All Blacks: Scott Robertson reveals why Beauden Barrett starts ahead of Damian McKenzie and his verdict on Ardie Savea
All Blacks fly-half Beauden Barrett and an inset of head coach Scott Robertson.
Scott Robertson has addressed several of his bold selection calls for the All Blacks’ first Test match of the year against France.
The head coach issued two debuts in the starting line-up, with Christian Lio-Willie given the nod at number eight while Fabian Holland partners Scott Barrett in the locks.
On the bench, Ollie Norris and Du’Plessis Kirifi are set to make their debuts for New Zealand from the bench.
Meanwhile, Robertson has backed Beauden Barrett to run the show from fly-half ahead of Damian McKenzie, with Rieko Ioane shifting to the wing as Billy Proctor features in the centres alongside Jordie Barrett.
Following the announcement of the team, Robertson addressed his selections, starting with Crusaders number eight Lio-Willie.
Ardie Savea at seven
The head coach believes that the loose forward has shown through his performances in Super Rugby Pacific that he is ready to make the jump up to international rugby.
“His performances the whole season, particularly in the last few weeks, have proved that,” Robertson explained.
“He came on the end-of-year tour with us, which is really important for him to understand how the week works, and he slotted straight in.”
His inclusion in the back-row means that Ardie Savea shifts from his regular spot at the back of the scrum to the side. The All Blacks veteran started his international career at flank, but following the retirement of Kieran Read, he has almost exclusively played in the number eight jersey.
However, he shone at openside flanker this season during his stint at Moana Pasifika, which influenced Robertson’s decision, but the coach admits that it’s unlikely to be a permanent selection.
“The good thing about Ardie is that he can play seven and eight extremely well,” he explained.
“He’s had a great year and played the majority of that at seven. So the balance and mix of this week is that he can finish at eight if he needs to and he’s mature, he’s 31 and been around for a while.
“Whatever is best for the team, he is in.”
Beauden Barrett over McKenzie
The starting All Blacks fly-half has always been a hotly debated position, and for the first game of the year, Barrett has got the nod to lead the backline ahead of McKenzie, who is named on the bench.
Robertson explained that the former’s Super Rugby form gave him the edge over McKenzie but he is pleased to have the selection headache.
“They both had good seasons, but we just felt that Beauden deserved the opportunity,” he said.
“The good thing about it is that it’s one of those selections where you have got two genuine options.
“Beauden has led the group really, really well and D-Mac can come off the bench to change or finish games. So it’s a good combo.”
Speaking of the bench, the All Blacks boss believes the coaching staff has selected the right kind of mix to finish games better. This was a real area of concern for much of Robertson’s first year in charge with New Zealand struggling to score points in the latter stages of matches.
“We’ve gone for a bit of balance and what complements us, where we sit in the game and the potential outcomes,” he explained.
“The ability for people to make impacts, to come on speed it up, and as I’ve mentioned before, the ability to play faster and the skill set to do it.”
Finally, the All Blacks are without props Tamiati Williams and Tyrel Lomax, with the former ruled out for the series through injury while the latter could return in time for the second Test.
“It’s week to week at the moment,” Robertson said of Lomax.
“We’ll see what he’s like and hope he recovers better with that calf for next week and we’ll make a call on Tuesday next week for it.”
