Beauden Barrett has recovered from his neck injury suffered in training in Christchurch and appears odds-on to start for the All Blacks against Argentina in Hamilton on Saturday.
“I’m feeling really good," Barrett said on Tuesday.
Barrett’s return to fitness, and the All Blacks’ inability to cope with the Pumas' pressure during the 25-18 defeat in Christchurch, may see Ian Foster go back to starting him in the No.10 jersey ahead of Richie Mo’unga.
Mo’unga, a standout during the victory over South Africa at Ellis Park when he started due to Barrett’s horrific fall a week earlier at Mbombele Stadium, had some good moments in Christchurch but failed to consistently spark the attack like he did in Johannesburg.
It may mean yet another reshuffle as Foster, once again under pressure, searches for an elusive consistency of performance, if not selection. Last weekend’s line-up in Christchurch was the first time in four years that the All Blacks had started with the same run-on XV.
"I’ve realised that I’ve got to get a neck like a front rower to be able to handle these knocks," Barrett said with a smile.
"So I’ve been working hard on it in the gym with Pete [All Blacks physio Pete Gallagher].
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"A few more shoulder-on tackles, and I’d say I’m just about ready to go."
Barrett said he wasn’t sure whether his latest injury, suffered in a cleanout drill last Tuesday, was related to his previous one when he was dumped on his head by Kurt-Lee Arendse’s mid-air challenge.
"I guess it all adds up," he said. "It’s another knock, and you try and treat everything in isolation. Maybe it did have a compounding effect, but I’m feeling pretty good this week, just working on it each day, rehabbing, strengthening."
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Barrett, who watched from the Orangetheory Stadium stand last Saturday, said there had been "some good tension around camp, but plenty of determination, and things to look forward to working on" as the All Blacks attempt to mend their lack of consistency.
Speaking after All Blacks skipper Sam Cane addressed the media in Hamilton, Barrett was asked what “good tension” looked like, and replied it was players being accountable and "not walking past anything we wouldn’t accept".
"We’ve got to get that balance right, having fun and plenty of stimulation and things like that. We know what the performance triangle looks like, when it’s time to work we’ve got to be ready to go, and when it’s time to switch off, it’s so important, especially at the moment to do that," he said.
And while he agreed the All Blacks may have overplayed their attacking hand as they chased the game against a set Argentine defence, Barrett stated: "We don’t want to be like other teams.
"We’ve still got to be the expressive All Blacks that we know we can be.
"When the pressure comes on, we want to run the ball, keep it in hand, it’s just what feels so natural to us.
"We’ve identified that in games that we’ve lost, we may need to kick the ball a little bit more, it seems unnatural, but it’s just being aware of that. And looking to attack in different ways – everyone on our feet, chasing kicks, getting those 50-50 bounces or flooding rucks and looking for turnovers that way.
"We are figuring out the way that we want to play."
Cane, meanwhile, clearly backed to lead the team at Waikato Stadium despite criticism of his recent performances, said the overwhelming feeling after the defeat, in which he was replaced with 15 minutes to go by Akira Ioane, was one of an opportunity lost.
He added that the emotional journey of winning against the odds in Johannesburg and losing a fortnight later to Argentina for the first time at home had tested his resilience.
"The highs of something like that and the lows of last week… I think it tests your resilience and your character, really," he said.
"You have to pick yourself back up, focus on what’s important, and go again. There’s no point sulking or dwelling on things. When you put all your energy into things you can control, that helps. You’ve just got to front up and own it.
"I don’t think it was a horrible performance by any means. I don’t think we’re way off. If we could have been a bit more disciplined in the first half we could have put them under a lot more pressure and potentially the game changes from there but we didn’t do that and they’re a very good side."
Cane said the decision to replace him in Christchurch was not his but he didn’t have a problem with it.
"That wasn’t pre-determined or anything to do with me, but I back the coaches to make a decision to sub someone whether that’s me or anyone else. I know they’re doing it with the best interests of the team at heart. That’s how decisions are made in this team, so I don’t take it personally by any means."
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