the selection plan which has seen McKenzie, Samisoni Taukei’aho, Tamaiti Williams and Pasilio Tosi set up as regulars and making high-impact contributions.
Patrick Tuipulotu was another bench regular who was having an outstanding year until injury ruled him out of the Grand Slam tour. The All Blacks really just need to settle on a loose forward and outside back and they will have quite the bomb squad of their own.
Anti Dmac rant by someone who is not an AB supporter
Dmac has been awesome with the best kicking and passing game in the team
By contrast Beauden has been kicking poorly
In your head STILL Jacko!
I love my life….. No pity needed. I’m sorry you just can’t get me out of your head tho Jacko. It’s a concern 😁😁😁😁
I think the All Blacks “Slam Squad” replacements will win the game this weekend.
The only logical reason Dmac is not being selected is that he wants the teams current form for with BB to give him more leverage to have Mo’unga return for the Springbok Tour.
That the stated purpose of making the team better in the final 20, it is obviously an illogical reason not to use him the whole game.
It’s a decision that is just par for the course for a coach that doesn’t even bring on his reserve half back, flankers, or fullback players in some games.
The main problem, let alone sacrificing tests up until 2026, is that Richie no longer has it. Then he’ll need to be switching to a 10 that tires out his side even before the half time whistle. Dmac’s last starting test was the final straw for Razor. Dmac was going at a million miles an hour, when already having created or scored several tries, his support could not get in place and predict what Dmac was doing and several passes were scuffed, giving Australia the impetuous to come back into the game and nearly win.
Those are not player problems. That is a lack of coaching. Compounded by looking at a side this year that just played three open sides in the back row, with no benefit at all given their lack of playmaking from 10 and very narrow midfield.
Who knows that this article says, but one thing is sure, it is not it.
Should put Carter, DMac and Love on the Bench. Carter as back up 1/2 back.
That would allow Clarke/Reiko/ Tangitoa/Fihaki on 1 wing with LF on other.
Plenty of options with subs then
The proof is in the pudding. He is playing his best rugby when he closes out the game with fresh legs. In the context of picking the best 23 to play 80 minutes I think he has found his role within that.
Could Kwagga start for SA? Sure, but he can do more to win them the game in 30 minutes against a tired opposition than he can in 50 minutes starting. He has had so many game defining moments in the final 10 minutes of a game, and McKenzie is having that same effect too.
Why is it always Dmacs job to come on and win the game? Why can’t the starting side win the bloody game? Time the best players started. However we are all 100% aware Razor does not want anyone to actually have the opportunity to play well. Mounga is his bestie!
Apart from last Saturday can you please advise me when DMac last came on and won a game m
Good observation that SA look at the 23 and how best to deploy. There is no heirarchy. More teams embracing this philosophy.
Quality players depth create quality bench AB NZ rugby is looking good but I do feel that Razor&co could have rotated far more and have been some questionable selections In squad imo but even those dudes have been proven before or going alright
Dmac to start for me personally even tho Beaudie going pretty good including off the tee but Dmac still a better
What games have you been watching ????
This has been tried before and it didn’t work
This is such a poor read of the game.
The purpose of McKenzie or the bench (bomb/pom/etc) is not to rescue the game, it is to continue the momentun and bring something new. If our hope is that McKenzie rescues the team every game (like he has done several times this year), then we don’t have a team and we can’t rely on him doing it all the time.
The Boks’ bench adds to the game and not necessarily rescues the game all the time.
We have a better bench now but due to our attacking structure, inefficiency and inaccuracy (after 25 tests under this coaching group) and poor discipline, we end up on “hail mary” mode in the last 20 mins.
So we need better control from the beginning (replacing BB would help) and especially a better 20 mins after half time (whatever the coaches are saying at half time is makingit worse)
Why are you surprised it's such a poor read of the game. It was written by somebody who is the embodiment of the shocking standard of the NZ Rugby Media.
Go back and read a number of his earlier articles and see how his predictions have turned out.
I love the one he made only two months ago that BB has a lock on the number 10 position for the RWC in 2027.
