Razor faces big call from DMac as All Blacks’ flaws can’t be fixed with ‘more meetings than Saatchi and Saatchi’

Scott Robertson has reflected on the conflicting personalities of his preferred No.10 Damien McKenzie as he tries to get his struggling side back to full form.

The All Blacks opened the scoring against the Wallabies on Saturday by scoring 28 points inside the opening 30 minutes. But the Razor gang have yet to score a try for more than an hour in the Rugby Championship and were nearly outclassed by the powerful Wallabies.

As the team heads to Wellington for the final round of the TRC, Robertson admits he has a decision to make over whether joining DMac at flyhalf is the way forward.

(Photo courtesy of Hannah Peters/Getty Images)

MacKenzie looked strong early in the game, but there was also some over-the-top display, which some of her teammates shared when they got big leads.

DMac flicked a pass to Tamaithi Williams but his shot went wide, spoiling the try, and that wasn’t his only mistake.

“Damian was volatile,” Robertson said.

“He can play, he can turn it on. We know what a talented player he is and what a player he is. He’s getting better at his skills. We have to finish some chances and we know that.

“We’re confident in building it. We’ve had more meetings with Saatchi and Saatchi than we’ve had, talking about the opportunity to actually see it and get it done.

“I don’t want to have any negative tension about it. I want to train, I want to give. I’ve been there. It just has to click.”

Robertson has been ruthless in his eight starts since taking over as head coach, with the Kiwi media speculating whether McKenzie could be the next to step down.

“That’s a good question,” Robertson told reporters. “We supported him. You have to do that. You have to give someone the opportunity and time to take the reins as long as possible, and have someone else who can play there, because things can change very quickly.

“Beauden (Barrett) is obviously that guy and then with Stephen Perofeta out injured again, Harry Plummer came in and had a bit of a moment. It was a good moment for him after the game. Those are the other two options.”

Robertson agreed the dust-up from the Bledisloe Cup gave him the chance to make some changes. He will probably need at least one in the backline, with Jody Barrett undergoing a knee scan. But Bowden is expected to return after being forced to withdraw late in the Sydney Test through illness.

“We always look at the combination. We’ve had one or two injuries and a few illnesses that can change the selection, but yeah,” Robertson said.