Jeff Wilson and Steven Bates believe that Leicester Fainga\u2019anuku\u2019s versatility will be hugely beneficial to the All Blacks but James Parsons has sounded a word of caution.<\/p>\n
The 26-year-old centre and wing returned to New Zealand last year after a stint at Toulon where the French outfit experimented by sometimes moving him into the pack in the second half of matches.<\/p>\n
Hybrid players remain rare but teams are beginning to trial it more often, and do so with some success. Andre Esterhuizen has played in both the midfield and back-row for the Springboks<\/a> while Ben Earl has filled in at centre for England.<\/p>\n Fainga\u2019anuku could be the latest to be used in that way at Test level having seen the Crusaders continue Toulon\u2019s experiment during the 2026 Super Rugby Pacific season.<\/p>\n All Blacks midfield options<\/p>\n Appearing on The Breakdown<\/a>, Wilson initially began the discussion by talking about the All Blacks\u2019<\/a> midfield options, but matters soon moved on to how Dave Rennie<\/a> could utilise Fainga\u2019anuku.<\/p>\n \u201cBilly Proctor was awesome in Wellington and last year it was a tough transition into the the All Blacks,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n \u201cHe had some moments, wasn\u2019t able to put the complete performance together but with the way Quinn\u2019s [Tupaea] playing, and he\u2019s been outstanding for the Chiefs, and of course I think Jordie\u2019s in outstanding form, and then you\u2019ve got where Leicester Fainga\u2019anuku fits in and that\u2019s got midfield, wing or number eight written all over it right now, which is exciting.<\/p>\n \u201cI look at this group and I really like where the midfield sits and what we\u2019ve got.\u201d<\/p>\n There has been a trend over the past few years for countries to follow the Springboks\u2019 example and select forward-heavy benches.<\/p>\n The All Blacks have been reluctant to veer away from the traditional 5-3 split given the vast amount of talent they have behind the scrum, but Fainga\u2019anuku could allow them to combat South Africa\u2019s \u2018Bomb Squad\u2019.<\/p>\n \u201cThe ability to move into the forwards gives us great versatility off the bench,\u201d Bates said. \u201cI\u2019m not saying he\u2019s on the bench, I\u2019m not saying he\u2019s not starting, but the ability to have a guy, especially when we\u2019re playing South Africa who run out the \u2018Bomb Squad\u2019, who can cover many positions is outstanding for us.<\/p>\n \u201cHe\u2019s got to keep playing in Super Rugby but that\u2019s the next level we\u2019ve got. For a New Zealander, there\u2019s no level between Test rugby and Super Rugby, so he\u2019s played well there and that\u2019s the best he can play at the moment.\u201d<\/p>\n All Blacks great demands NZ Rugby back down on key policy in the wake of Shannon Frizell deal<\/a><\/p>\n Why it might not work<\/p>\n Former All Blacks and Blues hooker Parsons wasn\u2019t quite as convinced, although he very much expects the new head coach to consider it.<\/p>\n Parsons is worried that having Fainga\u2019anuku in the forwards would upset the balance of the pack and hamper some of the key technical aspects.<\/p>\n \u201cDave Rennie does love innovation so I don\u2019t think he would look away from it. I think the big area of Test match footy is it could mess with your lineout and you\u2019ve got to win your set-piece,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n \u201cThe other thing is that games are won and lost at the breakdown.\u201d<\/p>\n Want more from Planet Rugby? Add us as a preferred source on Google to your favourites list<\/a> for world-class coverage you can trust.<\/p>\n