David Havili will start at first-five for the Crusaders against the Reds on Saturday after a suggestion from All Blacks head coach Scott Robertson.
If the 29-year-old makes a good fist of it for a Crusaders team which has struggled all season but showed glimpses of its ability in putting the Rebels to the sword 39-0 in Christchurch last weekend, Havili's versatility value in Test rugby will rise considerably.
Originally a specialist fullback, Havili has proven over the past couple of years that he is perhaps more effective in the midfield.
Adding the ability to play first-five and back up Damian McKenzie or Beauden Barrett at the All Blacks in the absence of Richie Mo'unga will make him a hugely important figure in Robertson's first All Blacks squad in July.
The Crusaders have struggled to fill Mo'unga's boots after the little maestro's departure to Japan due to Fergus Burke's Achilles and calf injuries. Taha Kemara, 21, and Rivez Reihana, 23, have both been used with mixed results, Reihana returning recently after an injury suffered in the first round.
Havili has admitted to a reluctance to move from fullback to the midfield and likely shared similar sentiments with Crusaders head coach Rob Penney about a move to first-five following the team's struggles to fill the No.10 jersey.
But the intervention from Penney's predecessor and new All Blacks head coach Robertson would have put a different complexion on it.
"We've talked about it often, just as a coaching group," Penney said today. "It wasn't until the All Blacks confirmed that they were really interested to see him playing there — I think there was a shift in a couple of people's minds to go that way and that's where it has led."
Asked what he was hoping to see from Havili at No.10, Penney said: "I know what he's going to bring. He's been there in the past. He's an outstanding, world class talent and has embraced the challenge of being a 10 which is so exciting because he's got all the elements of what you need to be a world class 10."
Havili, who has played first-five previously at Super Rugby level, has only just returned from a calf problem which saw him start off the bench against the Rebels last weekend but he quickly showed his class in what was only the Crusaders second victory of the season.
A lack of backline leadership has been a defining characteristic of the team this year, but having climbed off the bottom of the table to sit in 10th place and on the brink of a playoff spot, the mood will be brighter in Christchurch and rest of the franchise area.
While Burke, who ruptured his Achilles last year and whose return was hampered by a calf problem, is on the brink of a return too, Havili will remain the Crusaders' first choice No.10 for the rest of the season. Burke recently announced an impending move to English club Saracens.
Former Wales international Leigh Halfpenny, who tore a pectoral muscle in a pre-season game for the Crusaders in Ireland, will start at fullback and be responsible for goalkicking, Penney confirmed.
If anything, Robertson's suggestion that he would like Havili to play at first-five will increase speculation on who he will select at his first-choice No.10 for the two July Tests against England and one against Fiji.
McKenzie, a hugely influential figure for the Chiefs, likely has the inside running, but there will be intrigue over Robertson's use of Barrett, currently playing for Toyota Verblitz in Japan and who was considered a fullback during the latter part of Ian Foster's regime.
Crusaders team to play Reds in Christchurch on Saturday, kick-off 4.30pm:
1. George Bower, 2. Brodie McAllister, 3. Fletcher Newell, 4. Scott Barrett. 5. Quinten Strange, 6. Cullen Grace, 7. Ethan Blackadder, 8. Christian Lio-Willie, 9. Mitchell Drummond, 10. David Havili, 11. Sevu Reece, 12. Dallas McLeod, 13. Levi Aumua, 14. Johnny McNicholl, 15. Leigh Halfpenny. Reserves: 16. George Bell, 17. Joe Moody, 18. Owen Franks, 19. Jamie Hannah, 20. Corey Kellow, 21. Noah Hosham, 22. Rivez Reihana, 23. Chay Fihaki.
SHARE ME