All Blacks to weigh up options in key position for Springboks Test

Selecting the right team is absolutely crucial for this weekend’s Test between the All Blacks and Springboks as the winner will likely go on to claim the Rugby Championship title.

All Blacks head coach Ian Foster has some decisions ahead of him regarding selection, with none more important than fly-half.

The coach opted to reward Damian McKenzie’s Super Rugby Pacific form with a start against Argentina and the Chiefs man paid back the faith with a solid outing in Mendoza.

Question marks at 10

However, All Blacks legend Jeff Wilson is not sure if the playmaker is the right man to start at 10 against the Springboks regardless of his Mendoza performance.

“Ultimately [the selectors] will look at Damian McKenzie and think this is a massive pass mark; they put him under pressure and gave him a new combination around him that he hasn’t played with before, and he delivered on the key attributes,” Wilson said on Sky Sport’s ‘The Breakdown’.

“[But] I’m still not convinced, having watched the game again, that he’ll start this weekend, I honestly don’t know against the Springboks.”

Fellow pundit Karl Te Nana echoed Wilson’s sentiment and feels it makes sense that McKenzie was given his shot against Argentina but underlined how important the best squad is against the Springboks.

“I think they knew that coming in, that they had to give him a start and give him confidence,” Te Nana said.

“He’s very different and we’ve got three very different options in that 10 jersey, whether it be Richie, D-Mack or Beauden Barrett … against a team like [Argentina] that’s where D-Mack will come in, but I still think Richie is our number one 10. You got to go with your number ones.”

Like 2019, the Boks split their squad, sending several players to New Zealand early and fielded a mixed team to face Australia which paid off on both occasions.

Best team must play

With this in mind, All Black Angus Ta’avao emphasised the importance of the best team playing at Mt Smart Stadium.

“I think you’ve got to go with your A-team; what we’ll see next week will be the best available squad,” Ta’avao said.

“We’ve already seen SA send their ‘A’ team ahead to New Zealand and they’ll be putting out their best squad and it’s going to have to be best squad v best squad and we’ll sort the rest out down the track.”

With the All Blacks and Boks off to great starts in the tournament, both teams will know the importance of this weekend’s clash. It sets up for a true blockbuster in every sense, with Wilson picking the game as the defining match in the competition.

“[New Zealand’s] focus has to be narrow right now, we have to go to work, we’re not celebrating this performance and they won’t be either. They’ll be preparing now for what will be, I believe, will be a Rugby Championship defining game at Mount Smart Stadium, that’s what it is,”  said Wilson.

“Because the Springboks were so good against the Wallabies and most of their team was here, they didn’t even play their strongest team.

“This is like last year in Johannesburg, the second Test against the Springboks – this will decide the winner of the Rugby Championship.”

READ MORE: THROWBACK: Late drama leads to a draw between All Blacks and Springboks in 2019