Did Mo’unga do enough to claw back No 10?
All Blacks coach Ian Foster revealed that up to four positions were under the microscope ahead of the test against Wales in Cardiff this weekend.
The question now is whether those players under the looking glass did enough to warrant selection during the blitzkrieg in Washington, DC.
Although Foster wouldn’t go into specifics about which players were fighting for a game at the Principality Stadium, he had obvious reasons to be satisfied following the 104-14 rout of the United States on Sunday morning.
‘‘We got to Wales . . . with a little bit of contact under our belt and really delighted with some of the skills stuff that we have been able to put out on the park,’’ Foster said after watching his side run in 16 tries against a hopelessly outgunned US side. ‘‘And it gives us a good launching pad for what is going to be a big month.’’
Foster made his move within seconds of saying ‘‘three or four’’ players had been under scrutiny. Don’t go asking who, he stated.
The team to play Wales will be made public on Friday.
When trying to solve selection mysteries, it sometimes pays to look at the history. The loose forwards, first five-eighth and the wings may have been under the most scrutiny at FedEx Field.
Openside flanker Dalton Papalii, blindside flanker Luke Jacobson and No 8 Hoskins Sotutu started against the US. Of that trio, only Jacobson was required – at No 8 – for the test against the Springboks on the Gold Coast on October 2.
For Papalii the Washington, DC, experience was his first appearance since September 12, when he started against Argentina on the Gold Coast and suffered a calf strain.
Openside flanker Sam Cane, in his first test of the year, took the field as a replacement in the second half but isn’t likely to be rushed into the run-on team in Cardiff following his long absence due to injury.
Jacobson, potentially, could have done the most to warrant selection for Cardiff.
In terms of physicality at the breakdown, the US couldn’t go close to matching the ruthless efficiency presented by the Springboks against the All Blacks three weeks earlier.
‘‘It became largely a skill-based game for the loose forwards, didn’t it?’’ Foster said. ‘‘And I think in that area, Hoskins and Luke did really, really well.
‘‘They showed their catch-pass running lines and all that sort of stuff. And yet when we were asked a few questions, I thought we started to see the physicality in the tackle and the clean-out.
‘‘So good signs, there.’’ Ardie Savea, not required for the US game, is certain to play against Wales. It’s less clear in which spot. He started at openside flanker in his most recent outing against the Springboks, after previously operating at No 8.
Richie Mo’unga and Beauden Barrett remain locked in a battle for the No 10 jersey.
Mo’unga was efficient against the US in just his first run-on start since the August 14 test against the Wallabies in Auckland, but he was rarely under pressure.
Right wing Will Jordan, who scored three tries at FedEx Field to bump his tally up to 15 in 10 tests, was dropped after a quiet game against the Springboks in Townsville on September 25.
This was Jordan’s first outing since that fixture. He looked fast, sharp and often hunted for extra work.
But the US defence was often soft and lacked bite. That wasn’t Jordan’s fault. He could only play what was in front of him.