Rating every All Blacks back from Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry: Star trio cement ‘World XV’ reputation and the player who endured ‘disastrous’ tour
Jordie Barrett and Cam Roigard in action for the All Blacks against the Springboks.
Dave Rennie’s side secured five wins on their South Africa tour but crucially went down 3-1 to the Springboks in Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry Test series; here’s how we rated every All Blacks back.
Outside backs
Damian McKenzie: Started every Test but he is still struggling to replicate his Super Rugby Pacific form when playing for the All Blacks with McKenzie having his moments without being consistently outstanding. Rennie obviously likes him and he may keep his spot for the Bledisloe Cup, but it would not be a surprise to see the head coach experiment in the Nations Championship. 6
Will Jordan: New Zealand’s most potent outside back with the wing touching down four times in as many Tests. Did have the odd issue with the Springboks’ aerial game, but that should not detract from what was an excellent tour with ball in hand, while he also won a couple of impressive, and vital, breakdown turnovers as he added more strings to his bow. 8
Josh Moorby: After a promising Nations Championship, the Hurricanes wing once again impressed in the tour games, but the Boks proved to be a much stiffer challenge where he was somewhat found out. Moorby has the skills for international rugby, but he has some things to iron out. 5
Leroy Carter: Similar to Moorby, he was great in the pre-Test games and then produced arguably his best international display against South Africa in Cape Town, but he had a disaster in Soweto, missing a couple of key tackles, and was dropped for the Baltimore finale. 6
Caleb Clarke: Only featured in a couple of games before going home with an injury. Clarke impressed in those matches and they missed his aerial skills when the Tests came around. Someone whose stock rose by actually not playing too much. 5
Fehi Fineanganofo: Another player who did not get too many chances but he had a standout game against the Sharks. However, he was slightly less involved against the Lions and ultimately did not do enough to earn a Test spot. 5
Emoni Narawa: Had a couple of substitute appearances before getting a start against the Lions, but another to not be anywhere near the Test team. Narawa did well after replacing McKenzie against the Sharks but did not pull up too many trees otherwise. 4
Beauden Barrett: Started off at fly-half but a disappointing performance against the Stormers saw him move to full-back in the later games where he was much better. Came off the bench in Baltimore for the final nine minutes and scored a try, suggesting he may not be done at this level quite yet. 6
Centres
Quinn Tupaea: He was a big loss after going off in Soweto with the momentum swinging once Tupaea and Ardie Savea were off the field. Was physical, showed plenty of classy touches and is here to stay in the 13 jersey. 7
Jordie Barrett: Their man of the series after a storming set of performances for the All Blacks. Simply outstanding in pretty much every Test as Barrett once again proved to be one of the best players in the world. He will be utterly vital if Rennie’s men are to be genuine World Cup challengers. 9
Rieko Ioane: A tour where Ioane looked reborn. There were some outstanding displays against the South African franchises, performances which ultimately propelled him into the Test 23 in the US. Once on the field, after Anton Lienert-Brown was forced off injured, Ioane struggled to make an impact, but he has put himself back in the international reckoning. 7
Billy Proctor: It has been a pretty disastrous couple of months for Proctor having dropped down the pecking order in the Nations Championship and then suffered a tour-ending injury in the first game. He also struggled in that Stormers clash before going off early in the second period. 2
Anton Lienert-Brown: Solid and reliable off the bench against the Boks but not a game-changer and when he got his opportunity to start, the 31-year-old made a few errors and then went off injured. There were some excellent moments during the tour games, however. 6
Timoci Tavatavanawai: There was a lot of clamour for the powerhouse centre to feature after a starring role in the victory over the Lions, but Rennie decided against it. Tavatavanawai also had an impact off the bench in the wins over the Sharks and Bulls, but it was not enough to convince the head coach. 6
Fly-halves
Ruben Love: Both good and bad with errors undoing his good work. Love’s standout came in the final quarter in Cape Town, but that came after a shocking hour, while he was impressive in the early stages in Soweto before receiving a yellow card and never really recovering from that, which included missing seven points off the tee. Certainly hasn’t nailed down the 10 role. 6
Josh Jacomb: Did more in 10 minutes than Beauden Barrett did in 70 against the Stormers while he was solid against the Bulls and the Lions, but the All Blacks have so many options at fly-half that it will be a surprise if he returns to the squad this year. 6
Richie Mo’unga: Enough to like about his two appearances, but it is obvious that he needs time in the saddle. You could say there was more good than bad in the defeat to South Africa in Baltimore, but it was not a statement display which demanded selection for the Bledisloe Cup. 6
Scrum-halves
Cam Roigard: One of the star backs of the tour alongside Jordie Barrett and Jordan, three players who would make a ‘World XV’. Roigard didn’t play against the franchises due to injury, but returned for the Tests and was absolutely superb in every game. Well and truly one of the best scrum-halves in the world. 9
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Cortez Ratima: Hasn’t had the greatest season and that was demonstrated here. Also suffered a badly-timed injury just before the first match with the Boks which allowed Preston to overtake him in the pecking order. 4
Kyle Preston: Every time Preston plays, we are staggered Hotham was the preferred option at the Crusaders. Apart from a slight struggle against the Bulls, the 27-year-old was impressive when he took to the field and could well have cemented his place as Roigard’s back-up. 7
Noah Hotham: It was 54 underwhelming minutes for Hotham on this tour, who simply needs to get back to Christchurch and hone his game in Super Rugby Pacific next year if he wants to be considered by Rennie going forward. 2