Inside job: Israel Folau may face a positional move on the spring tour. Credit:Getty Images The issue must be front of mind for Cheika, who was responsible for luring Folau to rugby and made expert use of his talents at the Waratahs in a title-winning three seasons together. But what to do next with Australian rugby's most gifted athlete who is, for all to see, playing a long way from his lethal best? Will Wallabies fans ever see "Izzy'' with something other than a No.15 on his back? It's been more than a year since the first calls started for Folau to venture into the midfield for the Wallabies. In his final season at Moore Park, Cheika and Daryl Gibson played Folau up front on attack and when Gibson took over as head coach, Folau started wearing the No.13 jersey. Cheika kept an injury-hampered Folau at fullback during the World Cup last year but many hoped 2016 would see the Wallabies coach embrace the relative freedom of the first year in a new World Cup cycle to get creative with his selections in the back line.

In many ways he did, after injury robbed him of no less than three options at No.12 – Kurtley Beale, Matt Giteau and Rob Horne – but the change many fans and analysts most wanted did not materialise. Meanwhile, Folau's trademark grin makes fewer and fewer appearances in the gold jersey, as his involvements continue to drop. For the player's part, Folau understands he must work harder to get a slice of the action he so craves and there were glimpses of that against Argentina in London a week ago. But there could also be a recognition among his coaches that the talented fullback needs a few new challenges. Interestingly, that is most likely to occur at inside centre. Cheika was vague about his plans when quizzed broadly on Monday, and it is unlikely there will be a change in time for the All Blacks. But the spring tour – five Tests and a midweek game – presents a perfect opportunity to test out a few options. That could mean a formal foray into the midfield for Folau, but it could also give Cheika a chance to try a potential long-term option in Reece Hodge, the young Rebels centre who took an unexpected opportunity in Brisbane last month and hasn't looked back.

All these are options for Cheika and attack coach Stephen Larkham, who are keen to leave well enough alone the encouraging rise of Queensland's Samu Kerevi at outside centre. As Cheika said on Monday: "If you look at a player like Samu – how he was when he started in the England series and how he's starting to move in – I think that's a pretty accurate symbol of where the team's at." In the meantime, with the All Blacks in front of them, it's a big, big week for Phipps, who must put behind him a recent run of lacklustre form – and some mild controversy – to help steer his mates around at New Zealand's Auckland fortress. "I wouldn't be putting him out there if I didn't think he could step up," Cheika said. Loading "Part of learning to become the best player you can be is being in those situations and managing them well and doing the best by your team.