If Thompson could find some consistent form at the line-out, particularly when under pressure, he would have everything.

At 6ft 2ins, he is tall for a hooker but his combination of speed, power and aggression make him one of the finest No 2s in the world game.

Yet all too often he lets a line-out throw go astray at a crucial time and with other far more consistent throwers also in the squad the pressure will be on Thompson to perform from the off if, as expected, he is the Test starter.

The World Cup sums up Thompson's recent form in a nutshell as he was in superb form right through to the final, when he wilted badly. New Zealand know it, and will be only too happy to point it out on the field this summer.

Aside from that weakness, the man they call 'Wally' – he was known as Steve Walter when he joined Northampton before reverting from his stepfather's to his blood father's surname – is an immense performer and undoubtedly the most impressive of the squad's hookers in open play.

Thompson began his Northampton career as a flanker before moving through the scrum and if he is given space in the loose, he has the pace and sound handling required to be a success in his former position.