Anton Segner made his All Blacks debut in Wellington against Italy last month. Eight days out from an Ellis Park Test against the world champions, he has forced his way into a conversation nobody expected him to be part of.
The 25-year-old Blues loose forward was named man of the match at Loftus Versfeld on Saturday as New Zealand beat the Bulls 50-19 to finish their Rugby's Greatest Rivalry tour unbeaten. He topped the All Blacks' tackle count with 13, made 12 carries, and produced the turnovers that kept the ball moving. One of his better moments was defensive rather than attacking - holding a Bulls carrier up five metres from the line to win a line drop-out at a point when the home side had momentum.
Dave Rennie, speaking after the match, spread his praise around but was unambiguous about who had made the most of the night.
"Yeah, there was a lot of good performances. So yeah, I thought Pete Lakai was excellent too till we took him off, and Anton was massive," Rennie said.
The All Blacks coach then made the selection subtext explicit. "Those guys are applying a lot of pressure, and obviously Josh Moorby started the last Test against Ireland and played the Italian game off the bench. Oh look, he's very good. I thought Leroy Carter was really strong out on the wing. I'd like him to dive a little earlier next time, maybe score just on the line rather than two metres over it. But yeah, I look at those guys work really hard, and that creates opportunities for us."
Luke Jacobson is still the likeliest man to wear No.7 in Johannesburg. What Segner has done is make the bench a serious proposition, in a series where the bench may matter more than the starting side across four Tests in four weeks.
Segner's own assessment was less about himself than about where he had just played. Altitude in Pretoria is roughly 1,350 metres, a figure posted in the tunnel at Loftus, and he noticed it.
"It's definitely different over here. I mean, it says on the tunnel on the way in that I think we're at 1350 metres here, and that matters," Segner told SuperSport. "And I could definitely feel the difference, and I'm sure the rest of the boys could too."
He was also unwilling to let the scoreline stand as a summary. New Zealand led 24-0 at the break but conceded three second-half tries, including a Ruan Vermaak charge in the opening minute after the restart.
"Credit to the Bulls. I don't think the scoreboard reflects how hard of a game it was, especially there in that second half," Segner said. "They came out firing and really put us under the pump; we had to get together as a group and get back on the scoreboard. So it was definitely tough, and also physicality-wise, it didn't disappoint. There's some big boys there, and they only came one way, which is straight down the middle."
That second-half concession is the part Rennie will have marked. The All Blacks defended at 91 per cent and cut their penalty count to eight - a real improvement on the Stormers and Sharks matches - but they were opened up on the blindside of a scrum for Stravino Jacobs' try, with Simon Parker caught short.
Bulls coach Johan Ackermann, asked what the Springboks might take from watching it, pointed at the All Blacks' willingness to play from deep. "The All Blacks maybe had the scoreboard luxury tonight to try a few things from deep in their own half that I don't think they'll get away with against the Springboks," Ackermann said at the post-match press conference. "That's the way they do play sometimes, but they may find themselves in a bit of trouble with that approach."
Rennie's selection week now begins with three fitness calls rather than one. Damian McKenzie, who sprained an ankle against the Sharks, is the chief concern; wing Will Jordan and halfback Cam Roigard have not played on tour at all.
"Both Damian and Cam have been progressing well and Cam has got through his first training session," Rennie said. "They are ticking enough boxes for us to feel confident they will be ready for the first Test. I am less confident about Damian than I am about the other two but I think there is still a good chance he will be available to play next weekend. My expectation is that all three will be available."
Halfback Noah Hotham, left out of the original touring squad, was called into South Africa on Sunday as cover for Roigard. Richie Mo'unga has arrived in the country but will not be considered at Ellis Park.
"Richie arrived late last night. He is excited and jumping out of his skin," Rennie said. "He will spend the next week getting his head around things and he will not be considered for the first Test. We will hopefully see him play in the game against the Lions."
Which leaves Segner as the tour's genuine selection surprise - a debutant of one month who has spent three matches in South Africa making the case that he belongs in a matchday 23 for the biggest Test on the calendar.
