Crusaders powerhouse Leicester Fainga'anuku has scored an important head-to-head victory over All Blacks incumbent Caleb Clarke, as the rival wingers compete for possibly just one available seat on the place to France for this year's Rugby World Cup.
As the six-time defending Super Rugby champions continued their march towards the top of the competition table with a clinical 15-3 victory over the Blues at Christchurch, the showdown between the southern and northern adversaries presented match-ups across the park with national selection implications.
None more so than the wing, where Fainga'anuku and Clarke offer similar skillsets.
Since debuting in 2020, Clarke, 24 - son of former All Blacks midfielder Eroni Clarke - has amassed 15 tests, despite taking a season off from the 15-a-side format to push for Olympic sevens selection.
By contrast, Fainga'anuku, 23, has made just two appearances for the national team during the ill-fated Ireland series last July, before withdrawing from the northern hemisphere tour for personal reasons.
His form through the Super Rugby schedule has been compelling, with his five-pointer against the Blues placing him alongside Chiefs winger Shaun Stevenson atop the competition tryscoring list with 10 each.
"This guy was outstanding," All Blacks great Sir John Kirwan told Sky Sport's Breakdown. "His workrate is unbelievable.
"At one stage late in the game, he's on the other side of the field and getting in around the ruck. We need to try and retain this guy."
Fainga'anuku's NZ Rugby contract ends this year, amid speculation he will head to France club Toulon next year. As a 15-year-old, he was on the verge of signing with NRL glamour club Sydney Roosters, before Tasman secured his services for rugby.
"I need to say, if you stay in New Zealand, by the time you reach 29, you will have earned five times the amount you'll get in France, so stay," insisted Kirwan, who made 63 appearances on the wing for the All Blacks.
Clarke leads the competition in linebreaks, but has not been able to convert those opportunities into tries for a Blues outfit that have not lived up to pre-competition hype.
"Things didn't go Caleb's way," observed Kirwan. "He made a couple of defensive errors and put a kick out on the full.
"From a head-to-head point of view, they're both great players, but I think Leicester probably got there for me."
With Crusaders flyer Sevu Reece already ruled out of the World Cup, All Blacks coach Ian Foster still has plenty of options on the flanks, depending on whom he elects to play at fullback, but former All Blacks star Jeff Wilson thinks Fainga'anuku and Clarke may be competing for the same spot.
"There's plenty of power wingers out there at the moment," he told Breakdown. "I don't think there's room for both of them.
"Versatility, Leicester can play in the midfield and centre. He's been doing it every single week - every game he's played, these are the types of performances we're getting.
"We've got glimpses from Caleb in most games. He's doing 2-3-4 things really well, but he's probably not getting involved enough.
"Let's remember, his team's not playing that well at the moment and not creating the opportunities for him to do exactly what he can do. He's not finding space on the outside, so I find it hard to compare, given the performance of the teams."
The Crusaders sit fourth on the Super Rugby standings, with a road game against winless Moana Pasifika looming on Friday, while the Blues visit a Queensland Reds side buoyant from victory over top-of-the-table Chiefs.
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