All Blacks v Wallabies: Predicted line-up as Scott Robertson opts for star playmaker with ‘rich pedigree’
All Blacks head coach Scott Robertson and experienced playmaker Beauden Barrett.
This year’s Rugby Championship is set to come to a conclusion this weekend and New Zealand will be hoping to finish the tournament on a high with a victory over Australia in Wellington.
There have been mixed results for the All Blacks and they started their campaign with a 38-30 defeat to Argentina in Wellington.
Scott Robertson‘s troops put that shock result behind them and got their Rugby Championship campaign on track courtesy of 42-10 victory over Los Pumas in Auckland.
However, things went pear-shaped for the men in black as they suffered a 31-27 loss to the Springboks in Johannesburg before succumbing 18-12 to the world champions in their rematch in Cape Town seven days later.
New Zealand then faced Australia in their highly anticipated Bledisloe Cup opener in Sydney last week and claimed a narrow 31-28 triumph.
Here is our best bet at a potential All Blacks line-up to face the Wallabies in Wellington this weekend.
Predicted New Zealand team v Australia
15 Will Jordan
After initially being named on the right wing in last weekend’s clash with the Wallabies, Jordan was shifted to full-back on matchday when Beauden Barrett was forced to withdraw due to illness.
That late change was not disruptive as Jordan slotted in seamlessly and delivered a solid all-round performance which saw him being rewarded with a well-taken try during the early stages of that clash. Although Barrett has recovered we expect him to feature elsewhere in the run-on side.
14 Sevu Reece
Barrett’s withdrawal from the opening Bledisloe Cup encounter in Sydney resulted in some musical chairs in the All Blacks’ backline and with Jordan being shifted from right wing to full-back, it meant Reece was promoted to the run-on side to wear the number 14 jersey after initially being named among the replacements.
Although he did not cross the whitewash, Reece delivered a solid all-round performance in which he took the fight to the Wallabies on attack finishing with 42 metres gained on attack while also putting his body on the line in defence.
13 Rieko Ioane
The Rugby Championship started off on a sour note for Ioane when he was dropped for their tournament opener against Los Pumas in Wellington but he was recalled for the rematch with the South American side and has been ever-present in the All Blacks’ starting line-up for all their other matches.
While there has been criticism of his distribution skills, the 27-year-old shines in other departments with his defence solid and he also showed that he knows his way to the try-line in Sydney when he crossed the whitewash for a well-taken five-pointer, which moves him to within two scores of Bryan Habana as the competition’s leading all-time try scorer.
12 Anton Lienert-Brown
While the knee injury suffered in the previous Test against the Wallabies by first choice inside centre Jordie Barrett is a setback, they will be happy to call upon a player of Lienert-Brown’s ability as his replacement.
Equally adept at outside and inside centre, Lienert-Brown started in the number 13 jersey in New Zealand’s tournament opener against Argentina and scored one of his team’s tries in that clash. Since then, he has made several appearances off the bench where he has been a solid performer and will be expected to replicate that form in the number 12 jersey.
11 Caleb Clarke
The 25-year-old seems to have nailed down the left wing position for the All Blacks as he has delivered several impressive performances in recent weeks.
Clarke is a brilliant attacker who proved a real handful to opposing defences whenever he lined up in New Zealand’s run-on side in this year’s Rugby Championship. He is currently the top try-scorer in the tournament (4) after crossing the whitewash in his last three Tests and will be keen to extend that run this weekend.
10 Beauden Barrett
We predicted that he would start at fly-half last week but it wasn’t to be as Robertson selected him at full-back before his late withdrawal in Sydney.
However, after head coach Robertson started Damian McKenzie at number 10 in all of the All Blacks’ previous eight Tests there is talk coming from New Zealand that Barrett will finally get his opportunity this weekend as the team’s chief playmaker. As a two-time World Rugby Player of the Year winner, Barrett has a rich pedigree and his selection will be an exciting one.
9 Cortez Ratima
The young scrum-half has been one of the All Blacks’ best performers in recent weeks after being thrown into the deep end when he started the second Test against the Springboks in Cape Town.
Ratima delivered an impressive performance against the world champions and followed it up with an even better display against the Wallabies in Sydney last week. That showing saw him rewarded with the official man-of-the-match award and he will be keen to build on that effort in Wellington.
8 Ardie Savea
One of the easiest selections for Robertson, Savea showed against the Wallabies last week why he is World Rugby’s current player of the year as he delivered a customary excellent all-round performance.
Savea was his usual busy self with ball in hand as he gained 53 metres from 17 carries.
7 Sam Cane
Saturday’s encounter will be a memorable one for the former All Blacks skipper as he is set to make his 100th Test appearance and it is a fitting reward that he will be able to reach that milestone in New Zealand.
While not as devastating on attack as the likes of Savea, Cane is a willing ball carrier but is valuable in other facets of play with his breakdown and defensive work genuine strengths.
6 Wallace Sititi
While Ethan Blackadder is expected to have recovered from a hamstring injury – which kept him on the sidelines for New Zealand’s previous Tests against South Africa and Australia – he will have to be satisfied with a spot on the replacements bench as Sititi has been one of the All Blacks’ stars of the tournament.
Like his Chiefs team-mate Ratima, the 22-year-old was called up to the run-on side for the Cape Town Test against the Boks and passed that test with flying colours. He improved on that effort with a superb all-round display in Sydney and will be hoping to continue with his upward trajectory at international level this weekend.
5 Tupou Vaa’i
There were some questions marks around certain aspects of the young second-rower’s game ahead of this tournament but he has silenced his critics with some fine performances, especially in Cape Town against the Boks and in last week’s Bledisloe Cup clash.
Vaa’i has proved to be a valuable source of lineout possession while he has also stepped up with the execution of his defensive duties and did his bit as a ball carrier especially at close quarters.
4 Scott Barrett (c)
The 30-year-old has grown into his role as All Blacks skipper and impressed with his calm leadership during some tense moments in the closing stages of that narrow Bledisloe Cup victory in Sydney.
Apart from that, Barrett’s second-row partnership with Vaa’i is blossoming into a settled combination with the skipper’s impressive physicality complimenting his partner’s athleticism and they will be keen to continue in that vein on Saturday.
3 Tyrel Lomax
The 28-year-old tighthead is one of the world’s best players in his position and has been a regular in New Zealand’s matchday squads since making his Test debut in 2018.
This is largely due to his outstanding scrummaging ability as he seldom takes a backward stem in that facet of play and his set-piece dominance is also used as an attacking platform by the rest of the team.
2 Codie Taylor
The experienced hooker is a candidate for the player of the tournament accolade as, despite a slow start, he has been delivering outstanding performances for the All Blacks in the matches against the Springboks and the Wallabies.
Taylor was at the forefront of the men in black’s forward effort in recent weeks with his strong ball carrying giving the the three-time world champions much needed momentum. Apart from posing a threat on attack, he is also renowned for his defensive efforts and will be hoping to thwart Australia’s attacks with some big hits.
1 Ethan de Groot
The 26-year-old missed the All Blacks’ matches against the Springboks in South Africa due to a neck injury but returned to action during last weekend’s Bledisloe Cup victory.
Although De Groot only played for one half in Sydney – before being replaced by Tamaiti Williams – he was his usual steady self in the scrums and also impressed in the execution of his other core duties, and should continue as the first choice loosehead.
READ MORE: Scott Robertson makes bold All Blacks call as wasteful Damian McKenzie faces the axe – report
