All Blacks: Kieran Read makes blunt revelation on which position is best for Ardie Savea
Former All Blacks skipper Kieran Read (inset) and the men in black's current captain Ardie Savea.
All Blacks legend Kieran Read has revealed that he would prefer Ardie Savea to focus on playing on the flank instead of number eight for the men in black.
Savea made his Test debut against Wales at Eden Park in 2016 and since then he has made more than 100 appearances for the All Blacks, packing down at number eight as well as on the openside and blindside flanker positions for his country.
This past Saturday, he captained the All Blacks from the number eight position during a narrow 34-32 Nations Championship triumph over France alongside Luke Jacobson and Peter Lakai, who started on the openside and blindside respectively in an exciting back-row.
Read appeared on The Good, The Bad & Rugby podcast alongside former All Blacks scrum-half Justin Marshall and ex-Wallabies hooker Jeremy Paul and the latter said he feels Savea should be playing on the openside flank instead of number eight.
‘He needs to touch the ball 10, 15 times a game’
“I’m just going to throw this hand grenade here. Ardie Savea at seven. Look, for me, personally, he needs to touch the ball 10, 15 times a game, like as in running, like he needs, and every time I’ve seen him play seven, he gets his hands more on the ball.
“I don’t know if this is a structural thing within New Zealand. I know you guys play that two, six, eight, seven split where they’re running those sort of channels, the 15 metre channels, but I just, I just felt like Ardie’s such a good player.
“He had one incredible run, but he’s normally doing that seven, 10 times a game if he’s playing at seven.
“I think I would like to see him at seven.”
Former All Blacks skipper and number eight Read, who made 127 Test appearances for his country, agreed and said he feels Savea makes a greater impact on the game when he plays as an openside flanker.
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“I’m the same, probably, I caveat that he hasn’t played in, I don’t know how long since he played. He’s been playing in Japan, right, and that level is down,” he said.
‘We want to see him with his hands on the ball’
“He hasn’t played for a month or whatever, but yeah, I think we want to see him with his hands on the ball.
“We want Ardie having the impact that he does normally have around the ball, so what position allows him to be as close to the ball throughout the 80 minutes, and I think it is seven.
“I think at number eight, just the way it is, and we talk about it doesn’t matter what number you’ve got on your back, but there’s certain things there that just give him periods of inactivity when he was at eight on the weekend.
“So, I think at seven is probably best, take nothing away from (Luke) Jacobson who had an amazing game, but he could play at six and do exactly what he did on the weekend.
“But as you say, you want Ardie, he’s our best player alongside Will Jordan out the back, so get him around that ball. He’s got to have an impact.”