Potential has no place in ABS
The first All Blacks squad of the season has been announced. It has an expected mixture of old, based on experience, and new, based on form. And then there is the curious potential factor.
’M surprised there hasn’t been more of a fuss made about Steve Hansen’s All Blacks training squad which gathers in Auckland today to start laying the foundations for the new era.
It seems Hansen and his selectors Ian Foster and Grant Fox have had to rely largely on reputations for the base of the squad because many of their World Cup winners have been a bit slow out of the blocks this year.
The selectors have deservedly rewarded a bit of form from some new players but they have also thrown in some untried talent who could only go in the category of potential.
It’s this latter group that I’m not comfortable with. In fact, I find it a bit degrading to the All Blacks jersey.
I know this is only a training squad of 35 and wewill get a better feel for the selection panel’s more precise thinking when five players are discarded on June 3 for the squad to play Ireland. But I can’t help feeling there are dangers associated with this early approach.
Tomesamcane, Brad Shields and Luke Whitelock are three very fortunate young men. Yes, I accept they are good players and represent the future but are they good enough to play for the All Blacks?
That’s a question that should be asked of their Super Rugby coaches because none of them has had the faith in this trio to make them regular starters for the Chiefs, Hurricanes and Crusaders respectively. In short, there’s your answer.
By contrast, other newcomers like locks Brodie Retallick and Luke Romano, tighthead props Ben Tameifuna and Charlie Faumuina, halfbacks Tawera Kerr-barlow and Aaron Smith, first five Beauden Barrett, and wing Julian Savea deserve their opportunities. On form they have been among the bestnew Zealand players in Super Rugby.
Weare talking about the All Blacks here, the world champions and one of the elite teams in international sport. So you choose the best players to pull on that black jersey or players you think are going to be good enough to play test rugby very soon – as in next week or next month, not next year.
The jury is well and truly out on some of these guys, but particularly the three who aren’t good enough yet to be starting Super Rugby week-in and week-out.
So what’s the danger here? Twowords spring to mind: Isaia Toeava. Hewas plucked from Auckland’snpcteam in 2005 as a 19-yearold and designated a ‘‘special project’’. Ice has had his moments along the way but being tagged a project seemed to be a handicap or burden to him down the years. Hestruggled for confidence and has never really been able to hold down a regular All Blacks position with his utility value his biggest asset.
There have been exceptions, of course, and Richiemccawis the prime example. Like Toeava he came straight out of thenpcwithout playing Super Rugby to make an end-of-year tour in 2001.
Mccaw’s talent was never in doubt and he’s turned out to be a freak, even by the high