He's had impressive growth early in his All Blacks career, but now coach Ian Foster is challenging young halfback Cam Roigard to deliver when it counts with a start in his side's must-win Rugby World Cup pool match against Uruguay.
Roigard has been named to start in the No.9 jersey on Friday morning, essentially cementing his place as the back-up halfback in the squad to rested regular Aaron Smith with Blues half Finlay Christie named on the bench.
It will be Roigard's first start since his breakout performance against Namibia last month in which he earned man of the match honours while playing in his first Test start and first Rugby World Cup match of his career.
"I'm really grateful to have another opportunity to start after getting that first taste against Namibia," Roigard said.
"I'm just trying to continue developing and get some more valuable minutes which will be huge for me rolling into the back end of the tournament."
Roigard has been given free rein once again to bring his skillset to the Uruguay contest, Foster said.
"I want to see [Roigard] do what he is good at. He brings an edge to the running game, he's a threat and I want him to stick with that," he said.
"His left-foot kicking is a real asset for us. We haven't got a lot of left-footers in our inside backs, so that's a bonus."
However Foster added he also wants to see some control within that freedom.
"One thing I do want him to do is to improve the accuracy of his pass. When he's been coming on, he's probably been rushing that aspect of his game a little bit.
"So this is a chance for him to settle in the game and get that right and show that that can be a massive strength for him as well."
Roigard said he believes those boxes can be ticked as a starter with Richie Mo'unga and Damian McKenzie both on the field.
"When you're coming off the bench, your role is a little bit different because you're trying to bring a bit more tempo or energy in different areas and making an impact with that sort of stuff whereas with starting, you have a bit more of a role as a game driver alongside the 10 and 15," he said.
"I prefer starting obviously because you're able to get into the game and have a bit more time to settle in and build those connections."
Roigard added he's leaned on Smith as "another coach" at trainings with the 122-Test veteran happy to offer advice and thoughts to his new prodigy.
"He's been awesome for me since I've come in here, he's been open-minded for me to ask questions and pick his brain," he said.
"He's a passing guru - that's his strength and that's a big part of why he's been at this level for so long."
Time will tell if Roigard can reach the same status but Friday could easily be the first step in the journey.
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