Billy Proctor's fractured shoulder, sustained 45 minutes into the All Blacks' win over the Stormers, produced the question every New Zealand rugby follower had been waiting to ask: does this open the door for Richie Mo'unga?
Todd Blackadder, who coached Mo'unga for three years at Toshiba Brave Lupus Tokyo and first selected him at the Crusaders, thinks the answer is no, and not because he doubts the player.
"I think the rugby pundits really want to see Richie over there," Blackadder told Jason Pine on Newstalk ZB. "He's a predominant No.10, and they've already got four over there. I just think about it pragmatically; do they really need another No.10? They're probably going to have to call in a midfielder."
His reasoning is positional, not personal.
"My opinion would be that doesn't really solve a problem if they take another 10 over there because none of those 10s can really cover any position other than 15. So why would you bring Richie over? I don't think that would make sense as far as I'm concerned."
Mo'unga became eligible again only at the start of August, after running out for Canterbury in the NPC, a week too late for the original touring squad. Dave Rennie has fielded questions about him since taking the job in March, and was no more forthcoming this week, offering only that the coaches would "work through that process" on Proctor's replacement. Asked directly whether it would be Mo'unga, he smiled and repeated the answer.
Blackadder suspects Rennie's own preference and Rennie's practical options are two different things.
"I think [Rennie] would like him there," he said. "But I think he would have a job on his hands when it comes to arguing his case to the [NZR] board. Richie is definitely the next cab off the rank when it comes to if they had any injury to a 10. But I think in all practicality, you've got to be sensible about this and you've got to do the right thing."
Sir Steve Hansen approaches it from the opposite end. Speaking on the Rugby Unity podcast, the former All Blacks coach argued that if Mo'unga is called up, the reason will have little to do with the Springboks series itself.
"It doesn't just happen straight away, you've got to have people around you understanding exactly what you want and how to drive it, and he will be one of the big drivers when he plays, so he has to have a really good understanding of it," Hansen said. "If they do bring him, that will be the reason they're bringing him, it won't be because they don't trust the 10s they've got because I'm sure they do [...] but it will be a long-term statement."
Asked by host David Pembroke whether he saw the decision as being about the 2027 World Cup rather than the current tour, Hansen answered: "100 per cent."
He stopped short of predicting the outcome.
"I think it could go either way, I'm not sure what they're thinking and only they will know but they will make the right decision for what they think is right for the team," he said. "Definitely, if Richie does get on the plane then they're making a long-term decision, no doubt about that but, if he doesn't, and the short-term decision is being made to bring in a midfielder, they obviously don't feel they have enough cover."
Hansen also noted that the midfield cupboard is not bare. Even without Proctor, Rennie has Jordie Barrett, Quinn Tupaea, Anton Lienert-Brown and Timoci Tavatavanawai, plus Rieko Ioane's experience at outside centre.
"If you're looking at the group and say to yourself you've got Lienert-Brown, Tupaea, Barrett, Rieko Ioane and [Leroy] Carter can play centre as well I think, maybe you would make the decision to bring Mo'unga over," Hansen added. "It would be depending on how important you think he is to the future."
On the question of whether Mo'unga is still good enough after three years in Japan, Blackadder was emphatic.
"You just have to watch him play; he's class. He's a world-class No.10, there's no doubt about that. So is he good enough to slot straight back in there? Absolutely," he said. "He tried to come back last year, but he couldn't get back. You can tell where his motivation is; he's not lacking for motivation. He wants to be there, and he's good enough to be there. It's just a waiting game for him."
For now, Blackadder's verdict is that the noise outruns the need: "I think this is all hypothetical and a bunch of background white noise around Richie."
