ABs’ burning test questions: the big selection puzzles
Opinion: From the old Beauden BarrettRichie Mo’unga chestnut, to midfield and loose forwards’ selection headaches, Stuff’s rugby scribes tackle the burning questions for head coach Ian Foster.
OPINION: From the old Beauden Barrett-Richie Mo’unga chestnut, to midfield and loose forwards’ selection headaches, All Blacks head coach Ian Foster has plenty to ponder as the test season inches closer.
Then there’s what to do with Damian McKenzie and Dane Coles, and the question of how much experimentation is too much ahead of the 2023 World Cup in France?
Stuff’s rugby scribes tackle the big questions surrounding the All Blacks.
Who are the best three halfbacks in New Zealand?
Richard Knowler: Aaron
Smith, Folau Fakatava and Brad Weber. There’s no room for TJ Perenara, despite NZ Rugby signing him through to the 2023 World Cup.
Perenara has been an asset to the All Blacks for many years, but the question is whether it’s time to dig for younger talent such as Fakatava, who is capable of better than what we have seen him unleash with the Highlanders in 2022. That may be a consequence of the serious knee injury he suffered last year.
He’s got talent and when he’s fully confident he’s going to cause a lot of teams anxiety.
Robert van Royen: Aaron Smith, Brad Weber and Finlay Christie. It’s time to move on from TJ Perenara.
Marc Hinton: Aaron Smith, Brad Weber, Fin Christie, with
TJ Perenara on the outside looking in, requiring a sharp finish to SRP to play his way back in.
Maybe Folau Fakatava too, for different reasons. Both Perenara (experience) and Fakatava (upside) have their attributes, but Weber and Christie appeal as reliable backups to the first-choice Smith.
Which position creates the biggest headache for All Blacks coach Ian Foster?
RK: I will say the midfield. Two positions, lots of contenders – barring the injured Anton Lienert-Brown – but still no clarity as to who should be there.
Rieko Ioane is showing real promise at No 13. At test level, he’s still got the look of an unfinished project at times. As for the other slot, it’s an open market.
The names of Roger TuivasaSheck, Jack Goodhue, Braydon Ennor, David Havili and Quinn Tupaea will be in Foster’s notepad.
RVR: The loose forwards as a whole are a tough one, but specifically blindside flanker. Does Foster have to move Dalton Papalii there to make room for captain Sam Cane at No 7?
Then there’s Ethan Blackadder, Luke Jacobson, Shannon Frizell and Akira
Ioane, who started nine tests in the No 6 jersey last year and has been sidelined through injury so far this year, to consider.
MH: It’s a toss-up between midfield and loose trio. But some big calls loom in the loose forwards. Is Foster prepared to concede his captain is no longer the best No 7 in New Zealand, and pick the in-form Papalii?
And if you have the exquisite Savea at No 8 (where he’s playing all his footy) who gets the nod at blindside? Cane (or Papalii) might be one solution, but that’s three No 7s against one of the best packs in the world.
Jacobson would bring a harder edge, while Frizell, if fit, would also add size and carry. Hoskins Sotutu or the in-form Pita Gus Sowakula are also options at 8, with Savea and Papalii or Cane on the flank. Bit to think about.
The old chestnut of No 10: Beauden Barrett and Richie Mo’unga. On current form, who is best?
RK: On current form, it’s Barrett. He won the duel in Christchurch. That’s good enough for me at this point.
RVR: Beauden Barrett by a couple of noses, but he didn’t do himself any favours in the final 20 minutes against the Crusaders, when a series of poor kicks helped the hosts roar back into the contest.
As for Mo’unga, that was his best attacking performance of the season by a country mile. This head-to-head isn’t over.
MH: Barrett. And it’s not even close when you think about it. They’re both quality operators when getting front-foot ball. But in the hurly-burly of a test against, say, France, Ireland or the Boks, who would you rather running the show, under pressure, perhaps with less than favourable pill?
Barrett is the answer. Mo’unga has had a few whiffs in those scenarios in recent years. Barrett’s play for the Blues thus far has been exemplary, making him a cast-iron starter at 10 come July.
Remember Damian McKenzie? Where do you see him fitting in?
RK: He’s said he wants to have a crack at No 10, where he’s been playing in Japan. Fair play to him. McKenzie likes a challenge, clearly, because Barrett and Mo’unga aren’t wallflowers.
Before the 2019 World Cup, McKenzie was touted as a first five-eighths/fullback option until a serious knee injury spiked that.
As a bench player, you have to love what he offers. Speed and confidence can be deadly weapons in the back end of a game.
RVR: There’s certainly no room for him in the starting XV, but the versatile and electric utility back is a heck of a weapon to have stashed on the bench.
MH: On the outside looking in. He’s, at best, third-choice No 15 behind Will Jordan and Jordie Barrett and pushing to be something similar at 10. Quality type, but he’s more Plan B or C than A.
Should Foster experiment with his selections against Ireland in July?
RK: Not in the forward pack. Put your most experienced men, such as Sam Whitelock, Brodie Retallick, Nepo Laulala and Joe Moody (if the knee problem he suffered last weekend isn’t a
long-term issue) in the tight five.
If Foster feels the need to blood players, list them on the bench, which is where TuivasaSheck may make his test debut.
RVR: To an extent. This isn’t the time to be picking more than perhaps one bolter, but Foster will need to toy with some combinations before he finally settles on some at key positions.
MH: Absolutely not. The time for experimenting is over, with pretty much a year till World Cup time. Besides, an Ireland team that’s beaten you three of the previous five is not the foe to be trifling with.
It is time for Foster to make his mind up, settle on his best 23 and start giving them time together under the bright lights.
Hooker Dane Coles has battled injury. Can he still be an All Black?
RK: It’s a tough one. He’s been terrific for the All Blacks over the years and his mind is clearly willing. It’s just that his body is letting him down.
Some folks like to gripe about his niggly style, but Coles is a competitor. If he can cap the silly antics that result in penalties, you want him there.
RVR: As tempting as it might be to put the injury-prone rake out to pasture, he’s proved in the past he can still be a valuable asset to the All Blacks after lengthy stints rehabilitating his broken frame. If his body allows it, pick him.
MH: Er, no. I hate to say it because Coles is one of my alltime favourite All Blacks, on and off the sward.
He’s a character, is never afraid to speak his mind and has rewritten the parameters of the hooker position.
But he’s also 35, injury-prone and, let’s face it, past his best. Other more dynamic types appeal now. One of a few hard calls Foster has to make, if he’s up to it.
Give us a name of a player who could make his debut in July.
RK: Blues loose forward Tom Robinson. Big, rangy and tough. Also offers the option of slotting in at lock, if required. ‘Big Red’ goes good.
RVR: Pita Gus Sowakula. Big, powerful, explosive and highly skilled, the Chiefs’ No 8 has earned the opportunity to strut his stuff in the black jersey.
MH: Roger Tuivasa-Sheck.
Fit players aren’t exactly leaping off the page at No 12 and it could be that, with the right sort of twinkle-toed finish to Super Rugby Pacific, he gets a look against Ireland.
I like Leicester Faina’anuku too as a carbon copy of Rieko Ioane.
And Gus Sowakula’s X-factor would be tempting, even if he doesn’t really fit the All Blacks player profile.