All Blacks team: Five takeaways as front-row to ‘break the bench’ while ‘unit’ retained for Ireland showdown
All Blacks team: Five takeaways as front row to 'break the bench' and 'unit' set for All Blacks return
Scott ‘Razor’ Robertson has announced his All Blacks side to take on Ireland on Saturday in their opening fixture of the November internationals.
Here are our five takeaways from his selection.
The top line
The All Blacks head into the Autumn Nations Series with their top stars ready to rebuild a brand that has, once again, had a mixed bag of results this calendar year.
On the whole they’ve performed impressively at home, swatting aside the likes of a weakened France, South Africa and Argentina with relative ease. However, that record defeat to the Springboks in Wellington still stings.
This match against Ireland will test the mettle of this squad, one that doesn’t appear to bring its best away from home.
The All Blacks do now seem to have a squad much more settled than in previous years, however. Scott Barrett has bedded into the captaincy nicely, with Ardie Savea providing only the very best in leadership back-up. It’s worth noting that Jordie Barrett’s inclusion as vice-captain alongside Savea indicates yet further proof that he has become one of the most all-encompassing rugby players around.
The large presence of experience is complemented beautifully by the exciting inexperience in patches, with players like Leroy Carter, Simon Parker and Fabian Holland all set to make their own impactful and important marks on the international circuit.
Razor has an eye for the future, but is combining tactfully with the present.
Sticking with Quinn
Quinn Tupaea has once again been given the nod at outside centre, a position that Rieko Ioane held dear for so long. It’s been of common opinion amongst the masses that Ioane hasn’t brought much to the midfield in years, and Razor has kept his finger truly pressed on the trigger since the Rugby Championship.
Tupaea started over both Ioane and Billy Proctor in the All Blacks’ last match against the Wallabies, and his performance in that Bledisloe Cup Test has proved sufficient enough to warrant his starting inclusion once again. “Quinn played so well in that Test in Perth that you’ve got to reward players,” former All Black Justin Marshall recently told the GBRANZ podcast.
“Equally, you’ve got to think about where we were struggling and we were struggling with punch, and he provided punch.”
It is this punch that Razor will be hoping that he can recreate against the much-fancied Irish side, as the All Blacks look to avoid a repeat of their last visit to the Aviva Stadium.
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Sevens expertise
The continued inclusion of Carter makes a very interesting point about the game as a whole. Much like Argentina’s approach of Rodrigo Isgro from the SVNS circuit, Carter brings an all-round athletic ability to the squad that would have possibly been ignored 10 years ago.
Teams are now appreciating the benefit of a quality sevens player in their midst, and the versatility of Carter provides a much more diverse bench selection that could have been opted for without these new ‘hybrid’ players.
His start to international rugby has been as good as it gets, scoring three tries in as many games as he continues his impressive strike rate of 0.7 tries per game in all competitions.
Too heavy for the bench
The replacement front-row is as impressive a combination as you’re likely to find. Samisoni Taukei’aho, weighing in at 115 kg, Tamaiti Williams, an incredible 145 kg, and Pasilio Tosi at 140 kg, is a scary vision for any opposition front-row.
Tosi is generally restricted to substitute appearances in both club and international colours, but that’s what makes him so dangerous. His immense physical presence will be used to dominate the scrum against what could be a tiring Irish front-row. Taukei’aho is also gaining a reputation as an impact player front the bench, so combining these two with the in-form Williams, a regular starter for the All Blacks, could cause Andy Farrell’s men serious worry.
Leicester versatility
Leicester Fainga’anuku completed a brutal Top 14 season before returning to New Zealand, where he scored two tries in his opening National Provincial Championship match for Tasman against Manawatu. Although he’s only gotten on the scoresheet once since then, his impact in multiple positions has proven enough to be called up by Razor.
The 17 stone unit is often used to create holes in the defence from 13, but is equally adept at inside centre or on the wing. He’s a proven and prolific try scorer at both club and international level, so his impact off the bench could make all the difference in a tight game.