21/05/2007
Marc Hinton
Blues skipper Troy Flavell has been put on notice by his All Black coaches as he gets set to launch what is being touted in some quarters as a head-to-head battle with Reuben Thorne for potentially one spot at the World Cup.
When Graham Henry unveiled his New Zealand squad of 30 for the upcoming Iveco Series and Philips Tri Nations that will follow hot on its tail there was space for both Thorne, a former All Black captain, and Flavell, the Blues leader in their Super 14 semifinal campaign of 2007.
But, reading between the lines, the suggestion is they could both be competing for one spot in France later this year - that of someone capable of covering blindside flanker and the second row - depending on the potential return of an X-factor loose forward such as Sione Lauaki who is presently unavailable through injury.
Lauaki is expected to re-enter the national frame once he has recovered from urgent surgical work on his knees.
Henry conceded at the announcement that Thorne had been an automatic selection for this squad because he had been part of the national conditioning programme. Though the All Blacks coaches were at pains to point out at Friday's squad unveiling that no such concessions will apply to the RWC selection.
Henry said earlier this year that he would have room for only three specialist locks in his World Cup squad, though the coaches don't quite seem to have made their minds up on that front yet.
Forwards coach Steve Hansen described Flavell as "a fourth lock who can also play 6: adding: "We don't see him as specialist lock, but in saying that he's probably more comfortable playing lock than he is 6."
So what, they were asked, is Thorne, who has not been in exactly stellar form through his abbreviated Super 14 stint?
"This series is going to be interesting for Reuben," said Hansen, offering a clear hint he could be going head-to-head with Flavell. "We probably see him as a 6 who can possibly play lock. We want to find out if he can do that at international level. We may try that out in this series."
Later, Hansen, in a chat with
Yahoo!Xtra Rugby made it clear that the All Blacks panel still sees the rugged 30-year-old Blues second-rower as a work in progress.
"He's going to be someone who's going to be a challenge to coach, in a positive way," said Hansen. "Because he's a good athlete.
"But there's things in his game that we need to fix, and he needs to fix them. And I'm looking forward to that. One thing I know about Troy is he really wants to be there.
"He's shown us that in his form in the Super 14, though it probably petered off a little bit near the end. Some of that was based on a bit of fatigue -- he played just about every game and it's a tough tournament to play every game, and to hold your form.
Reuben Thorne©Getty Images"Again, one of the reasons why felt it as so important to have a reconditioning programme was to give the players an opportunity to charge their batteries because we need them playing to be playing well in October."
Asked if he viewed Flavell bringing similar attributes to the table that Chiefs second-rower Keith Robinson does, Hansen made it clear they were viewed as two quite different beasts.
"They may be similar in their attitude aggression-wise, but they play different games. One likes to be a ball-carrier and the other one just likes to be where the ball is, and make sure he is there and does a lot of work and has a real physical presence."
No prizes for working out which of the two the national coaches feel more comfortable with at present.
Henry confirmed that Flavell would be under a watchful eye, with his comments also suggesting the talented 17-test Blues player needed to reign his game in somewhat.
In response to a question asking if there was potential for Favell and Robinson to play together, Henry said: "It's making sure they play the game properly, play the game well, and play the game without making too many mistakes.
"[That's] more important than just having a physical presence. If you've got a physical presence and you're accurate in what you do that's great. There were some signs that wasn't always the case during the Super 14.
"There's some work to do on individual skills and individual concentration as well. Physical presence gives you a bit of backbone but it doesn't negate the fact you have to play with accuracy, and that is a concern for [Flavell]."
The All Blacks brains trust seemed to have far less concerns over recalcitrant Blues lock Ali Williams who was banished from the side's semifinal in South Africa because of disciplinary problems.
Henry said the All Blacks coaches had no issues with Williams and no doubts they could get the best out of him once again.
"It's a Blues-Ali situation and they're working their way through that. Ali Williams was an excellent player in this group last year and we expect him to even improve on that [this year]."
Highly respected All Black selector and former national captain Sir Brian Lochore also spoke glowingly of Williams.
"I know Ali very well, and it's not a problem," said Lochore, who acts as a senior mentor figure for the All Black forwards.
"Last year he came in and worked bloody hard and played extremely well. In the last two years he's played very, very well for us and he's been good within our community. I don't see any change whatever.
"I don't want to get involved with what's happened here, but Ali in our environment is fine."
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