Tough call on Franks

Owen Franks deserved better. The tighthead prop’s omission from the All Blacks’ 31-man World Cup squad caused a major stir and so it should have, given he had dedicated more than a decade of his life to NZ Rugby’s flagship team.

Franks told Newshub he held no grudges. The 31-year old said he counted himself fortunate to have played in two World Cup finals, and to appear in 108 tests since his debut against Italy in Christchurch in 2009.

All Blacks coach Steve Hansen said Franks had displayed a great deal of dignity when told he wasn’t wanted for the tournament in Japan.

Franks admitted it was a short conversation, but also noted he’s not a chatterbox on the phone anyway.

Not that there’s a lot to talk about when you have been dumped. And Franks isn’t the type to conduct tantrums.

But deep down he must be burning.

Yes, he had struggled with the

pace of the game when the Wallabies walloped the All Blacks 47-26 in Perth on August 10. But he wasn’t the only one on that score. The Wallabies had a ridiculous amount of possession at Optus Stadium, and when Scott Barrett was red carded in the 39th minute the All Blacks’ defensive line was stretched beyond breaking point.

It was a massacre. Franks was yanked in the 50th minute – as is often the case for props these days – and replaced by Angus Ta’avao.

No-one knew it at the time, but unless he’s recalled to replace an injured player in Japan that was Franks’ final appearance for the All Blacks.

It’s difficult to not feel a great deal of sympathy.

Franks looked reasonably sharp in the early rounds of the Super Rugby season before he tore a muscle in a shoulder; he elected to have stem cell therapy, rather than undergo surgery.

It worked. Franks returned to start in all three of the Crusaders’ playoff games, and collected a winner’s medal after the win over the Jaguares in the final.

It was his last appearance for the club. Later this year he will join English club Northampton.

Nepo Laulala and Angus Ta’avao, meanwhile, were sitting at home because the Chiefs had been knocked out in the quarterfinal by the Jaguares in Buenos Aires.

Tighthead props Laulala and Ta’avao have been included in the World Cup squad, chosen ahead of Franks. Ofa Tuungafasi can cover both sides of the scrum. Joe Moody and Atu Moli are the looseheads.

The All Blacks coaches want to play a fast game on the firm, dry surfaces in Japan, so the call has gone out for mobile props who they believe can do a better job than Franks.

But there is a big downside to sacrificing Franks at the selection altar. That is his experience, his reliability in the set pieces and physicality when hitting rucks or making tackles.

He may not be as quick as he once was, or a flash ball player, but during games his team-mates could look at Franks and know there’s a bloke who has been there, done that.

Of the 108 tests he has played, he started 98 of them. That is some statistic. Add up the number of tests played by the five props and they fall short of the 108 collected by Franks.

You can’t buy that sort of intellectual property. The All Blacks won’t have it in Japan.