No room for Havili
A couple of Crusaders must be tempted, metaphorically speaking, to flick the All Blacks selectors the bird during the Super Rugby final in Christchurch.
They wouldn’t be human if they didn’t.
Although the Crusaders contributed 11 players to the 39-man All Blacks squad named this week, at least one more of their number could have made the cut.
Fullback David Havili, who is expected to start against the Jaguares as the Crusaders hunt a title three-peat on Saturday night, must be at the head of that list.
Havili, who played three tests in 2017 and has logged the most running metres this season, couldn’t convince the All Blacks selectors he deserved to join fellow Crusaders backs Richie Mo’unga, Jack Goodhue, Braydon Ennor, George Bridge and Sevu Reece in the squad.
It will be of little consolation to Havili that selector Grant Fox noted he had been in sparkling form this season.
‘‘He can’t do much more,’’ Fox said after the squad was revealed. ‘‘He’s played well, he was in the conversation no doubt about that. But we can’t pick everybody.’’
Fox acknowledged Havili could also play in the midfield, but suggested that versatility was still not enough.
‘‘When you go to a Rugby World Cup you need some utility value because you can only pick 31,’’ Fox said.
‘‘Guys who can play multiple positions. You don’t want too many of them, but you want enough to make sure you have got your bases covered.
‘‘The main reason around that is if you get injuries and want to keep guys on, then you need utility value to help cover that. Because if we replace a player during the World Cup, he’s gone.’’
Havili won’t have been the only member of the Crusaders to feel disappointed.
Halfbacks Bryn Hall and Mitchell Drummond, who were picked to tour Japan with the All Blacks last year, were also overlooked. And although his chances were remote, one-test No 10 Brett Cameron has had to accept he hasn’t been invited back to build depth at playmaker.
Their mood will contrast with those who will feel as if they are floating on a magic carpet ride, having been named in the All Blacks for the first time.
Wing Sevu Reece and wing/ centre Braydon Ennor have forced their way into World Cup contention with impressive performances during the current campaign.
The timing of the All Blacks squad announcement also means Crusaders coach Scott Robertson will have to carefully manage his emotionally-charged players ahead of the final.
Some, such as Reece and Ennor, may want to go out and play like men possessed to show the world they deserve their promotion. Havili also has a point to prove, and Robertson may caution him to not go overboard and unwittingly do something that proves detrimental to the greater cause.
It’s going to be crucial that the coaches, and players, strike the right note with their preparations; Robertson said as much after the 30-26 win over the Hurricanes in the semifinal.
‘‘We will just take that [the All Blacks squad naming] head-on, and congratulate the guys that make it,’’ Robertson said. ‘‘And the ones that haven’t, get around them and console them.
‘‘And then realise there is potentially going to be another opportunity if they play in the final and keep putting on pressure.
‘‘There is going to be injuries and that is part of the game. Their job . . . is to keep playing well, and you never know.’’
The Crusaders will name their starting team today. Ennor could start at centre, with Ryan Crotty out with a broken thumb.
Another All Black, lock Scott Barrett, has also been scratched because of a damaged finger. Luke Romano could be promoted to start.