All Blacks team: Five takeaways as Beauden Barrett ‘out in the cold’ after Dave Rennie’s ‘continuity’ selection
Beauden Barrett in action for the All Blacks and Hurricanes star Josh Moorby.
Following the announcement of the All Blacks team for their Nations Championship clash against Italy, here are our five takeaways from Dave Rennie’s selections.
Consistent and… conservative?
Given that Italy are the weakest team the All Blacks will be playing in the July Tests, it would have been the best time to experiment, but Rennie has opted for continuity. There is the odd selection call, with five changes made in total, but bringing in the likes of Tupou Vaa’i, Wallace Sititi, Leroy Carter, Billy Proctor and Tyrel Lomax is hardly raising eyebrows.
Vaa’i is an automatic first choice and only missed out on the France game due to concussion, while it could be argued that Sititi and Lomax actually strengthen the All Blacks XV. Equally, Proctor and Carter were regulars under Scott Robertson last year, with the latter perhaps only being held back for this clash having just returned from injury.
There is no sight in the starting line-up for any of the bolters with last weekend’s debutants Fehi Fineanganofo – albeit injured – and Xavier Numia out of the 23 altogether. There is space on the bench for two more newbies in the form of Anton Segner and Josh Moorby, but Rennie is being cautious about introducing the rookies.
It was the type of conservative thinking that Robertson was criticised for plenty during his two years in charge, but as we found out last weekend, that doesn’t really matter when the team performs the way it did. While there is plenty of improvement needed, supporters and former players were left satisfied by the way in which they went about the game.
Beauden Barrett
Yet again, the All Blacks centurion finds himself out of the reckoning. Barrett’s absence from the France Test was not a surprise, but we expected him to come into the equation for the Italy encounter. However, Rennie has once again kept him on the sidelines, raising doubts about where he fits in this new regime.
The head coach has been full of praise for Barrett, but that has not yet translated into a position in the 23. Instead, Ruben Love and Damian McKenzie continue in the playmaking positions at fly-half and full-back, respectively, with the Chiefs man taking over at 10 should Love go off.
With Rennie deciding not to experiment, it has rather left Barrett out in the cold, and it could be a while before he returns to the 23, certainly at Test level. After the Nations Championship, they head to South Africa, where he will no doubt feature in the warm-up games, but at the moment, the All Blacks boss does not see him as being part of the first team.
Two more debutants
After Numia and Fineanganofo made their Test bows against France, this weekend it is the turn of Segner and Moorby to get their opportunity. Both have earned their spots after outstanding seasons at Super Rugby Pacific level for the Blues and Hurricanes, respectively.
The former is a flanker who has a varied skill set. Excellent in most facets, whether it be at the breakdown, in the tackle or at the lineout, his work ethic is something Rennie will love. Segner is also good in the carry, but it is his close-quarter work, much like Luke Jacobson, which complements the other two back-rowers.
As for Moorby, he joined Fineanganofo in breaking the previous Super Rugby single-season try-scoring record of 16. In the final, the 27-year-old touched down twice to take his tally for the campaign up to 17, alongside his team-mate. The ‘Canes star is a quick and well-balanced runner, but he is also outstanding in the air, which is vital in the modern game.
Missed opportunities
It has been touched on briefly but, while continuity is important, it has resulted in some odd selections. Starting in the front-row, Codie Taylor is 35 and, at that age, there is a possibility his form might completely drop off, so someone like Samisoni Taukei’aho needs time in the starting role.
Taukei’aho’s set-piece work is ahead of Asafo Aumua, who at the moment is the ideal impact option, and therefore this would have been the perfect opportunity to have him in the number two jersey with Aumua on the bench.
That would also allow a repeat of last weekend’s trick of having an all-Hurricanes replacement front-row, particularly with Pasilio Tosi returning from a niggle. Tosi is involved this weekend, but the other prop option on the bench is George Bower, a reliable enough loosehead but only someone Rennie should be calling on if injury occurs.
Staying in the pack and there is also an argument to keep Jamie Hannah involved this weekend despite the return of Vaa’i. Hannah was a late replacement for Patrick Tuipulotu against France and made his debut in the second period, and giving him a more prominent role in Wellington would have aided his development.
Elsewhere, there can’t be too many complaints, although starting at least one of the rookies would have been supported by the fans, and the continued omission of Kyle Preston is bemusing. Hopefully, the Crusaders scrum-half gets his chance next weekend.
The Hurricanes axis
Many called for the new regime to start much of the Hurricanes’ backline and leave it at that. It was beyond the realms of possibility for the All Blacks to have six players from the Wellington franchise behind the scrum, with Will Jordan the sole non-Canes star.
As it happened, just the three started their Nations Championship opener – the key playmaking trio of Cam Roigard, Love and Jordie Barrett – but that has increased to four with the addition of Proctor.
The centre played plenty of times for the All Blacks last year, but he struggled to make a mark. However, thanks to Rennie’s more up-tempo, attacking style, Proctor surely has a better chance to replicate his Super Rugby form at Test level.
The Hurricanes’ axis is an interesting subplot and one which will be watched with interest. Quinn Tupaea had a magnificent outing last weekend, but Proctor plays week in, week out with the other three decision-makers, so can he eclipse Tupaea on his home ground in New Zealand’s capital?