NEW ZEALAND v ARGENTINA:THE ALL Blacks yesterday got down to life after Dan Carter and the tricky business of trying to work out which of the three outhalves in the squad is to be trusted with the mantle previously worn by the best player in the world.

Not even Friday’s team announcement will settle the issue completely as the man to wear the number 10 shirt against Argentina would possibly not have been the choice were South Africa the quarter-final opposition. It will, though, give some indication of the pecking order.

First there is Colin Slade, who has been dogging Carter’s footsteps since he wore the blue and black hoops of Christchurch Boys’ High School five years behind the great man and who stepped in last Sunday against Canada.

Led by Graham Henry, the All Blacks coach, the nation is being exhorted to “get behind” the 23-year-old and Wayne Smith, Henry’s assistant, was doing his best yesterday, going as close as decently possible to suggesting it was a like-for-like issue.

“If you walk in the company of people who believe in you, you can achieve anything,” said Smith of Slade. “He’s got a good skill set. He’s a brave kid physically, he’s strong in his defensive channel so not too different to Daniel really.”

According to Smith, the Kiwis’ backs coach, Slade’s elevation had not changed the All Blacks’ plans.

“Plans remain the same. Expectations are exactly the same. Belief of the squad is exactly the same. We don’t see anything’s changed.

“He’s got all the tools to make a go of it and he’s got the belief and encouragement from the squad,” said Smith without mentioning the experience of 85 Tests that went with Carter when he left camp. Or that in their eight years in charge, Henry, Smith and Steve Hansen, favourite to replace Henry when this World Cup is over, have not managed to find a regular understudy for their star number 10.

Nick Evans gave up waiting and left to play for Harlequins, putting himself beyond the pale with the All Blacks selectors and Stephen Donald is also heading north to join Bath after being told he was unwanted. All of which leaves Piri Weepu, leader of the haka and a natural scrumhalf, as next in line.

He has stepped into the outhalf’s slot several times in this World Cup already, doing the job at least as well if not better than Slade on Sunday against the Canadians. Certainly, his kicking percentages were up on the favoured son, landing four from four as opposed to Slade, who managed only five from 10 before Weepu elbowed him aside for the final 26 minutes of the game, 10 of which Slade spent limping on the wing.

Weepu’s performance was enough to earn considerable praise from Henry who, while dropping heavy hints that Slade was his man, conceded there were arguments in Weepu’s favour.

“He’s probably the most consistent goal-kicker at this level because he’s played more Test football, so that could be the way we go,” the coach said.

He might also have mentioned that Weepu, admittedly against a tiring bunch of Canadians, set up two tries, was spot on with his tactical kicking, got behind the defence regularly and generally displayed the confidence that becomes a man with 53 caps as opposed to one with nine.

Finally there is Aaron Cruden, a 22-year-old outhalf for Manawatu Turbos in the National Provincial Championship, who formally replaced Carter yesterday, joining All Blacks training for the first time, but with little hope of anything other than a cameo role if Weepu and Slade stay fit.

According to Smith, the New Zealand coaching panel would be working hard on various “scenarios” to get Cruden on to the field, most likely some time in the second half of Sunday’s quarter-final against Argentina – if things go well for the All Blacks. Until then he would get plenty of training time while trying to take in the moves which came as second nature with Carter.

“You’ve got to be careful with a guy coming in, that you don’t cloud him with heaps of stuff and clutter him up. His strength is he’s sharp on the field and he’s quick and electric and you don’t want to make him sluggish with too much information,” said Smith.

* Guardian Service