Aaron Cruden has done his time - he will travel to Brisbane with the rest of the All Blacks this afternoon for Saturday's test against the Wallabies - but the discomfort of being on the outer for the last two tests could continue.
The All Black coaches have been happy with Beauden Barrett's performances in the tests against Argentina in Buenos Aires and South Africa in Johannesburg in Cruden's absence after the Chiefs first-five was dropped for his poor time-keeping.
Barrett has played with confidence and vision to go along with his trademark speed and explosiveness, and his goalkicking has also improved massively since his off-night against the Pumas in Napier last month.
Since then he has kicked 10 out of 11 shots at goal.
He and Colin Slade could be the coaches' preferred choices at first-five to take on an imploding Australia at Suncorp Stadium in the third Bledisloe Cup test.
The match is meaningless as far as the old trophy is concerned but still has plenty of significance for both teams.
The All Blacks will want to bounce back in style from their 27-25 defeat to the Boks at Ellis Park, only the second loss under Steve Hansen's reign, and there will be pressure on the Wallabies and coach Ewen McKenzie to respond from the Kurtley Beale drama which seems to get murkier every day.
All Black assistant coach Ian Foster hinted yesterday that Cruden had a fight on his hands to win back the No10 jersey this week and Slade's attitude and adaptability could get him the job of back-up.
"As far as we're concerned he [Cruden] has done his time so we move on, but the thing is in the All Black environment it's one thing to do your time but you also give someone else an opportunity," Foster said on Radio Sport.
"Beaudy has had a couple of starts and we think he's done a pretty good job of it so Aaron is going to have to come in and train well and train hard and just knuckle down and get back into the system.
"And I'm sure that Beaudy will be pretty keen on progressing on the two starts that he's had so it's going to be pretty good competition, and I'd also add the likes of Sladey has been very impressive in our environment," Foster said.
"I've been very impressed with how [Slade has] settled in and handled a lot of different jobs.
"He's got a skill-set that also complements Beaudy and Aaron in terms of off the bench."
Cruden is always going to struggle to find a place on the bench because the selectors see him purely as a starting No10, a specialist who sets the tone of a test.
He doesn't have the impact value of Barrett or Slade, both of whom can play at fullback, with the latter also capable of playing on the wing. At Ellis Park, Slade also did a reasonable job at halfback in the latter stages after Tawera Kerr-Barlow's knee injury.
Foster added that Cruden had learned his lesson for failing to make the meeting before the flight to Argentina three weeks ago, but now it was a matter of catching up.
"He hasn't played a game of rugby for three or four weeks so there's the physical side of it and the mental side.
" He has to come to terms with what we've actually done for the last couple of test matches since he's been away. He'll go back to a learning curve."
ABs talking points
1 Will Aaron Cruden's next test come on the November tour?
With Ian Foster hinting Cruden might miss out on Saturday's test against Australia in Brisbane, the first-five's next chance could come in Chicago, London, Scotland or Wales. Beauden Barrett has played well in his absence and deserves to keep the No10 jersey. A complicating factor is that Dan Carter is likely to be in the frame by then, which could push Cruden further out.
2 With Ben Smith rested, who joins left wing Julian Savea and fullback Israel Dagg in the back three?
Cory Jane would be considered the favourite, but the coaches might opt for Charles Piutau, who has recovered well from his knee injury and, according to Steve Hansen recently, is looking extremely fit in training. Is this a chance to give him a run?
3 Hooker
Three into two won't go, so who misses out?
After making his test debut against the Boks, Nathan Harris needs more game time. This could be a fantastic opportunity for the coaches to have another look at him. Keven Mealamu has also taken his chances brilliantly in Dane Coles' absence. The Blues player was outstanding in Buenos Aires.
4 The Suncorp factor
The Aussies are in disarray, but the last time the Wallabies beat the All Blacks was there in 2011, when the home side prevailed 25-20, withstanding a big fightback.
- APNZ
