All Blacks go cap in hand
The hand-wringing brigade will no doubt have plenty to say about this All Blacks team to face Japan giving away test caps in numbers not seen since John Mitchell embarked on the early stages of his precipitous ‘‘journey’’.
But the fact of the matter is that Steve Hansen’s Baby Blacks team to face Japan in Tokyo tomorrow (6.45pm kickoff), containing eight debutants all told and two more winning just their second cap, is a creature of necessity, not of invention.
No doubt there will be an outcry about caps being given away in sponsors’ Weet-Bix packets, but this was always going to be a special-case occasion as soon as the All Blacks agreed to this addon test en route to the serious part of their northern tour.
To follow, on consecutive Saturdays, are tests against England and Ireland, following hard on the heels of the Bledisloe finale a week hitherto which demanded close to a full-strength lineup. There was always going to have to be some compromise.
In this case it has come in the form of Hansen dispatching his frontline squad of 23 (minus Richie Mo’unga, who gets another chance to impress at No 10) to London yesterday, and extending his squad to an unprecedented 51 by calling up another 19 players for this test only.
Like it or not, this is the modern rugby world, and coaches that wield the power Hansen does can sometimes have their cake and eat it too.
In this case he gets an extra week in Japan to achieve a World Cup dry run of sorts; he adds to the player retention coffers with much-needed revenue; and he gets a valuable chance to take a look at the next wave of talent who might well be the test contenders of the next cycle.
The result is this 23 to face Japan in just the sixth official test between
At a glance
Jordie Barrett, Nehe Milner-Skudder, Matt Proctor, Ngani Laumape, Waisake Naholo, Richie Mo’unga, Te Toiroa Tahuriorangi; Luke Whitelock (capt), Dalton Papalii, Vaea Fifita, Jackson Hemopo, Patrick Tuipulotu, Angus Ta’avao, Dane Coles, Ofa Tu’ungafasi. Reserves: Liam Coltman, Tim Perry, Tyrel Lomax, Dillon Hunt, Gareth Evans, Mitch Drummond, Brett Cameron, George Bridge. the two countries is greener than Kermit the Frog, with two starting debutants, six more on the bench, and another half-dozen who have played five tests or fewer.
Hansen’s match-day squad contains the most uncapped players since John Mitchell’s 2002 tenderfoots in England who had nine debutants in their 22, though only seven saw action in a 31-28 defeat to England in London.
Auckland openside flanker Dalton Papalii and Wellington centre Matt Proctor are the starting debutants,
rewarded for standout provincial campaigns, while prop Tyrel Lomax, loose forwards Gareth Evans and Dillon Hunt, halfback Mitch Drummond, first-five Brett Cameron and outside back George Bridge are the uncapped players lurking on the bench.
Fittingly, there will also be a new skipper, with Canterbury No 8 Luke Whitelock to lead the All Blacks for the first time in a test.
Putting aside the cheap nature of the caps, and the likelihood there will be some more members of the infamous one-test wonder club, this is an exciting young team featuring some dynamic talents who could go on to forge standout test careers.
Dane Coles is the exception to the rule as the 56-test hooker uses this encounter to make his return to the test arena after a second long injury absence. He will lead young forwards such as Angus Ta’avao (1 cap), Jackson Hemopo (2), Vaea Fifita (7) and Papalii who will be eager to make their mark.
In the backs Te Toiroa Tahuriorangi will tot up just his second cap at halfback, Mo’unga will steer the ship at 10, Proctor will combine with Ngani Laumape in a midfield that has plenty of familiarity and Jordie Barrett gets a chance to boost his confidence at fullback. Nehe MilnerSkudder and Waisake Naholo provide the experience in the back three.
All Blacks: