Israel Dagg: Scott Robertson has ‘stayed true to our DNA’ as All Blacks great issues selection verdict for Argentina clash
All Blacks head coach Scott Robertson and ex-back three star Israel Dagg.
Ex-All Blacks star Israel Dagg is pleased that Scott Robertson has stuck with ‘tradition’ and not gone down the route other countries have with his selection.
New Zealand’s head coach has effectively picked his strongest available side for their clash against Argentina in Cordoba this weekend.
That includes selecting a bench that comprises of five forwards and three backs, which is to some extent bucking the trend.
Springboks-inspired
Started by the Springboks, who used a 6-2 split on their way to the 2019 Rugby World Cup triumph, other nations have followed that example.
Even the Wallabies, not renowned for their power and depth up front, initially named a forward-heavy bench for Saturday’s encounter with South Africa before reversing that decision.
“The one thing I really like; we saw what the Wallabies did with a 6-2 split but we’re going traditional,” Dagg said on Sport Nation’s Scotty and Izzy show, prior to Joe Schmidt’s change of heart.
“When have we ever gone to 6-2? I don’t think we ever have. We’ve stayed true to what is our DNA and backing what works for this country, and this country is a 5-3 split. Normality.”
Dagg is wrong in that Ian Foster did go with a 6-2 split against the Springboks in a warm-up match before the 2023 Rugby World Cup, but Scott Robertson has veered away from that tactic so far during his tenure.
There is still plenty of power and athleticism in the five replacement forwards selected for the Rugby Championship opener, though, with the main debate actually coming in the backline cover.
At scrum-half, the more experienced Finlay Christie has been given an opportunity ahead of the uncapped Kyle Preston despite not featuring for the All Blacks since last July.
All Blacks bench selection
“Cam Roigard has really nailed down the one position and outside of that no one’s really said: ‘I’m the number two, I’m the back-up’,” Dagg said.
“This is a great opportunity for Cortez [Ratima] but also another opportunity for Finlay Christie to come in. I don’t think it would have been a good decision to bring Kyle Preston in straight off the bat.
“A young kid who probably surprised himself that he was named in the squad to be fair. To then go over there and come off the bench at a time when potentially the game might be in the balance, you need an impact and you’re relying on a kid that was playing club footy last year to go out and change the game.
“I think his time will come and I think if there’s an opportunity to tinker with the squad, it would potentially be next week leading into that South African series.”
The All Blacks struggled with their bench impact last season, sometimes failing to score points in the final 20 minutes of matches, but Dagg believes that is no longer an issue.
“I look at that bench and you look at the size of those forwards coming off the bench. [Pasilio] Tosi, a big body, [Ollie] Norris, who is big, tall and mobile, [Samisoni] Taukei’aho can run the ball and then Patrick Tuipulotu – how is it having Paddy coming off the bench when the All Blacks need a bit of impact?” he added.
“You think about the importance of the bench and last year we lacked it. I think we’ve seen a real turn in the importance of the bench coming on and adding to the game, but also continuing that physical dominance.”