Why Peter Lakai should wear the All Blacks No. 7 jersey against France

When Scott Robertson announces his All Blacks team to face France early Friday morning (NZ time), there will be plenty of bleary eyes moving directly to the name next to No. 7.

Sam Cane has been one of the unheralded heroes of the northern tour to date, and his absence due to a head knock suffered against Ireland leaves some large shoes to fill.

But with Cane set to step away from the international game next year, it's essentially fast-forwarded the process of what the configuration of the All Blacks' loose forward trio will look like through the rest of the World Cup cycle.

The prevailing expectation is that Ardie Savea will again shift across to openside flanker in Cane's absence, with Wallace Sititi moving to his preferred position at No. 8 from blindside flanker. Given the injury toll at loose forward - with Luke Jacobson and Dalton Papali'i out of action, Samipeni Finau would be the favourite to move off the bench into starting blindside flanker.

But with Peter Lakai waiting in the wings for a chance to stake a claim in the famous seven jersey, could Robertson be tempted to throw a rookie into the furnace of Stade de France in an ultimate test of mettle?

According to Scotty Stevenson, that's precisely the approach the All Blacks should take, admitting he's perplexed with the fascination of taking former world rugby player of the year out of a position he's proven so effective by asking him to fill the critical fetcher role.

Lakai's inclusion would be the least disruptive to the All Blacks' very effective current system, he argues.

"You're going to take Ardie Savea's greatest strengths, which are his ball running and his freedom to pop up on the width and on the outside and you're going to say 'put that back in the bag thanks and go and tackle your life away like Sam Cane'," Stevenson said on SENZ's Scotty & Izzy.

"I don't know what game people are watching.

"Why is Peter Lakai there? If he's not good enough, why is he there then? You've selected a bona fide openside flanker to be there in the team."

While Du'Plessis Kirifi has flown in this week to join the squad, his fellow Wellington teammate Lakai would be the most likely candidate to step up to the plate, should they retain Savea at his trademark position.

Viewed as more of a pure openside flanker, the 21-year-old earned his first Test cap earlier in the tour against Japan but didn't feature against England or Ireland.

With Savea not having started at No.7 since 2021, Stevenson believes the more sensible option is to throw Lakai into the fold.

"Sam Cane has been the starting seven since the rugby championship and he plays a certain way and it's a way that Ardie Savea doesn't play," he added.

"So, now you're taking a guy who doesn't play like Sam Cane, putting him into seven, and then you have to change the dynamic of the entire loose forward trio."

Listen to the full chat below: