There are various questions that need answering in the curious case of Asafo Aumua.
The 20-year-old pocket rocket Hurricanes hooker is not in South Africa with the majority of the squad, who are preparing to face the Bulls in Pretoria to kick off their 2018 Super Rugby campaign.
He is said to be nursing a minor rib injury, but there are concerns over his conditioning and he appeared to be carrying extra ballast in a recent informal photo posted on social media.
Aumua lit up the 2017 Mitre 10 Cup, following a very productive 2016 competition, scoring some marvellous tries with his pace and skill, and won a spot on the All Blacks' northern tour, making two uncapped appearances against the UK Barbarians and a French XV.
He looked like a fizzing ball of energy and dynamism.
Aumua showed he could keep up with the veterans in the team, squatting some serious weight in the gym.
So it begs the question, how does a fulltime professional athlete present himself, just weeks out from the season kickoff, out of shape to a greater or lesser degree? How much does he take responsibility or does the Hurricanes' strength and conditioning coach David Gray have to take some heat here? Has the guy just done nothing since returning from the north, or has he just eaten too much?
It doesn't make sense. Dane Coles is out for some time, so there was a prime chance for Aumua to be the back-up to the admirable Ricky Riccitelli or even starting hooker.
Instead, James O'Reilly (a useful footballer who has played for the New Zealand Under 20s) is in South Africa, while Aumua sweats it out in the late summer heat at Wellington's rugby HQ, the ironically named Rugby League Park.
Savea says the end goal is to get back into the All Blacks but knows he must play well for the Hurricanes.
We have been here before.
Julian Savea presented himself for the 2016 Super Rugby season in less than ideal shape after a stellar Rugby World Cup. Chris Boyd dropped him later in the season for his negligence.
Piri Weepu was a key figure in Rugby World Cup 2011 but a groin niggle in the off-season saw his weight blow out and he took some time to regain full effectiveness for the Blues.
The funny thing is that when an All Blacks presents himself to his franchise in late January, in most cases, no one would expect them to be at peak fitness, having not long finished playing and with an expectation that he is peaking much later in the season. That was my argument when some pundits gnashed their teeth if Richie McCaw missed a tackle in February/March.
Shields came out on top in his last ever challenge where players have to complete a 1km sprint, 25km bike ride and a climb up Mt Victoria.
But most keep themselves at a level whereby pre-season training, the optimal time to condition your body, does not morph into some kind of torture. Those not in the All Blacks even run up Mt Victoria in a famous Hurricanes challenge. There are few places to hide. But surely an All Black left to his own devices, and being paid to train, effectively, must put in the yards.
Aumua has learned his first harsh lesson of his young professional life, one in which he soaked up a heap of adulation last season. Let’s hope it has not gone to his head and he turns it around swiftly, so that he can be considered for the Match 10 Hurricanes-Crusaders clash in the capital.
Because the kid can play.
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