So what does Thorne do right? What makes him worthy of his spot in the All Blacks? Why is he picked ahead of Gibbes, Kaino and Lauaki?

Firstly lineout jumping. Thorne is a superb option as a third jumper.

Lets examine this by running through the lineout – starting at the front he is a legitimate option at 2 which in fact is the spot where the jumper has the greatest impact on the winning or losing of a lineout – let me explain what I mean by this: there are 3 components of a lineout – the jumper, the lifters (these 2 combined are called the pod), and the thrower. A throw to 2 pretty much eliminates the risk of a bad throw as the throw is hard and flat, lifting is simplified – the front lifter has to allow the jumper to come forward and the back lifter just has to get under his buttocks. So it basically all comes down to the jumper – and for a jumper its simple all you have to do is get in front of the opposite man but at test level very hard to execute 100% of the time, Thorne would have to be one of the best if not the best in the country at it. If you have a good jumper like Thorne this can be a 'money ball'. I still remember the 2003 Bledisloe cup where he slotted himself in at 2 towards the end of the game and secured 3 lineouts.

Moving to the middle of the lineout which is where you place your best jumpers - which normally won’t be your 6 anyway – the goal here is to find space and get up more quickly than the opposition (your hooker then has to make the right read of the situation) and finally timing between the pod and the hooker is crucial as well. This spot is reserved for Jack, Williams, Robinson and this weekend Rawlinson – extra height is needed given it is likely to be a lob throw. Gibbes (an alternative to Thorne) is good in the middle of the lineout – knows how to find space and does everything at speed. Thorne having to play with Jack 99% of the time does very little jumping in the middle and it would be very unlikely that a third option for the All Blacks would have to jump here with a fit Jack and Williams.

Finally the back, simple stuff, should be more space, just all about speed of setup and timing, make sure you get to the right spot and execute before the opposition can drop someone back to compete. Thorne is as good as you can get here, Gibbes is good here as well but Kaino is all kinds of crap and I find it laughable that people mention him as a third jumper option – watch him when he jumps, it appears as if he is hard to lift as he gets very little height and the lift is often slow and laborious and he gets the wobbles on the way up suggesting he doesn’t use his core strength effectively.

In terms of a 3rd option in the lineout Thorne is IMO best in the country.

Secondly, Thorne plays a good ‘tight game’ for a loose forward.

It is been discussed in depth that Thorne did not play well and did not do the tight work. Now, I didn’t see the Canadian game but in the first French test I thought he was fantastic in this area – good effective cleanouts and effective bridging at all times.

He is also a fantastic mauler – look over the years at the Crusaders mauling with and without – there has been a huge difference. Also on the counter maul he has shown an ability to be strong in competing for the ball off the ground (and doesn’t do the So’oailo jump up and down and try to slap the ball out of the carriers hands from 3m away).

Thirdly, Thorne is a great defender – especially around the fringes.

Go back to 1998, the crusaders started building their dynasty off offensive defense – this was before they had flashy backs, all they had was a solid forward pack and Andrew Mehrtens. Thorne made his mark back then through his defense and still has the ability to do it now – his trademark is a ball and all smothering tackle which he usually drives the ball carrier back in. Sure no-one notices these tackles as much Jerry Collins big hits but they are still very effective – they stop forward interplay, they slow the ball down and kill momentum.

Again I re-emphasize that I did not see the Canadian game but instead am basing these comments off many years of watching Thorne and in particular his form for the Crusaders and the All Blacks last year. Sure, he has been a bit off the pace so far this year but most in the reconditioning 22 have, the cartel are giving him time given his form last year and believe he will rediscover it and that is why he is there.