12th man All Blacks’ conundrum
Midfield backs are likely to be among the most contentious area of selection for the All Blacks this year. Brendan Venter examines the options.
There are basically four players competing for the All Blacks No 12 jersey with the abbreviated Rugby Championship and 2019 World Cup in mind.
For me, the men in the running at second five-eighth are Ma’a Nonu, Ngani Laumape, Sonny Bill Williams and Ryan Crotty.
Nonu has reintroduced himself to the New Zealand public after a three-year stint in France, and has been in strong form for the Blues. He began his career as a hard runner and with time has developed into a very good allround centre.
He is a brilliant passer and even has a kicking game in his arsenal today. When a player is involved in the game for so long and is professional in his approach, it’s amazing how his skillset improves. If you compare the 21-year-old Nonu, who debuted for the Hurricanes in 2003, to the 36-yearold protagonist playing for the Blues this season, it’s worlds apart.
In contrast to veteran Nonu, Laumape is the young, exciting game-breaker within New Zealand rugby. The 25-year-old possesses brilliant feet, is strong and explosive but still lacks the distribution skills of a second fiveeighth.
The second five-eighth concept came from the notion that if the No 12 was a distributor it allowed the No 10 to take the ball to the line more often because the second-five would be in position to be able to play.
Alternatively, by moving the attack a channel further out, it creates one less number to be
connected on defence. That is primarily why distributing No 12s are such precious commodities.
The Wallabies tried to do it with Kurtley Beale at second five-eighth and the English persisted with Owen Farrell in that role until recently. Modern rugby has gone down the route where it’s not just about running hard, but trying to think differently about the game.
In terms of Williams, his ability to take the ball over the gain-line, by using his size and offloading prowess, is well-known. As a distributor though, he is limited because of his preference to carry. The game has changed from the point of view that a big centre who got you over the gain-line was the central thought process. In the past, the ball was given to a big runner in depth and he would crash over the gain-line with the ball in hand.
As time has gone on players such as Crotty use their feet and timing to get over the gain-line. Of all the gifts you might wish to have, in my view, you would ask for timing because the ability to run onto the ball, steal yards and beat the opposition to the gain-line is often more important than size or the speed at which you hit the ball.
It’s Crotty’s all-round understanding of the game and his ability to marshal players around him which, in my opinion, makes him the best No 12 in New Zealand.
He possesses a great passing game, a neat set of kicking skills, is a clever defender and is the allround package. When you look at Crotty, he doesn’t boast the dominance of a youthful Laumape carry, but when games get tight in
the knockout stages of a competition, when there is so little space and so many tactics involved, experienced heads are needed. That is where Crotty is a factor and is why Nonu is set to return to the national frame.
When supporters cast their attention to team selection, they base it on how hard a player can tackle, run and if he has some skills to go with it and, if he does, then they say he should be in the side. But it’s not only about what we see and sometimes supporters tend to forget that fact.
Selecting a World Cup team or one to win a test match is different from a professional coach’s point of view, and is about players complementing each other and getting the best out of the group.
A centre combination of Crotty and Jack Goodhue would be a brilliant one for the All Blacks. The reason Crotty has played so much at No 13 is because he is such a good decision-maker you want him in your backline in any position.
In terms of what Crotty does, he suits a second five-eighth’s position better. Crotty and Goodhue are clever centres who understand the game and come from a winning background.
If the Crusaders win Super Rugby, as is widely expected, the confidence they will take forward is set to prove invaluable. But just remember, I’m picking the centre pairing without knowing their personalities and what they contribute to the team off the field.
* South African Brendan Venter is a 1995 Rugby World Cup winner and a former assistant coach of the Springboks.