It's easy to be seduced by McKenzie's Super Rugby form

Here at RugbyPass we did a few preseason predictions, including Super Rugby Pacific MVP.

Without hesitation, I went for Damian McKenzie.

Good player, exciting to watch. A decimator of mediocre defences.

I think of him as being a bit like Carlos Spencer in that regard.

A guy I enjoy watching playing Super Rugby, but probably not one I want to be relying upon in a Test match of consequence.

That’s no knock on McKenzie or Spencer. They’ve had brilliant careers, with highlight reels to be proud of. But every player has their level.

I’ll digress for a minute.

This time last year I kept reading and hearing about the irresistible All Blacks claims of Pita Gus Sowakula. If I did a radio slot, I’d invariably be asked if he should be New Zealand’s No.8.

Never mind that our best All Black – Ardie Savea – has that spot sewn up for as long as he wants it, I was meant to be taking the notion of Sowakula somehow replacing him seriously.

The Sowakula thing interests me in the sense that it appeared as if media and public pressure talked the national selectors into picking him. The drum was beaten loud enough for long enough that he was eventually included in the squad and then immediately discarded.

What on earth was the point?

Comparing McKenzie with Sowakula isn’t quite apples with apples, but it’s not far off.

I’m not sure we value the right things as fans or would-be experts and I’ll cite the example of the 2022 Blues.

A bit like Sowakula, you couldn’t consume any rugby media without hearing how this was the Blues’ year. About how they were going to win the title and that the Crusaders’ dynasty was finally over.

Fast forward to the final and it was a one-horse race, as the Crusaders reaffirmed their status as one of the all-time great rugby franchises.

Two of their best players in that match were Tom Christie and Cullen Grace. Were they picked in the All Blacks? No, they were not.

And, yet, they are proven winners. Blokes who put their heads where more brilliant players are sometimes reluctant to put their feet and who do the dirty work that allows other teammates to shine.

I’d have thought those qualities would be assets to the All Blacks, but we were all too busy at that point demanding Sowakula be selected instead.

So I get why McKenzie is on the All Blacks’ radar – at least where the public and pundits are concerned.

And I get that he and the Chiefs are going well and I understand why people can be seduced by his Super Rugby form.

But I also can’t go past the man’s body of work and simply ignore the ample opportunities he’s had to prove he’s a first-string All Black.

Spencer wasn’t dissimilar in that regard. He’d be so good for the Blues that people convinced themselves he could be relied upon to be that dominant for the All Blacks as well.

But sometimes a player finds their level and I feel like McKenzie is excelling at his.