Mo’unga v Barrett and midfield A headache
Expect the All Blacks coach to run both his world-class No 10s in July as he moves towards a Bledisloe D-day. Marc Hinton casts his eye over the new team.
Rugby fans thirsting to see a definitive resolution to the Beauden Barrett versus Richie Mo’unga All Blacks No 10 conundrum might have to be patient.
Coach Ian Foster and his assistants will spend the upcoming three July tests, against Tonga in Auckland on July 3, and then back-to-back matchups against Fiji in Dunedin and Hamilton, looking at and possibly resolving a number of key selection areas.
But first five-eighths may not be one of them.
It may not be until the opening Bledisloe against the Wallabies at Eden Park on August 7 that we get a definitive steer on just who Foster’s true first-choice No 10 is and, in fact, whether he is prepared to make a straight call between the star playmakers.
In his first season as head coach last year Foster followed the lead of his predecessor and went for a dual playmakers setup, with Mo’unga starting the big tests at first five-eighths and Barrett at fullback. Barrett has started 12 of his last 15 internationals at No 15.
The jury remains out on just how successful the set-up has been. Barrett has played well enough at fullback – though critics would suggest not as well as he would have in his preferred position – while Mo’unga has been the form No 10 in the franchise game and has mostly transferred that to the test arena.
However, the All Blacks were well beaten in their World Cup semifinal against England when they patently failed to come up with a Plan B when out-muscled up front, and last year Foster’s men won just half of their six tests in an inconsistent campaign.
Already in 2021 Barrett has declared his keenness to return to 10 after a stint in Japan, indicating we may at last see a straight showdown for the firstreceiver position.
Backing that up has been the continued rise of his younger brother Jordie (used, with moderate success, on the wing last year), the Chiefs Damian McKenzie and Crusaders Will Jordan as form fullbacks in the domestic game. They offer compelling alternatives at the back.
So far in 2021 Foster has refused to be drawn on how he’s going to work the BarrettMo’unga
situation. In May he said he had heard Barrett’s preference to play at 10.
‘‘You always listen to your players,’’ he said then. ‘‘Every player has an opinion and they seem to get more vocal at expressing them. I’ve always known that ... him and I have a lot of conversations.’’
He was less inclined to speculate in that area after the July squad announcement in Auckland. When asked if Barrett and Mo’unga were set to go head to head for the 10 role, he told the Star-Times: ‘‘Possibly could . . . no guarantees.’’
The reality is he’s likely to give both starts at 10 through the Tonga and Fiji tests when he can be fluid with selections as he works towards establishing a top lineup for the weightier challenges of Australia, Argentina and South Africa that follow.
Foster made it clear he is much more concerned in nailing
things down in midfield where the injury to Jack Goodhue and departure of Ngani Laumape leave him shy of experienced options. Anton Lienert-Brown will likely miss the first two tests after a minor elbow procedure, while Braydon Ennor was a late cry-off with a dose of appendicitis.
That leaves David Havili (three tests in 2017), Rieko Ioane (a single test start at centre), and the uncapped Quinn Tupaea as midfield options for the first couple of outings.
‘‘There are going to be opportunities for players to put their hands up in that space,’’ said Foster. ‘‘I expect a lot of hard work to go into that group and we need to spend time assessing exactly what we want out of our midfield.’’
It’s likely Havili, a heady type, gets first crack at No 12 on the back of a standout campaign for the Crusaders there, but the All Blacks’ coaches are clearly intrigued by Tupaea, who they see as an investment in the future.
‘‘He’s a big, strong lad, touches the ball a lot, has a high handle count, lots of involvements, and postcontact his carry metres are strong,’’ said selector Grant Fox.
Added Foster: ‘‘He’s very confident, carries hard, and looks for continuity. He’s grown from last year when he played centre for the Chiefs and probably struggled a bit defensively.’’
Wing also looks a wide open selection area, while loose forward shapes as a fluid space, with options galore. They will look at Dalton Papalii at No 7 after his excellent campaign for the Blues, while Hoskins Sotutu might have earned first crack at No 8.
Loosehead prop is another area where they will be looking closely in the absence of Joe Moody. Karl Tu’inukuafe is now the senior figure, while the uncapped Bower and Ethan de Groot get the chance to stake claims. Expect Foster to use most of the 35 players at his disposal as he nails down a top lineup.
‘‘There are going to be opportunities for players to put their hands up . . .’’ All Blacks coach Ian Foster