The cup is coming home

Coming home: Luke McAlister is best-of-class at inside centre

01 March 2009 – New Zealand’s chances of winning the Rugby World Cup just soared – and for All Blacks coach Graham Henry what CEOs like to describe as a “quality problem to have” just emerged.

News that ‘Cool Hand’ Luke McAlister is returning from England to continue his rugby career in New Zealand is the best possible news for All Blacks rugby, especially given the current injury to star playmaker Dan Carter.
McAlister, who cited family reasons for his return, will be just 28 by the time of the World Cup in 2011 – right in his playing prime.

But he will need a special dispensation to play for the All Blacks in his first season back as Rugby Union rules dictate that a player returning from overseas must play a full season of Super 14 or National Championship rugby before being selected.

But given that All Blacks coach Graham Henry had already indicated that New Zealand's options for replacing Carter are “skinny", a fast-tracking at the pace that McAlister (alone) sliced through the French defence in that quarter-final seems likely.

Ma'a Nonu: Superb in 20008

But here’s the thing – what happens when Carter returns? McAlister is a very, very good number 10 but he is best-of-class at inside centre – a position occupied by Ma'a Nonu. And the Wellingtonian was arguably the great success of the last season for Henry’s impressively resurgent post-World Cup debacle squad.

Henry likes to reward loyalty and was understandably delighted at the way Nonu last year threw off his reputation for erraticism and fading in and out of games.

But would you – or Henry – select the hot Hurricanes star ahead of the very cool hand of Luke?

A quality problem indeed. While Carter is out with his Achilles injury, it can be put on hold. But after that it will be decision time for Henry.

One thing is certain however. He will be a whole lot happier with that sort of dilemma than the one he faced in 2008 in attempting to fill the then-problem position of inside centre (second five-eighth) after McAlister headed for England.

The selectorial cupboard has just switched from bare to overflowing.