11 players who must take their Test chance including two Springbok veterans, a future Ireland leader and late call-up
Split with All Black Stephen Perofeta, England's Freddie Steward and Springbok Frans Malherbe
The mid-year Test window is in full swing and already there has been much development shown as the new World Cup cycle gets underway.
We pick out 11 players who will be desperate to perform well this weekend as it is an important time in the context of their careers for various reasons.
All Blacks v England
Finlay Christie
The injury to TJ Perenara may be a door closed for the veteran for now but it is a door opened for Christie who looked sharp when he came on last time out. The Blues man adds a lovely tempo to the attack and has a good enough kicking game.
With Aaron Smith departing as well as injuries to Cam Roigard and Perenara, there is a massive opportunity for the 28-year-old to put in a strong claim for the jersey while he has the chance.
Stephen Perofeta
The full-back was solid against England in the opener as he left Ben Earl on his knees before playing in Ardie Savea for one of the tries.
Perofeta fits the mould of how Scott Robertson wants to shape his attack but when the All Blacks struggled to get over the gainline due to England’s rush defence, the coach was forced to bring Beauden Barrett on for the last quarter and lean on his kicking game for territory and game management.
It was no fault of Perofeta who hopefully won’t be a victim of the system not working. That is out of his control and all he needs to do is put in another strong shift and capitalise on any chances he gets.
Freddie Steward
The towering full-back has fallen out of favour to George Furbank who has been sensational in England white, however, the incumbent has been ruled out late on due to a back issue, opening the door to Steward.
The Leicester Tiger is master of the skies and overall a very solid full-back with Test experience but perhaps his lack of pace does not suit the England structures at the minute. Still, Steward will know how perfect of a window this is and who knows a monster performance at one of the hardest venues to visit could force a rethink from head coach Steve Borthwick.
Fin Baxter
A highly-rated youngster who did so well last weekend when he had to come on early for Joe Marler. Baxter looked great in the loose and solid in the scrum. It was hard to think it was his Test debut. Now he will have to show he can build an innings from the start at Eden Park.
There is a lot to be excited about with Baxter who is surely the future for England at tighthead. Getting one over Tyrel Lomax would be a great place to start.
Kwagga Smith
Unlike some of the other players on the list, Smith has been there and done but mostly from the bench in his trademark impact role. Against Ireland, he had the chance to start at number eight with Jasper Wiese injured and as a preference to Evan Roos. It was a mixed outing last time out as he was solid in his usual ways but struggled under the high ball and kick receipts.
Now there is no way we are suggesting his career is in trouble but he does have a chance to show that he is a starting option to Rassie Erasmus and even if the likelihood is that the veteran coach does not decide to take him up on it when Wiese returns Smith will still be desperate to bounce back.
Frans Malherbe
The veteran tighthead climbs to third in the list for most starts as a Springboks prop this weekend behind Tendai Mtawarira and Os du Randt but his mind will be focused on bouncing back from a flat performance last weekend when Ireland’s Andrew Porter gave him hell in the scrums.
Malherbe is a legendary Springbok but at 33 one wonders if he will be present at the next World Cup in 2027 and the pressure will be on this week considering how impactful Vincent Koch was from the bench against Ireland. Still, there is every chance the world-class prop will bounce back on Saturday as we are well aware of his quality.
Caelan Doris
There is a natural leadership succession taking place in the Ireland camp with Doris, not for the first time, being handed the captain’s armband with Peter O’Mahony on the bench. Of course, the role depends on O’Mahony’s performance levels because if the Munsterman is on the park he leads but if the balance of the forward pack this weekend works it could be the beginning of the end for the veteran.
Doris is the ideal man for the job; he is on top of his game most weeks, commands respect from his colleagues and importantly knows how to navigate a referee. The Springboks game is a great platform for Doris to underline that he is the man when O’Mahony hangs up his boots.
Jamie Osborne
To make such a positive impact during such a high-intensity debut as he did last weekend was extremely impressive. We have seen his quality for a long time now and it was always the question whether or not it would translate on the highest stage. The answer is yes.
He keeps out the more experienced Ciaran Frawley this weekend and the young star will know he needs to be on it again. Osborne has a chance to force Andy Farrell to keep him in the starting mix with another strong performance.
Wallabies v Wales
Noah Lolesio
After being capped as a really young player by Australia the playmaker fell out of favour and has had to go back to the drawing board. Stephen Larkham at the Brumbies has got him back to his best and he looks a great player.
Lolesio was still a bit error-heavy against Wales but showed great potential. He is one of the more complete 10s in the country with a good balance between attack and game management. All the ingredients are there, he just needs to build on his confidence which is why we think it was excellent to keep him in the starting line-up this week.
A talented Ben Donaldson is on the bench so Lolesio will know his chance to make an impact must come this weekend.
Charlie Cale
The young number eight comes into a shuffled back-row and it might just work. Cale is very, very athletic and loves to get stuck in on both sides of the ball. He formed a brilliant back-row with Rob Valetini and others in Super Rugby and that familiarity will be a massive help this weekend.
We are big Liam Wright fans but in truth, this back-row looks more balanced than last weekend. Head coach Joe Schmidt is very much learning about his players still and any stand-out performances will stick.
James Botham
The grandson of legendary cricketer Sir Ian Botham has a job to do this week as he comes on at blindside in the wake of Aaron Wainwright’s injury. Botham debuted in 2020 but has been in and out of the set-up for Wales making this an interesting occasion.
It truly seems as though Warren Gatland is searching for his best team so like in the case of the Wallabies any big performances will stick. It is over the back-row himself to seize the day.
