Justin Marshall’s ‘Dan Carter’ warning to Dave Rennie about All Blacks fly-half battle as Kieran Read backs in-form duo over Beauden Barrett
Damian McKenzie alongside Beauden Barrett for the All Blacks, and Ruben Love taking a high ball.
All Blacks legends Justin Marshall and Kieran Read believe that Beauden Barrett is not in contention for the fly-half jersey when the Nations Championship begins next month.
They have both backed either Ruben Love or Damian McKenzie, who go head-to-head in the Super Rugby Pacific final on Saturday, to take that 10 shirt in the mid-year Tests.
However, Marshall has also issued a clear message to Rennie: pick one and stick with them.
It comes after Scott Robertson never really nailed down his fly-half and that ultimately had an impact on the team’s continuity.
Fly-half frustration under Robertson
McKenzie was initially handed the reins and started eight games in a row at the beginning of Robertson’s tenure, but his mixed form meant that Barrett took over.
The Blues man was primarily seen as the first choice after that but, like his rival, the 35-year-old struggled to spark the All Blacks attack.
With Rennie taking over from the Crusaders legend as New Zealand’s head coach, he also has to get his head around the playmaking battle.
For former captain Read, it is a choice between Love and McKenzie having seen the centurion struggle in Super Rugby in 2026.
“If I’m looking in from the outside, one of these two probably starts that first Test. I think those two are the 10s right now – Beaudy hasn’t played 10 much [recently], so you can’t judge him on that,” he said on the GBRANZ podcast.
“He will be in the squad and be around somewhere.”
Read was asked whether Saturday’s Super Rugby showpiece between the Hurricanes and Chiefs would determine the direction of the All Blacks 10 jersey.
“It’s hard to pick on one game,” he responded.
“In some ways, a lot, but in other ways your forward pack could be going backwards. Suddenly you’re getting ball that’s not looking the same as the opposition, so you’ve got to be able to see that picture and not weigh too much on one thing.
“Certainly, the first five in some ways has the biggest say in the game.”
Marshall agreed with Read having seen Love blossom in an outstanding Hurricanes outfit that have scored tries for fun this season, becoming the first team to break the 100 mark in a season.
“They’re both playing very well. Game-management is a massive part of it, it’s not all about the razzle-dazzle and the X-factor, it’s about picking apart all the elements of the game,” the ex-scrum-half said.
“That involves territory, smart kicking, when to pass, when to play, when to not play and just working that out.
“Obviously, Damian McKenzie’s got a hell of a lot more experience at All Black level than what Ruben Love has, but the maturity that he’s showing and driving this Hurricanes team has been fantastic.
“Time in the jersey’s done that for him, which he hasn’t had for a long time because he’s been switching [between 10 and 15].”
Marshall’s demand
The 52-year-old didn’t have a preference but simply demands that Rennie backs his man and does not change personnel midway through a game.
“I just hope they pull the trigger on whoever it is out of those two… [and] they pick that player to play 10 for 80 minutes, they don’t pick that player to play 10 who can move to full-back or play on the wing, or whatever,” Marshall said.
“It’s like, ‘you know what, you’re our guy and for 80 minutes your responsibility is to drive this team around’. I don’t like this theory of, ‘how’s our bench looking?’ That’s me, I’m old school in that regard.
“Many of the great 10s in the world – the Jonny Wilkinsons, the Dan Carters – that was their jersey, they played there and they only usually went off if they were injured or massively fatigued, and that was usually in the last few minutes of Test matches.”
Read added: “You’ve come up with something there. Maybe we do look too much at benches and a guy that can cover both.
“Yes you’ve got to have contingencies – an injury early on – but ultimately if you’re going to play a game, you should be going out there to play 80 minutes and that’s probably across the board.
“Love’s in that position where he’s playing 80 minutes of rugby most weeks, they took him off to look after him last weekend.
“He’s been seeing that week in, week out and he will be learning every week too.”
READ MORE: Super Rugby Pacific final: Prediction, teams, kick-off time, TV coverage and more
