Tensions obvious between rivals
come into the frame to start at No 12 at Eden Park in the continued absence of Sonny Bill Williams, who has a shoulder injury. But the All Blacks selectors are also looking at Ngani Laumape to fill that role. Hurricane Vince Aso could be called into the All Blacks squad as cover for Ryan Crotty as the selectors survey the collateral damage following their dominant performance against the Wallabies in Sydney.
The team have one hand on the Bledisloe Cup but will have to finish the job with different personnel at Eden Park on Saturday, although there are unlikely to be too many changes to the pack, who turned the screw mercilessly on the Wallabies at ANZ Stadium.
Anton Lienert-Brown or Ngani Laumape will start in the No 12 jersey alongside the excellent Jack Goodhue, with a change also needed on the left wing following Rieko Ioane’s hamstring strain which will sideline him for two weeks.
All Blacks coach Steve Hansen, an admirer of the uncapped Aso, said in the aftermath of the 38-13 victory that he would make inquiries into the health of the 23-year-old who has performed strongly for the Hurricanes the past two seasons.
Aso has a wrist injury, which could complicate matters. If he is unavailable, the All Blacks are likely to back It was a little unusual in the build-up to the first Bledisloe Cup test that there was no verbal sparring between the respective coaches or obvious attempt by one team to unsettle the other.
But there was still plenty of tension and edge on Saturday night which kicked in as the two sides waited to sing the national anthems.
Curiously, with both teams lined up ready to get on with it, they had to wait while the Wallabies’ main sponsor, Qantas, had an advert played on the stadium’s big screen.
What was even more intriguing was that the advert celebrated the airline’s diversity policy.
Intriguing, because it made for 90 genuinely awkward seconds for those who could see the juxtaposition of the sponsor’s stance with that of the team’s star player.
What must Wallabies fullback Israel Folau have made of a promotion that celebrated gay marriage — a topic on which he has been fiercely opposed?
It may have looked that the most obvious place the Wallabies were out of kilter was in their lineout work, but perhaps those 90 seconds alluded to a bigger problem — that the Australian Rugby Union has an impossible situation to manage with Folau.
The pressure is bearing down on rugby administrations all over the world to embrace more inclusive policies and genuinely present as a diverse sport, and yet the ARU, until now, has been reticent to reign in Folau for the homophobic views he’s expressed on social media.
Clearly, given the fullback’s talent themselves to get through without him. Sonny Bill Williams remains out with a shoulder injury, leaving only three fit midfielders.
Nehe Milner-Skudder will come into the frame as Ioane’s replacement after successfully getting through Manawatu’s victory over Waikato on Saturday, with Ben Smith a possibility to move to wing from fullback, which would allow Damian McKenzie or Jordie Barrett to start in the No 15 jersey.
Right wing Waisake Naholo left the pitch with a sore shoulder but the prognosis is good and he should be available to play at Eden Park and is likely to start, if fit. He had a standout performance in which he bagged two tries and had the Aussies in fits with his pace and probing runs.
There were many good stories for Hansen to reflect on, including the storming performance of lock Brodie Retallick on his comeback and the sustained excellence of skipper Kieran Read on his own return.
There was also the composed performance of midfielder Goodhue in only his second test but the head coach believed Naholo, in particular, had a breakout performance.
“I thought he stood up and had the
and standing, the ARU doesn’t want to lose him to a rival code — especially not a year before the World Cup — but the tension between sponsor and player is obvious and not sustainable.
Just as clear after the game was the tension between the two rival playing camps.
After the usual handshakes, the Wallabies, almost to a man, traipsed off to the changing sheds, despite them knowing the All Blacks were having an unofficial ceremony to present Sam Whitelock with his centurion cap.
The fact it was an unofficial celebration said plenty in itself, as even the English, after a bit of persuasion, allowed the All Blacks to have the run of Twickenham to officially honour Daniel Carter when he played his 100th test in London.
World Rugby made the same best game he’s had in an All Blacks jersey,” Hansen said. “He carried well, particularly early when we didn’t have a lot of room down that side.
“A number of times, he carried close to the line, stayed in, kept the ball alive. He’s great in the wide rucks — one of the reasons why we picked him is we thought threre would be opportunities out there. He ran with real purpose and will build a lot of confidence out of that.”
There was a feeling before this test that Goodhue, 23, was on the brink of a standout performance after his debut against France in Dunedin in June and he didn’t disappoint. His defence was tidy as usual but he continually damaged the Wallabies with his straight running and distribution skills.
Asked if Goodhue’s development had been quick, Hansen said: “When you think about it, though, it hasn’t been that quick. He’s been in as a replacement player, he’s been around the environment a long time.
“He’s got the bonus of being a Crusader, where you are rubbing shoulders with the boss [Read] and feeling comfortable being around those big-time players, so I think that helps that process a little bit.” Israel Folau takes hold of Beauden Barrett during the test.
allowance for Ma’a Nonu after the test against Tonga in Newcastle at the 2015 World Cup, and in 2012, under a different regime, Keven Mealamu was officially honoured in Brisbane.
But not only was Whitelock’s moment off the books, only four Wallabies hung around to acknowledge the moment.
Will Genia made a point of walking across to shake Whitelock’s hand and Michael Hooper, Bernard Foley and Crusaders teammate Pete Samu stayed out to see the presentation alongside former All Blacks skills coach Mick Byrne, who now does the same job with the Wallabies.
But that was it, as the rest of the Wallabies thought it was more important to begin the debrief and planning for this week than honour a rival player making his 100th test appearance.