All Blacks legend: Dave Rennie has clearly ‘established and defined the roles’ of the loose forwards as ‘tough’ Sam Cane-esque flanker stars
All Blacks forward Luke Jacobson and an inset of Mils Muliaina
Dave Rennie has been praised for clearly defining the roles of the All Blacks’ loose forwards in his first game in charge of New Zealand.
The new head coach sprung a selection surprise in his loose trio by naming Chiefs captain Luke Jacobson in the number seven jersey for the opening game of the All Blacks’ season against France.
The 29-year-old endured a tough start to the game, conceding a couple of penalties, but bounced back to produce a standout performance that caught the eye of three former All Blacks.
Luke Jacobson versus France
One of which was legendary outside back Jeff Wilson, who praised the flanker for rising to the occasion with so many eyeballs on him as he donned the famous number seven jersey, which comes with additional pressures.
“He performed when the spotlight was on him,” Wilson said on Sky Sports NZ’s Breakdown show.
“The fact is that all of a sudden he was presented in a jersey that was unfamiliar to a lot of people, but he went out there and delivered a really strong and tough performance.
“Dave Rennie described him as tough; that’s exactly what he was in this game: hardworking, industrious and then there were some really subtle touches which showed his class.
“Now, let’s be fair, this was a really open affair. They’ll be looking at other parts of the game against other opposition where it might be a little bit tighter, but the effort, the composure, it was a really nice performance.”
Balanced All Blacks’ performance
Former full-back Mils Muliaina also hailed the flanker’s performance but reserved praise for head coach Rennie for clearly defining the roles of the respective back-rowers, which allowed them to perform as an effective unit.
“The clarity in the roles. All three loosies played different parts of that loose trio role, and Jacobson worked really hard defensively,” Muliaina remarked.
“He was solid, made some great tackles and even got a couple of turnovers. Ardie (Savea) did the same. Then you got Peter Lakai; that worked out a little bit wider. So I like that part, and that’s sort of when we bring up the point about, did we get that mix right? Particularly when they’ve only been together for 10 days.”
Wilson then turned to the stats and pointed out how busy the likes of captain Savea and Jacobson were on defence. While Lakai was less industrious in that regard, the ex-winger said that can’t be put down to a lack of effort but rather just his positioning in defence.
However, he did notice another aspect of the Hurricanes star’s performance – the number of times he passed the ball. “If you look at the stats out of this game, you can clearly see how the All Blacks used particular players. Peter Lakai was really positive in the way he carried the ball, but then you see he has six passes in the game,” he said.
“He is getting his hands on the ball in the game where he’s not looking for contact; he’s looking for support players around him. And then there’s that work rate you’re getting out of your seven and eight, particularly at tackle time. Quite often that can just be the flow of the game.
“At blindside flanker, you might not often be in the inside channels defending. You’re filling a lot of spaces. So it doesn’t mean you’re not executing, but for Ardie it was a really industrious performance. His work rate in getting in and around the ball, getting to work defensively, as we can see there, that accuracy. That’s how he led; it wasn’t with the flash, it was with effort.”
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Sam Cane-esque performance
Former fly-half Stephen Donald likened Jacobson to his former Chiefs teammate Sam Cane, saying that he brings a similar abrasive edge on defence. “Jacobson stood out for me,” he said.
“Jacobson will probably stand out even more when it is a tighter, more confrontational game because he is there to be that physical big defender presence, like he properly bangs. Like they used to talk about what Sam Cane used to do physically in every tackle, that’s sort of what Luke Jacobson is and how he defends.”
In Rennie’s first game in charge, the head coach opted to include 2024 World Rugby Breakthrough Player of the Year Wallace Sititi on the bench. The back-row performed well against the French, but Donald believes that Sititi can force his way into the run-on team.
“Well, of course, he can become a starter. About 12 months ago, he was one of the best players in the world,” he remarked while Wilson argued that the loose trio will change several times this year because of the demanding schedule ahead of them.
“This is an attritional sport,” the winger said. “We play the Springboks forward four times in a row, four weeks in a row.”
Changes are bound to occur
Asked if the All Blacks are any closer to knowing what the best loose trio combination is, Wilson replied: “Everyone is going to get an opportunity.
“They’re going to want to see Anton Segner probably, maybe this week against Italy, but I look across the board. What role will Simon Parker play? But like I say, there are four Tests in a row against the Springboks.
“People are going to have a week off, and it’s how the other players take their opportunity. And I’ve got great confidence in Wallace Sititi, Simon Parker and Anton Segner, the role that they’re going to play.”
Muliaina concluded the debate but again pointed to how Rennie has given clarity to his loose forwards as to what he expects from them. “One thing we have established now is we’ve defined the roles of those particular positions,” he said.
“Every player will bring something a little bit different, but right now what Luke Jacobson has done defensively, man, he was good.”
