Ex-Springboks coach: 'Jack Russell' Damian McKenzie takes it 'too ...

Former Springboks coach Swys de Bruin has questioned whether Damian McKenzie can adapt to Test rugby at fly-half due to his playing style.

The 29-year-old has been entrusted as the person to succeed Richie Mo’unga, who moved to Japan following the conclusion of the Rugby World Cup.

All Blacks boss Scott Robertson publicly backed McKenzie after their 38-30 defeat to Argentina and duly picked him in the starting line-up for Saturday’s Rugby Championship clash at Eden Park.

But some believe that Barrett is better suited to fly-half, including De Bruin, who likened the current incumbent to a “Jack Russell”.

“I’m not so sure Beauden Barrett should be at 15. He went to the Blues playing 15 there and running the show at 15, but I think in his heart he wants to play 10,” the ex-Boks coach said on Final Whistle Presents Side Entry on SuperSport.

“They’ve got McKenzie who’s really good with ball in hand. He’s a good stepper, he plays and he’s like a Jack Russell, but he’s a Super Rugby player par excellence because the space and the pressure is different.

“What he does at 10 is he often takes it one too far. When he wants to kick, there’s so much pressure on him.

“How bad was their kicking? It gave Argentina a chance to counter-attack, and that was what they never [previously] gave you.”

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Fellow panellist Victor Matfield then interjected, citing an example from last weekend’s Argentina clash which backed up De Bruin’s argument.

“On that kicking, at one stage they were on the 10-metre line. They played four or five phases and all of a sudden McKenzie felt the pressure, he grubbered it through, the [Argentina] 15 was on the 22-metre line and kicked it into the All Blacks 22, so they had to go all the way back,” Springboks legend Matfield said.

“You would never see them kick a ball like that, you just didn’t see that.”

The All Blacks have been renowned for producing outstanding playmakers. Since the advent of professionalism they have had the likes of Andrew Mehrtens, Carlos Spencer, Dan Carter and Barrett don the 10 jersey.

At scrum-half, there was Justin Marshall and most recently Aaron Smith, but De Bruin feels that they are now “lacking” quality half-backs.

However, the 64-year-old also believes that they are not being helped in other areas in the backline.

“They came with a generation of brilliant nines, 10s and 15s – they’re lacking in that department,” he said.

“What happened in the past, Sonny Bill [Williams] and those guys, if nothing was on they would pressure through the gap.

“Now they don’t have that luxury anymore, so what do they do? They kick and if their kicking is not good, you’re tackling again.”

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