Backline utility a tough one for Foster
Anton-Lienert Brown will be back, and the chief talking point looks to be whether Waikato backline team-mate Damian McKenzie joins him on the comeback trail with the All Blacks, on their four-test northern tour to round out the rollercoaster ride in 2022.
If you were a betting man, perhaps a fiver on incumbent
Stephen Perofeta to hold his spot as the back-up at both 10 and
15 (what has he done wrong, after all?), with McKenzie instructed to earn his way back via the alternate avenue of coach Leon MacDonald’s All Blacks XV. But it’s a close call, for sure.
All Blacks coach Ian Foster will unveil his touring squad today for tests against Japan, Wales, Scotland and England, and all indications are it will be a pretty familiar group as he sticks almost exclusively with the players who eventually got the job done in the Rugby Championship.
Given that Foster is fast running out of tests to fine-tune World Cup preparations, it’s unlikely he takes any risks with the men he takes north – set to number around 36. In other words, expect ‘‘bolters’’ to be in short supply as the coach continues to build a familiarity and rhythm with his top group.
Remember, the All Blacks have
yet to post back-to-back convincing performances in 2022 where their record stands at a stark 5-4. For all their trophy success at the tail end of the championship, they’ve still intertwined quality hitouts with major missteps. Even Foster admits consistency has been their main failing thus far.
But there is likely to be room for a new (or old) face or two, with long-term injuries to midfielders Quinn Tupaea and Jack Goodhue creating openings in the backline mix, and maybe some close decisions in spots such as third halfback and hooker.
One thing seems certain: Experienced midfielder LienertBrown will be ushered back into black, providing everything goes according to plan in his longawaited return from a dislocated shoulder in today’s NPC
quarterfinal against Bay of Plenty.
That’s a no-brainer. The 27-year-old 56-test midfielder is an important All Black, on and off the field.
McKenzie’s selection is more problematic, even though the 40-test utility has been part of the national set-up since 2016 and has long been considered a valuable backline utility.
He hasn’t recaptured premium form since his return from a playing stint in Japan, and he essentially competes with a younger version of himself in the form of the slick Perofeta who also covers 10 and 15, has gamechanging ability, and is the incumbent backup.
Foster’s decision is helped by having the All Blacks XV with their pair of second-tier internationals as an alternate avenue. It essentially allows the coach, who
will also select that group, to use it as his development arm.
It’s possible he could squeeze both Perofeta and McKenzie into his main touring group, given the fact regular fullback Jordie Barrett is now essentially part of the midfield, but that might be a luxury he resists.
The other positions where Foster and his selectors might have wrestled a bit would be at third halfback and hooker. Do they persevere with youngster Folau Fakatava, or direct him to gain valuable experience with the XV? Brad Weber is a capable alternative. And similarly, has the dynamic Asafo Aumua done enough with some brilliant NPC form to unseat veteran hooker Dane Coles?
All will be made clear today when Foster unveils his touring group.