Crotty to provide more thrust in midfield

MIDFIELD back Ryan Crotty was the only change to the All Blacks side that started against England as New Zealand coach Steve Hansen named his strongest available team for their mouth-watering clash against Ireland in Dublin tomorrow.

Crotty will slot into his more comfortable inside centre role alongside his Crusaders teammate Jack Goodhue, having shifted between the No 12 and 13 jerseys depending on his midfield partner throughout his international career.

The 30-year-old comes into the side Hansen named yesterday as a replacement for the injured Sonny Bill Williams, who has damaged his shoulder, from the starting XV who rallied for a 16-15 win over England last week.

Last Saturday, Crotty came on for Williams, who has struggled the whole year with injuries, after around 30 minutes in atrocious conditions at Twickenham and immediately settled the All Blacks, who were struggling to recover from a 15-0 deficit against Eddie Jones’s side.

Crotty’s elevation to the starting side left a vacant position on the bench, which will be filled by Chiefs back Anton Lienert-Brown.

Hansen resisted the temptation to make any further changes against the world’s second-ranked side and stuck with the dual playmaker option from last week, with Damian McKenzie retained at fullback and World Player of the Year Beauden Barrett at flyhalf.

The world champions resorted to a tactical kicking game in London due to the weather and struggled to get any front-foot ball against a fired-up England.

Crotty, however, provided some midfield thrust as the All Blacks changed tactics to hold the ball for longer and Hansen said he expected a similarly intense match against the Six Nations champions.

“On Saturday, we’ll be playing an opponent who will want to keep the ball for long periods of time, and if they aren’t getting what they want, then they’ll kick and try to pressure us,” Hansen said.

“For us, we’ll need to be strong at set-piece, both on our ball and theirs, and be prepared to work hard with or without the ball.

“When the momentum comes our way, we’ll need to take the opportunities that will come, as the team that makes the most of their opportunities will win the game.”