Ins and outs, and challenges ahead for ABs
Suddenly it’s the game we’re all waiting for.
It wasn’t so long ago that All Blacks captain Kieran Read was wondering aloud if South Africa remained our greatest rugby foe. Next thing you know they’ve beaten New Zealand 36-34 at Westpac Stadium and the rivalry begins anew.
You assume the All Blacks will avenge that defeat when the teams reconvene at Loftus Versfeld in Pretoria on Sunday. Only you can’t say for sure and that’s why South Africa’s win in Wellington was such a shot in the arm for international footy.
That air of uncertainty has also added an element of intrigue to the All Blacks’ team-naming, which we’ll pull apart a little, starting at centre. Time will tell if Jack Goodhue can become New Zealand’s firstchoice No 13. But you’d have to say his selection is a significant step in the right direction.
Neither Ryan Crotty, who he’s tipped out, or Sonny Bill Williams, who he’ll partner in midfield, have the best injury records so the All Blacks need to find genuine alternatives.
Here’s Goodhue’s chance to impress in a match of some consequence.
It’s interesting to see what happens with Crotty from here. He’s been a very good second-five, but that position is increasingly home to big men and explosive ball-carriers, which he’s not.
Centre, where there’s such a big defensive responsibility, has become the spot for players of Crotty’s ilk, but also where Goodhue has begun to excel too.
Crotty is a significant member of this squad off the park, where his work ethic, good humour and leadership are highly valued. He’s been similarly important in a playing sense and you wonder how Steve Hansen will handle everyone’s selection claims. There was a period when, if there was going to be an unlucky member of the back-three, it would be Waisake Naholo.
The most recent meeting between these two teams was a case in point, with Hansen feeling he needed players he could rely on to take defensive high balls. Out went Naholo, with Ben Smith moving to the right wing and Jordie Barrett in at fullback.
Through it all, Naholo has continued to deliver high-energy, eye-catching performances on right wing or left.
With Barrett not at his best in Wellington and Smith even more effective at fullback, it seems the No 14 jumper might be Naholo’s on a semi-permanent basis.
With all due respect to France and Argentina, you feel Shannon Frizell is about to confront the true realities of test rugby. It’s all very well to run through a few holes at Trafalgar Park, but the Springboks at Loftus will be a different challenge for the flanker.
Richie Mo’unga appears another young All Black on the move.
Much was expected of him in his starting debut, against Argentina in Nelson. Mo’unga acquitted himself fairly well, but there wasn’t the authority and accuracy so conspicuous in his Super Rugby performances.
He was always going to be better for the run, though, and that was immediately evident in last week’s 22-minute cameo in Buenos Aires. Mo’unga won’t start many tests between now and the next World Cup but, if he can prove himself a real gamechanger off the bench, then Damian McKenzie’s regular spot in the 23 could be in jeopardy.