The All Blacks are fast becoming comfortable with last-ditch switches.
Injuries have ruled captain Richie McCaw and winger Cory Jane out of Saturday's Bledisloe Cup Test against the Wallabies in Dunedin - something that might have sent a tremor through previous New Zealand teams.
However, coach Steve Hansen and promoted skipper Kieran Read are adamant their 21-year-old replacements - flanker Sam Cane and wing Charles Piutau in his first start - can seamlessly fill the voids.
They base their confidence on a series of 11th-hour injuries that have struck this season, none of which has impacted negatively during their unbeaten year to date.
Most notably, world-class playmaker Dan Carter - whose influence is as profound as McCaw's - has twice been forced out midway through the build-up to Tests but his stand-ins have stepped up.
"We've got to the stage now where it's just business as usual," Hansen said.
"The expectation is that everyone prepares to play anyway and people come in and they're confident.
"We've done a lot of miles without Richie now. While it's great to have him there, it's also a great opportunity for Sam, and for Kieran to lead."
Hansen says McCaw's withdrawal with a tight calf muscle was purely precautionary ahead of the season-ending tour.
The 32-year-old will be fully fit to lead that squad, which is named on Sunday, Hansen says.
Jane, 30, has a strained hamstring which will rule him out of contention for the Test against Japan in Tokyo on November 2. But he is expected to be available for subsequent Tests against France, England and Ireland.
It is a dispiriting outcome for the 43-Test winger, who was poised to make his return to Test rugby following eight months of recuperation from a knee reconstruction.
"He's obviously really disappointed. That's understandable but one man's misfortune is another man's opportunity," Hansen said.
"Charles has played well enough to earn a start and he's good enough to start."
Blues flyer Piutau has made six bench appearances this year, including his debut against France in New Plymouth.
He will line up outside centre Ben Smith, the in-form winger who has replaced Conrad Smith in the unfamiliar centre role.
Read assumes the captaincy for the sixth time in 10 Tests this year and says the players didn't flinch after hearing 120-Test veteran McCaw had been omitted.
"For the majority of Tests, just about this year, it's been this way. The guys are really well drilled in their own preparations."
Share
