by Former All Black player Shane Howarth has boldly predicted that Damian McKenzie will not be in the starting lineup against England this weekend. McKenzie wore the number 10 shirt against Japan, but Howarth believes the playmaker “probably” made a mistake from a different start.
With Richie Mo’unga leaving the All Blacks after last year’s Rugby World Cup, coach Scott Robertson had no choice but to make a move at flyhalf. “Razor” Robertson chose McKenzie as the starting player for this role in the first Test of the year and didn’t regret it for a long time.
McKenzie started against England in Dunedin to open the All Blacks’ international season and the 29-year-old retained that role for the next seven Tests. Robertson also rarely hit the pivot, with McKenzie playing the full 80 minutes in all but one of his starts.
But McKenzie came under fire during the Rugby Championship when the All Blacks suffered three defeats in six games. Beauden Barrett was given the nod to start at flyhalf against the Wallabies in Wellington, while ‘DMac’ looked to provide impact from the bench.
While McKenzie was given another chance to silence any doubters against Eddie Jones’ Brave Blossoms in Yokohama, the All Black didn’t quite manage to do so. Howarth stressed that the second quarter of the Test was a particularly worrying time for the team and McKenzie.
“Ultimately I think Damian McKenzie probably moved away from the 10th spot at the end of the whole game,” Howarth continued Scotty & Izzy from SENZ.
“I like Damian McKenzie and he has been very good for Chiefs this year at 10, but I think with the games coming up we can’t afford to be relaxed.
“There was a 20-minute period in the back end of that first half where it was extraordinary and then we should have done it… the All Blacks teams have their foot on their throat and they are ruthless and they have We lost in time.” second half.
“When I look at Damian McKenzie it seems to me like we haven’t got ourselves on the right path that we’re on and that worries me a little bit because your decision makers need to be able to keep the pace of the game change and I just didn’t see it.
“In terms of Wallace Sititi there were some great performances and I thought Billy Proctor was impressive, Cam Roigard was a bit rusty but my goodness you can see his talent.
“All in all I thought Damian McKenzie was probably retired from the 10 jersey for this weekend’s test.”
It remains to be seen whether McKenzie gets the starting nod, with Barrett another leading candidate to steer the ship against Steve Borthwick’s England. A lot depends on this, as both teams are trying to make a statement for different reasons.
Fans around the world don’t seem to be entirely sold on the All Blacks at the moment, so the visitors will be looking to prove some of their own critics up north wrong. As for the English, they will be out for revenge after sinking in two thrillers in the July window.
England fell woefully short of victories in both Dunedin and Auckland’s Eden Park. If it hadn’t been for some miracles from Beauden Barrett on the bench, the All Blacks’ long-running winning streak at the famous rugby venue could well have come to an end.
But now they play England at the venue formerly known as Twickenham. It is one of the most iconic and intimidating venues in the rugby world and the All Blacks may have to do their best to grab the chocolate at the end of the 80-minute battle.
“It’s an intimidating place to play,” Howarth said.
“The English probably should have won the second Test down here, I think.
“They’ve picked a hell of a team and technically 11 or 12 of our All Blacks haven’t played since our last Aussie Test so we’ll be a little rusty.
“I think the All Blacks have to try to be dominant in the first 20 minutes and take the crowd out of the game. I know it’s easy to say but I think we have to be at the top because if you look at the England team that will be their whole mantra.”
