The battle for right-wing spot is season’s subplot
Struggling to get enthused about a looming Super Rugby season as this long, hot summer lingers on? Well, here’s three words for you: right wing idol.
As New Zealand subplots for the southern hemisphere’s premier franchise competition go, the race among the thoroughbreds of the Kiwi game to prove themselves the best No 14 at Steve Hansen’s disposal shapes as compelling.
Sure, it shouldn’t distract us from what shapes as another hugely competitive New Zealand conference which starts next Friday when the Highlanders host the Blues in Dunedin. Twenty-four hours later the revamped Chiefs visit the defending champion Crusaders in Christchurch.
Maybe it shouldn’t even deflect our attention from the immediate need for the South African (kicking off overnight) and Australian conferences (also springing into action next weekend) needing to get their collective acts together in a hurry. (Let’s hope less really is best). That includes their outlier teams the Sunwolves and Jaguares.
Undoubtedly Super Rugby as an overall entity needs reviving. Kiwis might be loath to admit this, but it has become too New Zealand dominant, too predictable and too, well, ordinary outside the power conference that resides in Aotearoa.
Organisers, such as they are in this far-flung rugby collective, have at least addressed the decline of this once flagship competition by essentially admitting they were wrong to expand it in the first place, and retrenched back to 15 teams. That’s a start.
Now it’s up to the four teams each left standing from South Africa and Australia to man up and take on the Kiwi challenge. The Lions have shown it can be done; now it’s on the Stormers, Sharks, Waratahs and Brumbies to do likewise.
Anyway, back to right wing idol. Let’s set the scene: the All Blacks need to settle on a first-choice right wing to partner superstar Rieko Ioane who is an automatic selection on the left side. And let’s just say Hansen is not short on contenders.
Try these names for starters: Waisake Naholo, Israel Dagg, Nehe Milner-Skudder, Julian Savea, Seta Tamanivalu and Matt Duffie. You can also bet dollars to donuts a contender or two will emerge from the young crop of speedsters starting out at this level.
It’s a riveting contest within the contest. Naholo is the incumbent and made a significant statement on the end-of-year tour when he barely put a foot wrong, showed he had addressed his positional and defensive deficiencies and revealed himself as a real weapon over the ball, as well as with it in hand.
But before him Dagg, and before him Milner-Skudder, also did the job splendidly for Hansen, before injury pointed its fickle finger. And they both hold plenty of appeal with their experience, and fullback’s skillset.
Savea is the interesting one. Just a few years ago he was the best wing in the game, and a star of the 2015 World Cup triumph, before falling out of favour with the All Blacks brains trust.
He has been given a clear message around what he needs to do to make it back to the All Blacks mountaintop, and was handed the space in 2017 to set his plan in motion. The proof will be in the pudding this campaign, and Hansen, for one, is intrigued.
‘‘It’s going to be interesting to see how Julian goes,’’ he the StarTimes.
‘‘He’s had a really good break from the whole thing, and he’s saying all the right things. I’m sure he’ll play well.’’
It really is one of those problems any coach would love to have. There is never such a thing as too many options.
With so many quality wings contending for probably just two spots in the June squad (accepting Ioane is a selection certainty), it really is all going to come down to what unfolds in Super Rugby. And, remember, the All Blacks selectors pay a lot more attention to the back part of the competition than the front one.
Of course there are other battles to watch. Who emerges as the third halfback? As third hooker? As Beauden Barrett’s backup? And Kieran Read’s?
And how many New Zealand teams can squeeze into the finals now there are even more Kiwi derbies (eight, as opposed to six last season)? The Hurricanes look dangerous with that backline, and such depth. But the Crusaders have refound their mojo, and tend to win titles in bunches.