All Blacks loose forward Ethan Blackadder has been given a rare starting opportunity against Fiji in an area that appears still very much up for grabs.
It is the first time since 2021 that Blackadder, 29, will start a Test. That he will do so at openside flanker at San Diego's Snapdragon Stadium on Saturday afternoon NZT is an interesting development as it's another indication of his versatility — which he quite rightly values — but it may be that his future is in the No.6 jersey.
A near constant series of leg injuries have hampered the Crusader's progress — including in Super Rugby this season — but he's finally fully fit, and, after not being involved in the first two Tests of the year, when Dalton Papali'i, Samisoni Finau and Ardie Savea were preferred — he finally gets his chance.
"Plenty of frustrations along the road, but just the ambition and desire to try to get back in this environment keeps me going," Blackadder said today. "I had a lot of help with my rehab along the way. I appreciate it and am thankful."
Blackadder, aggressive and relentless on both sides of the ball when at his best, will start alongside blindside flanker Luke Jacobson and No.8 Savea on Saturday.
Papali'i, not required this weekend, appears to still have the inside running for the No.7 jersey but Finau's less than commanding performances at No.6 against England could open the door there for Blackadder during the Rugby Championship which starts for the All Blacks on August 10 with a Test against the Pumas in Wellington.
Blackadder said he didn't mind where he played. "There are only a few subtleties between say 6 and 7 in this team," he said. "You might be off the scrum to clean a ruck or make a tackle earlier than at 6. There's not much difference, really. I like being versatile and this is my opportunity so I can't wait."
Robertson this afternoon endorsed Blackadder's readiness. "He's extremely fit," Robertson said. "We always try to train at 80%. We ask him to train at 50% still. He's all go. Once the whistle goes in any form of training or playing he's 100%. His body is in good condition. He's clear of mind. He's been training for a long period of time with us and he's ready to go. We're pleased for him."
Blackadder's selection is one of 11 changes to the starting line-up which beat England 24-17 at Eden Park last weekend, with Billy Proctor one of six potentially making their Test debut. Proctor will start at centre with the other five named on the reserves bench.
"It's a bit of a fresh page but the standards don't drop no matter who's out there," Blackadder said. "We've made sure we've had edge this week and we're preparing for a tough, tough game."
The selectors have rolled the dice on their halfbacks, with Cortez Ratima, who had a fine cameo off the bench last weekend for his first cap, starting and the uncapped Noah Hotham his potential replacement.
Robertson and his coaches will hope that the experience of Damian McKenzie at first-five, Anton Lienert-Brown at second-five and Beauden Barrett at the back will help mitigate that lack of experience. Ratima should also quickly find his feet alongside Chiefs teammate McKenzie.
Besides which, "you pick players for a reason and you give them an opportunity", Robertson said. In other words, if not now, then when?
"We're really respectful of Fiji," he said. "When they get going and rolling and get their arms free, they break the game up and can beat anyone. They've had some really big scalps over the last few years."
The lineout has been a focus this week after Maro Itoje and his England teammates wreaked havoc there in Dunedin and Auckland. Robertson blamed missed calls for last weekend's failures.
Blackadder said: "We always try to operate at a high percentage with our lineout and it was probably below where we needed it. It doesn't matter, win or lose, we're constantly putting work into our lineout … it's been a focus this week."
Hurricane Proctor, Robertson said, "is super consistent, a great defender … [he] can set up his outsides. He's tough, a really great competitor".
There will inevitably be a focus on Beauden Barrett's performance at fullback after he failed to win a start in the first two Tests and performed superbly in both. He was literally a game changer at Eden Park.
"He works so well with DMac," Robertson said. "It was an incredible cameo … now it's an opportunity for us to build depth in different conditions. He can slot into 10 if we need him to … it's a reminder for us, a player like that coming back from Japan that class is permanent."
And as for this curiosity of a Test played in a neutral venue in the United States, Robertson said many New Zealanders planned to travel for it and that it was good preparation for the World Cup there in 2031.
"They've turned up to watch an All Blacks team perform at the highest level and that's been our focus."
The message is clear. Now we wait on what the coaches will hope is the most consistent and convincing 80 minutes of the new era.
All Blacks team to play Fiji at the Snapdragon Stadium in San Diego:
Kick-off 2.30pm Saturday, (caps in brackets)
1. Tamaiti Williams (7), 2. Asafo Aumua (8), 3. Fletcher Newell (15), 4. Scott Barrett (71), Captain), 5. Tupou Vaa’i (27), 6. Luke Jacobson (20), 7. Ethan Blackadder (10), 8. Ardie Savea (83) (Vice Captain), 9. Cortez Ratima (1), 10. Damian McKenzie (49), 11. Caleb Clarke (20), 12. Anton Lienert-Brown (72), 13. Billy Proctor (0)*, 14. Sevu Reece (25), 15. Beauden Barrett (125).
Reserves: 16. George Bell (0)*, 17. Ethan De Groot (24), 18. Pasilio Tosi (0)*, 19. Sam Darry (0)*, 20. Wallace Sititi (0)*, 21. Noah Hotham (0)*, 22. Jordie Barrett (59) (Vice Captain), 23. Emoni Narawa (1).
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