Ex-All Blacks fly-half Aaron Cruden believes that the current 10s are acting as \u2018facilitators\u2019 rather than generals with Cam Roigard currently the main decision-maker.<\/p>\n
When you think of past New Zealand teams, the 10s have tended to be in control, but in Roigard they have potentially found a generational scrum-half.<\/p>\n
The 25-year-old has cemented himself as the first choice nine over the past couple of years and, according to Cruden, much of their play is going through the Hurricanes star.<\/p>\n
Mo\u2019unga and Love are \u2018constant threats\u2019<\/p>\n
\u201cThroughout this series I\u2019ve certainly noticed that they\u2019ve been playing a little bit more through Cam Roigard<\/a>,\u201d he said on The Breakdown.<\/p>\n \u201cEven with Ruben Love<\/a> in the first three Test matches, he did a really good job in regards to facilitating at times, but you look at both of these players, Ruben Love and Richie Mo\u2019unga<\/a>, they are constant threats when they are attacking the line, when they\u2019ve got the ball in their hands.<\/p>\n \u201cWe just didn\u2019t see that enough at times and that can have a little bit of an impact as a 10 \u2013 your ability to get your hands on the ball and feel like you\u2019re in the game rather than just facilitating everything. The confidence can really grow off that.\u201d<\/p>\n Love had the fly-half spot for the first six Tests of Dave Rennie\u2019s reign but, after Richie Mo\u2019unga joined the squad as injury cover partway through Rugby\u2019s Greatest Rivalry series, he handed the shirt for the finale in Baltimore.<\/p>\n Neither necessarily rubberstamped their spot in the side but Cruden thought that \u201cboth performed really well\u201d, while seeing something different in Saturday\u2019s clash.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat I noticed was there was about a 10-minute period in the second half where Damian McKenzie really stepped up as a first receiver from the backfield, we were throwing some of those balls out the back, playing a little bit wider and it seemed like that flow and transition was really giving us something,\u201d the 50-times capped ex-All Blacks fly-half added.<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s something the All Blacks<\/a> can look at moving forward into the Bledisloe series.\u201d<\/p>\n Ex-Springboks star: \u2018Naive\u2019 Ruben Love \u2018buckled under the pressure\u2019 as All Blacks performances \u2018dropped off\u2019<\/a><\/p>\n Test centurion\u2019s verdict<\/p>\n Cruden was joined on the show by All Blacks centurion Mils Muliaina, who gave his view on the fly-half battle and Mo\u2019unga\u2019s return.<\/p>\n The 32-year-old was playing his first Test since the 2023 Rugby World Cup final after a three-year stint in Japan.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s just time, he just needs a bit more having come back from Japan, he only had one game before he was in there, but what it showed is nothing is guaranteed in this environment and that\u2019s what I love about what Rens has created,\u201d Muliaina said<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cHe\u2019s also creating a bit of depth. Ruben Love has played the majority of the Test matches, you\u2019ve still got Beauden Barrett, Josh Jacomb\u2019s in the mix as well, but they\u2019re going to be fighting out for that number 10 shirt.<\/p>\n \u201cAt some stage he\u2019s going to have to make a decision. It\u2019s probably going to be the end-of-year tour rather than the Bledisloe Cup, but I like what I\u2019m seeing.<\/p>\n \u201cHe played well considering he\u2019s been away from international rugby for a long time.\u201d<\/p>\n