Former Springboks coach Swys de Bruin has questioned whether Damian McKenzie can adapt to Test rugby given his playing style as a link-up.
The 29-year-old was appointed as the successor to Richie Mo’unga, who moved to Japan after the Rugby World Cup.
All Blacks boss Scott Robertson publicly supported McKenzie after the 38-30 loss to Argentina and consequently nominated him for the starting lineup for Saturday’s Rugby Championship match at Eden Park.
However, some believe that Barrett is better suited for the position of connector, including De Bruin, who compared the current incumbent to a “Jack Russell”.
“Super rugby player par excellence”
“I’m not so sure Beauden Barrett should be at 15. He went to the Blues, played at 15 and ran the show at 15, but I think in his heart he wants to play at 10,” the ex-Boks coach said on Final whistle presents Side Entry on SuperSport.
“They have McKenzie, who is really good with the ball in his hands. He’s a good stepper, he plays and he’s like a Jack Russell, but he’s a Super Rugby player par excellence because the pitch and the pressure are different.
“What he does at 10 is that he often takes it too far. When he wants to kick, he is under so much pressure.
“How bad was their kick? It gave Argentina a chance to counterattack and they’ve never given you that (before).”
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Then his colleague Victor Matfield intervened and cited an example from the game against Argentina last weekend that supported De Bruin’s argument.
“In that kicking, they were at the 10-metre line at one point. They played four or five phases and suddenly McKenzie felt the pressure, he fought through, the (Argentine) 15 was at the 22-metre line and kicked the ball into the All Blacks’ 22, so they had to go all the way back,” Springboks legend Matfield said.
“You would never see her kick the ball like that, you just didn’t see anything like that.”
Where are the world-class playmakers?
The All Blacks are known for producing outstanding playmakers and have had players such as Andrew Mehrtens, Carlos Spencer, Dan Carter and Barrett wear the number 10 jersey since the advent of professional sport.
Justin Marshall and most recently Aaron Smith have played as scrum-half, but De Bruin believes that they currently lack “good” half-backs.
However, the 64-year-old also believes that he is not being helped in other areas of the defense.
“They brought with them a generation of brilliant nines, tens and fifteens – they are lacking in that respect,” he said.
“What has happened in the past is that when things weren’t going well, Sonny Bill (Williams) and the other guys would put pressure through the gap.
“Now they don’t have that luxury anymore. So what do they do? They kick, and if their kick isn’t good, they have to tackle again.”
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