And that Ioane will be an automatic selection for the ABs when he returns from Leinster.
It might be just a coincidence that both play for the Blues.
Yeah they don’t seem to have a problem with playing someone at 10 that is not actually a 10 either. As long as he is an improvement on Pollard that’s all that matters to Rassie.
That’s not exactly true, last year we were up on them and looking the better team at the 60 minute mark twice, the first game especially, and on both occasions their bench rescued the game. You could argue the same for the SF against England in the World Cup.
I didn’t read the article the way you did. My take is that Razor is building a bench who can make an impact, and DMac is a perfect example of that. I think the ABs are finally on the right track. Has taken them a while but Razor is getting there.
People sure have short memories. Steve Hansen always went on about how Rugby was a 23 player game, and didn't always start his best players. Case in point: Beauden Barrett. He was our NZ's form First Five for years, but Dan Carter started regardless. People seem to have forgotten how much Carter's form dipped in his later years.
Rassie popularised an explosive bench, but even then neither he nor Hansen were the first to do this. A common pattern in the game of Rugby. People praising players as if they’re the first to do something when you can go back decades and find an older player who did the same stuff.
Aaron Cruden was the All Black starting 10 from 2012-205 when Carter was unavailable, not Barrett.
Barrett was a bench player who slid into fullback with Ben Smith shifting from fullback to right wing (identical to McKenzie- Jordan now).
It worked very well in 2015 and it is now working well in 2025.
I disagree. Carter missed a lot of rugby due to injury and sabbaticals between 11 and 15 but he never faded in performance or class.
Dan Carter won the RWC for us the last time he played for the ABs, and was never threatened by BB who basically played fullback in the #10 position.
He’s probably the only backline player in the ABs with any real x- factor. Using him off the bench makes sense. Getting bogged down during 60 mins of test rugby probably doesn’t leave a player like him with much left to work with in the final 20.
As we’re seeing more and more - the bench and the last quarter is where the game is won or lost. But with that said - I don’t believe Richie Mo’unga was that sort of flyhalf either. To control a test. So what are the ABs working towards as their master plan here?
I’m not seeing any answers at 10 that will strike fear into the hearts of teams heading into 2027.
The future All Blacks 10 is Ruben Love who would be better than Mounga, but Razor doesn't have the courage to give Ruben game time while saving the 10 jersey for Mounga.
They are two separate roles. Richie does his for 80, and Dmac adds his for 20.
Maybe you’re confused but the discussion of him replacing BB at 10?
Pollard never struck fear into the hearts of teams, but has 2 world cups. Great player, fantastic boot and excellent general. But even at club level you wouldnt fear him. He won't tear a team to shreds like Russel can do on his day.
Having great 2nd play makers with a general at 10 works. Fear can come from outside 10, or inside. Players who can focus more on a piece of brilliance rather than consistently very good. And I’d say Mounga is a more exciting player than Pollard but can also play that controlling game, like at crusaders.
Robertson is still in the process of building a Rolls Royce “Crusaders” like pack that allows his general to dictate play. He is nearly there but the squad is still adjusting to his highly structured approach that won him 6 or 7 Super titles. Mo’unga will complete this package - a purpose built 10 for it - he knows exactly how to drive such a pack to maximum effect. What Robertson also now has, that he never had at the Crusaders, is a bench that not only has power, but real X factor. Props that are massive, skilled and mobile - Tosi showed that last week, replacement locks with height and power, a diverse selection of powerful loosies, and backs who can break open opposition. They have not clicked for 80 minutes yet - the new structures are not ingrained yet so they are not playing instinctively - but this weekend is a real marker in how close they are.
Funny you believe that when RMo has proven he is clutch time and again when playing for the Saders and in Japan as a world class 10. He also showed that in 2023 before he left in the ABs, as they so nearly won the world cup you might remember. I think you should just wait to see how he goes under Razor before you make any such bold claims. I wouldnt want you to have to apologise…. Also, not sure your beloved Sacha shows much of that control you speak of when in a tight tussle either, but I will give him the benefit of still learning and being one of the best attacking 10s going around