Could a short, balding 32-year-old plumber find his way into the black jersey?
Stranger things have happened, and if the All Black selectors pick on form then Highlanders hooker Jason Rutledge may follow in his father's footsteps and wear the All Black jersey.
The injury to All Black hooker Andrew Hore has suddenly left the second hooking spot wide open, and Rutledge has to be considered an option.
Hore dislocated a shoulder on Friday night in the Hurricanes' 32-16 loss to the Waratahs in Sydney and will be out for between six weeks and six months.
A decision on whether his shoulder will need to be operated on - leading to the longer stint on the sideline - will be made in the next few days.
While Blues captain Keven Mealamu is clearly now the No 1 hooker, his back-up is far from clear.
Chiefs hooker Aled de Malmanche was in the frame last year and will be in contention again but there are question marks over his line-out throwing and his general fitness.
Other options may be Hika Elliot or Crusaders rake Corey Flynn, who is never far from injury, the latest an ankle sprain.
So what about Rutledge? He is getting on in his years but has just played the best season of his career, and had a great game against the Waratahs last month.
His line-out throwing can be a tad wonky and he is not the biggest of men, but neither was his father, loose forward Leicester Rutledge, and he never disgraced the black jersey.
The younger Rutledge has matured with age.
Instead of heading overseas, he has remained loyal to his province and reaped the rewards with an outstanding last few months in the Highlanders jersey.
Whether that is enough for Rutledge to make the next step will be revealed later this month, when the All Black selectors name their 26-man squad to play Ireland and Wales.
