BIG GUNS LOCKED AND LOADED
Retallick back for 100th cap as All Blacks size up English
The selection of three locks in the All Blacks’ firstchoice starting team — and England’s contrasting approach to their sizeable forward pack — looms large over the highly anticipated rematch at Twickenham tomorrow morning.
Brodie Retallick is the focal figure for the All Blacks as he returns from a two-week suspension to notch his 100th test and break the world record second-row partnership with Sam Whitelock.
“There’s 11 players who have done it and I’ve been around for nine, so I’ve seen how special it is for the player and their family,” Retallick said. “It’s taken its time at the back end compared to the first 50 but I’m proud. It’s awesome to still be here and represent the country.”
While Retallick’s milestone dominates the pre-match focus, Scott Barrett’s switch to blindside could hold greater implications for this contest.
The decision to start Retallick, Whitelock and Barrett is not unexpected as All Blacks coach Ian Foster reinstates his incumbents, which includes Jordie Barrett’s return
to second five-eighth, for their final test of the year.
Selecting that locking trio does, however, set up an eerily familiar polar opposite approach that pits the All Blacks’ ability to target the lineout and embrace superior work rate against England’s ball carrying impact.
Codie Taylor getting the nod over powerhouse hooker Samisoni Taukei’aho and Mark Telea retaining the right wing role from Sevu Reece are the other selection points of contention, along with the twin loose forward and midfield options on the bench, but Barrett’s move to blindside for his third start there this year holds most intrigue.
“We tried it a couple of times this year and it worked well,” Foster said. “We’ve been really pleased when he’s played six for us. The first test against Ireland, when we had a massive performance, he was a part of that.
“There’s been a whole lot of circumstance, injuries and suspensions that have stopped us being able to dabble with that further but it feels right.”
England’s contrasting approach involves Maro Itoje switching from blindside to lock and Eddie Jones selecting two traditional No 8s, Sam Simmonds and Billy Vunipola, in a loose forward trio with Tom Curry.
While that leaves England shorn of a lineout target, they will clearly attempt to impose their power game on the All Blacks — just as they did so brutally in their World Cup semifinal three years ago.
“Ideally we would have three jumpers, but we feel we need that contest in the back row for this week,” Jones said. “Billy’s job is to get us over the gain line. If you can get over the gain line against New Zealand, you can present problems for their defence, and he has the opportunity to do that.”
Foster doesn’t need spies at England’s plush Pennyhill Park base in Bagshot to know the locals will favour physical force over subtlety.
“They know their game well,” Foster said. “They’re still searching for a few combinations but they’ll be up for it. They play a really strong pressure game and that’s what they’ll be looking to do against us.”
With his family among the 82,000 sellout crowd at Twickenham, Retallick hopes to savour the occasion alongside long-time locking mate Whitelock. In their 64th start together, Retallick and Whitelock will surpass Springboks legends Victor Matfield and Bakkies Botha’s record.
“To notch up one more is awesome. I looked up to those players and saw a lot of them when I was younger, so it will be awesome to say we’ve done that,” Retallick said.
As for his longstanding unspoken bond with Whitelock, Retallick offered: “It’s a relationship I cherish a lot. I’m pretty relaxed. He likes to nail his homework. He’s a farmer and a hunter and I don’t do that too much these days but we definitely get on.”
Last week against Scotland, the All Blacks needed a last-quarter surge from their bench to escape a tense 50-minute scoreless period in Edinburgh. To improve their six-test unbeaten run, they are likely to need similar impact from Taukei’aho and Shannon Frizell in particular.
“It’s been a bit of a roller-coaster,” said Retallick of the All Blacks’ eight win-four loss season. “But it’s the perfect challenge to come up against a big England pack and a skilled team to see where we’re at in the last game of the year.”