‘That worries me’: Ex-All Black’s bold Damian McKenzie selection call

Former All Black Shane Howarth has boldly predicted that Damian McKenzie won’t start at first five-eighth against England this weekend. McKenzie wore the No. 10 jersey against Japan, but Howarth believes the playmaker has “probably” played himself out of another start.

With Richie Mo’unga leaving the All Blacks after last year’s Rugby World Cup, coach Scott Robertson had no choice but to make a change at flyhalf. ‘Razor’ Robertson picked McKenzie to start in that role in the first Test of the year and didn’t look back for quite some time.

McKenzie started against England in Dunedin to kick off the All Blacks international season, and the 29-year-old retained that role for the next seven Tests. Robertson rarely hooked the pivot as well, with McKenzie playing the entire 80 minutes in all but one of those starts.

But, McKenzie came under fire during The Rugby Championship as the All Blacks fell to three losses from six matches. Beauden Barrett was given the nod to start at flyhalf against the Wallabies in Wellington while ‘DMac’ looked to provide impact off the bench.

While McKenzie was given another chance to silence any doubters against Eddie Jones’ Brave Blossoms in Yokohama, the All Black didn’t quite do that. Howarth highlighted the second quarter of the Test as a particularly concerning period for the team and McKenzie.

“In the end of the whole rundown of the game, I think Damian McKenzie probably took himself out of the 10 spot,” Howarth said on SENZ’s Scotty & Izzy.

“I like Damian McKenzie and he’s been very good for the Chiefs this year at 10, but I think with these upcoming games, we can’t afford to be loose.

“There was a 20-minute period in the backend of that first half where it was exceptional, and then we should have… with All Blacks sides, they put their foot on the throat, and they’re ruthless and we lost that in the second half.

“Watching Damian McKenzie, it’s like we couldn’t get ourselves on the track we’re on and that worries me a little bit because your decision-makers have to be able to change the tact of the game and I just didn’t see it.

“There were some great performances in terms of Wallace Sititi, and I thought Billy Proctor was impressive, Cam Roigard a little rusty but gees, you can see the talent that he’s got.

“Overall, I thought Damian McKenzie probably took himself out of the 10 jersey for this weekend’s Test.”

Whether or not McKenzie gets the nod to start remains to be seen, with Barrett another leading contender to steer the ship against Steve Borthwick’s England. There’s a lot riding on this too, as both teams look to make a statement for different reasons.

Fans around the world don’t seem quite convinced by the All Blacks at the moment, so the visitors will look to prove some of their own critics wrong while they’re up north. As for the English, they’ll be out for revenge after going down in two thrillers during the July window.

England fell agonisingly short of wins in both Dunedin and at Auckland’s Eden Park. If it hadn’t been for some Beauden Barrett miracles off the bench, the All Blacks’ long-lasting winning streak at the famous rugby venue very well could’ve come to an end.

But now they’re playing England at the venue formerly known as Twickenham. It’s one of the more famous and intimidating venues around the rugby world, and the All Blacks may need to be at their very best if they’re to get the chocolates at the end of the 80-minute battle.

“It’s an intimidating place to play,” Howarth said.

“The English, they probably should’ve won the second Test, I believe, down here.

“They’ve picked a heck of a side and just technically 11 or 12 of our All Blacks haven’t played since our last Aussie Test so there’s going to be a little bit of rustiness in us.

“I think for the All Blacks, they’ve got to try and be dominant for that first 20 minutes, take the crowd out of it. I know it’s easy to say but I think we have to front up upfront because looking at the English pack, that’s what their whole mantra is going to be.”