Ioane, Williams lay down All Blacks markers
Two areas of intrigue leading up to the Lions series for the All Blacks have been wing and centre as a result of either injury or loss of form.
Rieko Ioane and Sonny Bill Williams went some way to easing any concerns against the Lions.
Not that the New Zealand public was exactly in hysteria about who would step up. Someone always does. Compared to the issues facing the Lions building up to June 24, the All Blacks might as well recline the deck chair a little bit more.
Still, with the in-form Ryan Crotty having damaged his rib cartilage last weekend against the Highlanders, the 12 spot in the All Blacks back-line had been open.
And there certainly aren't a lack of contenders, from Anton Lienert-Brown and Malakai Fekitoa – admittedly both better as 13s – plus the Hurricanes' try-scoring sensation Ngani Laumpage.
Williams however did more than enough at Eden Park on Wednesday to suggest he should be starting when the All Blacks come back to town in 17 days time.
The trademark offloads were there as ever, including the key one to Ihaia West ahead of what proved to be the match-winning score, but what will have had Steve Hansen grinning in the stands will have been Williams' work-rate defensively.
Winning two early turnovers, including a highly impressive strip on CJ Stander, the All Blacks centre pulled the plug on the Lions' early momentum. He didn't run hot throughout at Eden Park, but those interventions at the start and finish were vital.
Crotty's absence determines where Williams should start, given how excellent the Crusader has been this year in his side's run to 14 unbeaten matches, which may see SBW at 13. But for now he is the frontrunner at 12.
As for Ioane, the kid is just special. The 20-year-old is not just all speed, although that was on full display when he showed Jack Nowell a clean pair of heels for the opening score.
His size at 102kg combined with that raw pace makes for a potent combination, and while New Zealand are currently blessed with in-form wingers – notably the young Crusaders duo of George Bridge and David Havili plus the Chiefs' James Lowe – there is a clear gap between Ioane and the rest.
Julian Savea's form plays a role here. 'The Bus' hasn't matched the high level which saw him dominate the sport from 2012 to 2015, and trails Ioane comfortably across every major stat category in Super Rugby this year.
Be it wearing 11 or at outside centre, Ioane has been rampant. And the All Blacks have never held back players based on their age – look at Lienert-Brown last year, aged 21, when he stole the show in his third Test start in Durban against the Springboks.
Eden Park on June 24 would mark Ioane's own first Test start for the All Blacks, and he is rightly the number one contender out of a shortlist not lacking talent.
He and SBW stole the show but Hansen might have been interested by two other players as well. Dane Coles' concussion issues are persisting to the extent that his participation in the whole series is in doubt.
Why not look at James Parsons? The Blues captain has been excellent all year and despite the Lions' control at the scrum, his graft and lineout work were first-rate, not forgetting his long-range break when he did his best Ioane impression.
Liam Coltman and Codie Taylor have been capped more recently, and Nathan Harris has impressed on his return from a knee injury. But Parsons has both performed and led the Blues extremely well in 2017, and is not unfamiliar to the All Blacks set-up after coming off the bench in the Rugby Championship last year.
Steven Luatua was another to catch the eye, although his charge may have come too late for the All Blacks. Bristol deploying him in the Championship next season hardly seems fair.
Even if Parsons and Luatua don't enter the frame after excelling on a historic night for the Blues, Ioane and Williams must now be inked in on the teamsheet.