Razor must bring fresh flavour to his All Blacks lineup
Where have all the first fives gone? That has to be the question after we heard All Blacks coach Scott Robertson asked the Crusaders to play his mate David Havili in the No 10 jersey last weekend.
It smacks of early desperation because Havili, a specialist utility-cum-fullback, has seldom played first five-eighth.
On the back of that, when his clearing kick was charged down, allowing Reds No 8 Harry Wilson to score, it had me wondering whether Havili might become
Razor’s Sam Cane.
While we should forget forgettable moments from the past, Havili did fling the intercept pass to Damian Penaud when the All Blacks were powering back against France in Paris in 2021. Havili often has a mistake in him.
Damian McKenzie has timed out Beauden Barrett and Richie Mo’unga and deserves to own the All Blacks No 10 jersey.
McKenzie is an excitement machine, assuming the forward pack is doing him a favour, and he gets through Super Rugby with his frame intact.
Beauden will be back from his pension rugby in Japan in time for selection, maybe at fullback, although hopefully Razor won’t just roll over Ian Foster’s mob and might believe Ruben Love’s time is nigh.
The only other contenders for first five are Hurricane Brett Cameron and Whanganui’s finest, Stephen Perofeta at the
Blues, both a step down from McKenzie.
Fergus Burke was the Crusaders’ first five, until injured, but has decided it’s not worth sticking around. At the age of 24 he has impatiently bailed by signing for Saracens in London, so scratch his name out.
It’s unusual for the Turbos to have two Super Rugby first fives on their books.
Given the dearth of 10s, it might have been precipitate for Manawatū’s Isaiah Armstrong-Ravula to have gone the Fiji route – his father, Steve, is a Fijian-Kiwi.
Isaiah had five options through his whakapapa – New Zealand, Fiji, Australia, Tonga and Samoa – though Fiji was always going to be his fastest track to international rugby.
It was almost a package deal because his best mate, centre Waqa Nalaga, is Fijian and where he goes they both go. Nalaga though has only been fringe for the Drua, so Manawatū should see him in the NPC.
A year ago many of us viewed those two as the future for Manawatū.
But Armstrong-Ravula chose to play for the Fijian under20s in South Africa alongside Nalaga last year when he knew he would have still been eligible for the New Zealand 20s this year, and probably selected.
The Highlanders should have been crying out for a first five of his talent, but too late. He starts every Super Rugby game for the Fijian Drua and is strongly tipped to play tests for Fiji in the Pacific Nations Cup in August and September, smack in the middle of our NPC.
As for Manawatū, Old Boys-Marist first five Liam O’Connor has been playing for the Hurricanes Hunters and 20s, and he may well be needed in the green jersey.
The son of former Manawatū loose forward Brendan O’Connor, he is a left-footer with a big boot. Homegrown players who stick at home deserve priority.
Turbos coach Mike Rogers is keeping an eye on two prospective first fives displaying their wares in club rugby: Whakatāne product Rihari Jobe at College Old Boys; and Caleb Leef at Feilding, who is out for now with a sternum cartilage injury.
Leef, who attended Takapuna Grammar School in North Harbour and was in Blues development teams, has had three games off the bench for Otago after making his debut against Manawatū in 2022.
Free-for-all over trylines
Please tell me what a Newcastle tackler is supposed to do when Warrior Dallin Watene-Zelezniak is airborne over the tryline with the ball and about to plant it?
Wave him by as if hailing one of Palmy’s electric buses?
While tackling in the air is a safety issue, last Sunday both men went high for the ball and Dallin sort of fell into the Knight’s arms rather than being tackled. In the NRL there are different rules in the in-goal area.
Wings in both codes fly in airborne and take out corner flags while being tackled, just not as high as Dallin flew. So presumably such tackles will also be illegal.
The 14th-placed Warriors have more to worry about than that. They played a Knights team minus two of their best and still fell over because of errors and a lack of attacking punch. These lapses have long been part of the Warriors DNA, as coach Andrew Webster is finding out.
Where is their next win coming from? They have the Roosters on Sunday, then the Panthers, the high-flying Dolphins, and the Cowboys in Townsville.
Only a few weeks ago there was a clamour to establish another NRL team in New Zealand, out of Christchurch. Heard it before.