PLAYER UNDER PRESSURE TO PERFORM
01 Augustine Pulu [Blues]
Capped in 2014, Augustine Pulu has gone backwards in the last four years. He’s a brilliant, combative defender but his passing is fairly awful at times as is his tactical control and directing.
It feels like he’s more of an impediment to the Blues finding their flow than he is a conduit. Given the importance of his position to building an effective attack game – he’ll need to show he has the style of the game that actually works for the Blues.
Life gets awkward when a brave and loyal captain clearly isn’t the right man for the team.
02 Asafa Aumua [Hurricanes]
It’s kind of ridiculous that one minute we are hailing this kid as a potential superstar and the next we are saying he’s got to pull finger.
It’s not quite like that but Aumua kind of wasted 2018. He wasn’t fit enough after going to Europe with the All Blacks and then injury struck him down and he barely played. He’s clearly got ability but he needs to show he’s also got the right attitude and level of desire.
To stuff up one season is bad luck, to stuff up two is careless.
03 Will Jordan [Crusaders]
Again, it’s not quite right to say there is pressure on him to perform as such in the sense that he’s had so many chances and so far failed to deliver.
He’s young and looks talented but he was barely sighted last year and if he doesn’t get some game time in 2019 he’ll have had two seasons of doing nothing.
Professional rugby is so cruel that when it comes to recontracting... well...he’ll be vulnerable.
04 Aaron Smith [Highlanders]
Bottom line is that Smith didn’t have a great 2018. He struggled a bit in the test arena and his confidence dropped.
He lost his flow and ability to trust his instincts and with it a bit of media and public criticism came his way. He doesn’t want that to remain in World Cup year and the best way to alleviate it is to nail an impressive Super Rugby campaign.
05 Sonny Bill Williams [Blues]
Like Smith, the big man didn’t have a great 2018. He barely played because of injury and because he barely played, his form tumbled.
We didn’t see anything from Sonny – none of the old magic was on view. So we need to know whether he’s still got it. Need to know whether his body can hold up and that he can string a run of games together, build his form and have the influence he used to.
We need to know that he’s not actually just old and broken.
06 Nathan Harris [Chiefs]
What’s this guy all about? He’s big, seems to be mobile and seems to be athletic.
We have to use the word seems because it’s as if Nathan Harris remains a little bit of a mystery. Dane Coles, we know what he does. Codie Taylor, we know what he does.
Harris, not so sure. He’s been around for a while but hasn’t given us enough yet to know exactly what sort of player he is and why he’s rated by the All Blacks as the third best hooker in the country.
We don’t doubt that he is – we just need to see something more definitive from him in World Cup year.