All Blacks team: Winners and losers as ‘second fiddle’ nine given chance to shine while promising centre ‘forced’ to return home
All Blacks team: Winners and losers as 'second fiddle' nine given chance to shine while promising centre 'forced' to return home
Dave Rennie has announced his All Blacks team to take on the Sharks at Kings Park Stadium in Durban on Tuesday, in the second match of their Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry tour.
Here are the winners and losers from the selection.
Winners
Fehi Fineanganofo
Winning just his second cap, the extremely talented Hurricanes winger has been rewarded for his utterly superb club form with a start on the right wing. At Super Rugby level he scored 17 tries from as many matches in their title-winning season, and will hope to continue his try-scoring excellence on the global scale.
Luke Jacobson
The 29-year-old wins his first ever cap as captain, leading the side out on what will be his 28th time in All Black colours. He lines up at the back of the scrum alongside Wallace Sititi and Tupou Vaa’i in a fierce back-row that’ll be sure to strike fear into the hosts. He continues in the openside flank this week, a jersey he filled out during all three of New Zealand’s Nations Championship victories.
Kyle Preston
Winning just his second cap for the All Blacks after first appearing off the bench against the Springboks in September, he will wear the number nine shirt from the start on Tuesday. He largely plays second fiddle to Noah Hotham at the Crusaders, but has been given the chance to shine from the start after impressing for the All Blacks XV early on in the season.
Semisi Ta’eiloa
The stocky number eight has consistently performed well for Moana Pasifika for the past couple of seasons, and has been rewarded with a spot on the All Blacks bench. At just 22 years of age, an impressive impact against the Sharks could spell an exciting international future.
Bradley Slater
Another debutant, the 27-year-old arrived at the Blues after a career spent with the Chiefs, seamlessly integrating himself as the starting hooker. He’ll hope to win his first All Blacks cap from the bench on Tuesday, as he looks to replicate the form that earned him his first selection.
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Losers
Xavier Numia
With eight props invited to this tour, not everyone can play every game. But, even so, not being selected for two games in a row will sting. He won his only two caps for the All Blacks just a matter of weeks ago, coming off the bench against France and then Ireland in the Nations Championship. After such an impressive season with the Hurricanes, he’ll be desperate to get back on the field and continue his run of good form.
Tyrel Lomax
At 30 years old, vastly experienced and having started his last two matches for the All Blacks, Lomax won’t be too concerned about his lack of action at this time. He will know that he’s still a major part of Rennie’s plans. This being said, no one wants to watch their teammates play in two consecutive matches without a runout themselves. He’ll be desperate to get back out there.
All Blacks dealt Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry setback as second player forced to return home
Codie Taylor
Still nursing a calf injury, which may only allow him “a small amount of game time against the Bulls” according to head coach Rennie. His injury troubles make for a frustrating watch as he races to fitness for the big Tests.
Will Jordan
The All Blacks’ all-time leading try scorer is again not playing, so he will be unable to add to his incredible record. Against teams like an understrength Sharks, Jordan could have run riot and further chased down the international try-scoring record of 69.
Billy Proctor
The 27-year-old centre has been forced to return home to New Zealand after suffering a shoulder blade fracture in the opening tour match against the Stormers, leaving him unavailable for this match and any further Tests in this series. He won’t require surgery, but his estimated recovery time is 10-12 weeks, meaning that his tour is now over.