Weber keeps dream alive
Brad Weber is still gunning for a place in next year’s World Cup squad despite not hearing his name called out among the 51 players the All Blacks selected for their upcoming tour to Japan and Europe.
The 27-year-old halfback felt he was a decent chance of returning to an expanded All Blacks squad after his one test appearance off the bench against Samoa in Apia in 2015.
With Aaron Smith, TJ Perenara and Te Toiroa Tahuriorangi again picked as New Zealand’s three leading No 9s, Crusaders Mitchell Drummond and Bryn Hall were chosen ahead of Weber in the wider squad of 19 players heading to Tokyo for the November 3 test against Japan.
There was no problem for Weber contacting All Blacks assistant coach Ian Foster to ‘‘pick his brains’’ as his omission effectively makes him New Zealand’s sixth best halfback, but he was assured of still being in the thoughts of national selectors with the next World Cup on the horizon in Japan.
‘‘He explained to me that I was in the conversation. I’m close as you can get really,’’ the Chiefs and Hawke’s Bay halfback said of his phone call with Foster.
‘‘I just wanted to chat to him more about next year, getting myself up to give the World Cup squad as decent a crack as I can, so that’s what I wanted to talk about with him – moving forward with a positive perspective.
‘‘We’ve chatted a few times over the years about things they wanted me to work on.’’
Weber said he would keep those improvements the All Blacks coaches have asked for close to his chest ahead of touring Chicago and South America with the New Zealand Ma¯ori squad next month. But he certainly felt ‘‘pretty close’’ to being included in an especially large All Blacks squad after returning for his first full season of Super Rugby following the leg break he suffered in February last year.
‘‘I know there are a few other good nines running around at the moment, so there is competition, but I thought I had been playing pretty well this year. I definitely thought I had a decent chance.’’
Weber was touted as the next third All Blacks halfback for the June series against France after Tawera Kerr-Barlow’s departure to France.
But his younger Chiefs teammate, 23-year-old Tahuriorangi, would take that spot, earning his first call-up in May, and he made his test debut off the bench against Argentina in Nelson last month.
Tahuriorangi and Weber initially traded who was wearing the No 9 jersey in Super Rugby
before the latter cemented his position as the starting halfback for the Chiefs.
However, the All Blacks seem keen on developing a younger player – like Tahuriorangi – behind incumbent halfbacks Smith and Perenara so all Weber can do is keep performing as best he can to give national selectors a nudge.
Weber is contracted with NZ Rugby through to 2020 but does have an out clause in his contract after the World Cup, meaning a potential move overseas could be instigated a year earlier, although he said he hadn’t given that much thought.
After the Chiefs lost 32-31 in their quarterfinal to the Hurricanes, Weber’s attention turned to representing his home province, Hawke’s Bay, who are in the promotion picture after finishing third in the Championship standings.
Their Championship semifinal is against Otago in Dunedin tomorrow.
‘‘We’ve chatted a few times over the years about things they wanted me to work on.’’ Brad Weber on the All Blacks coaches