Midfield pairing sorted — but secret
AUCKLAND: As rotation moves into full swing for the remainder of the pool matches, the Rubik’s Cube that is the starting All Blacks midfield will not become clear for a few weeks yet.
Ryan Crotty, Anton LienertBrown, Sonny Bill Williams, Jack Goodhue. Take your pick. Any two could be paired together, with a third off the bench.
Privately, the All Blacks know their best combination but, for now, they are giving nothing away.
‘‘Do we think we know what our leading midfield is? Probably,’’ All Black assistant coach Ian Foster said as the team prepared to relocate to the southern Japanese city of Beppu.
‘‘We’ve got a pretty good idea but I’m not going to tell you.’’
Goodhue’s hamstring issue was not risked in the opening World Cup win over the Springboks in which Crotty, who turned 31 on Monday, and LienertBrown combined nicely.
Prior to his injury, Goodhue was considered New Zealand’s leading centre after shifting from Northland to quickly establish his influential presence alongside Crotty at the Crusaders.
But in Goodhue’s recent absence, LienertBrown has seemingly complicated the picture by making the centre role his own. Although equally comfortable at second fiveeighth, LienertBrown’s consistent form in the No 13 jersey challenges Goodhue’s status.
Provided Goodhue proves his fitness, he is likely to return at centre for Canada next week, possibly outside Williams who came off the bench for 30 minutes against the Boks.
‘‘I’m running well. There’s just a few little things like over the ball when you extend a bit too much, but I’m pretty happy with it,’’Goodhue said one day before the All Blacks defeated the Boks in Yokohama.
‘‘The body is feeling good otherwise so I definitely think I’ll be available for the next game.’’
With four midfielders at the top of their game, this area seems the most competitive of all for the All Blacks.
With four days between their next two matches against Canada and Namibia, widespread changes are inevitable so each of the midfield quartet will get chances to state their case with starting opportunities.
Come the quarterfinal and knockout arena, though, the All Blacks will then be expected to settle on their preferred pairing.
‘‘This sounds boring but we’re actually happy with any selection we’ve got in the midfield at the moment,’’ Foster said.
‘‘I’m really happy with the combinations we’re developing and history has told us it’s a physical area. We’ve often had to make changes in that area the last two years.
‘‘We haven’t had a lot of consistency with two guys doing the role for us in a whole lot of tests in a row. People see that as a negative, we see that as a positive.
‘‘We’ve got four guys ready to play and they’ve all got slightly different skill sets and it does mean we can mix and match a bit.
‘‘I thought Ryan and Anton went pretty good with their combination and we’ll see what else we come up with.’’
While Foster knows his favoured pairing, the evermaturing LienertBrown acknowledged the players remain in the dark. He also gave a nod to the depth on offer after Ngani Laumape missed the squad selection.
‘‘I wouldn’t have a clue what he sees as his best combination,’’ LienertBrown said.
‘‘I’m fortunate at the moment to be starting at 13 but there’s four worldclass midfielders, in my opinion, and a fifth one playing for the Manawatu Turbos as well.
LienertBrown shifting in one spot to partner Goodhue, with Williams off the bench, could emerge as the favoured approach but that combination would leave the All Blacks lacking experience across the starting backline. — The New Zealand Herald WAIKATO should bring plenty of confidence and some positive history with it when it takes on Otago in a Ranfurly Shield match on Sunday.
Otago won the log o’ wood over the Mooloos last season so there will be a taste of revenge in the mouth of Waikato supporters.
The Waikato side has produced a mixed bag so far this season.
It made a promising start, winning its first game in an upset over Canterbury, but has fallen off the pace, losing its past three games.
But Waikato has a proud record of winning and playing well in Ranfurly Shield challenges.
Since the national provincial competition started in 1976, Waikato has won the shield eight times in challenges while Otago has won it just twice.
In that time, Waikato has had 13 unsuccessful challenges while Otago has had 20 challenges in which it has come up short.
Waikato ended the long reign of the dominant Auckland shield side in 1993 and most recently won the trophy last year when it beat Taranaki in something of an upset. It then lost the shield to Otago in the last game of the regular season.
If Waikato has any chance of making the playoffs, it will have to improve its set piece and also cut out some silly errors. The side can ill afford another loss and needs to win against Otago.
It lost to Tasman 3526 in Hamilton last Saturday.
The team has been well led by former Otago back Fletcher Smith. Smith has been near the top of the Duane Monkley medal table.
Points are handed out after every game by the broadcast commentators and the topranked player at the end of the season picks up the Duane Monkley medal.
Smith moved to Waikato last year and had a top year last season, scoring 130 points for Waikato.
Being a Premiership team should give Waikato some confidence going into the game on Sunday.
But apart from Tasman, which is well out in front in the Premiership, the other 13 teams in the Mitre 10 Cup appear to be relatively even.
Of the 17 crossover games played so far, nine of the games have been won by Premiership teams, seven by Championship teams and there was a draw between Wellington and Hawke’s Bay.
Last week, the three games between teams from the two divisions were won by teams from the lower championship.
Taranaki winger Sean Wainui has been cleared of a dangerous tackle in the side’s unsuccessful Ranfurly Shield challenge against Otago.
Wainui hit Otago flanker Slade McDowall high in a tackle in the match earlier this month.
A hearing had ruled the tackle was dangerous and banned him for four weeks.
But Wainui appealed and the appeal council ruled the actions of Wainui did not constitute a dangerous tackle or warrant any more than a citing commissioner warning.
Wainui has missed Taranaki’s past two matches but is now available for the rest of the season.