Rugby Championship preview: All Blacks to continue growing under Scott Robertson with South Africa mini-tour deciding the title
Split with All Blacks Beauden Barrett, Ardie Savea and Scott Robertson.
Next in our set of previews ahead of the Rugby Championship, we examine the prospects of last year’s winners, New Zealand.
It is a new dawn in the All Blacks camp as Super Rugby’s most successful coach, Scott ‘Razor’ Robertson, takes over the team fresh off a Rugby World Cup final in 2023.
The Razor era has already begun with a perfect record next to his name having beaten an improved English side twice and Fiji in San Diego, making it three wins from three.
While the All Blacks did show their quality, it certainly was not a flawless start with England’s rush defence giving them a tough time which required a bit of Beauden Barrett magic to rescue the side in both Tests.
Still, the point of the mid-year window was to get the ball rolling for the new coach and now the biggest of challenges awaits as the southern hemisphere giants collide in the pursuit of Rugby Championship glory.
Since the inception of the tournament in 2012 when Argentina joined the Tri-Nations, the All Blacks have won all but two editions and Robertson will know that nothing short of hoisting the trophy will be a good enough campaign.
Last year
The 2023 Rugby Championship was a truncated version to allow for the World Cup soon after, which meant it was a one-off game against the other three opponents.
The All Blacks kicked off their campaign with a Damian McKenzie-inspired 41-12 win over Los Pumas in Mendoza, setting the side up very nicely for their round two fixture against the Springboks where they won 35-20 at Mount Smart Stadium in Auckland. A Test typified by Shannon Frizzell absolutely rolling Willie le Roux on his way to the try-line.
The final clash was a Bledisloe battle that saw the All Blacks dispatch the Wallabies 38-7 at the Melbourne Cricket Ground to claim the Rugby Championship title.
This year
The full schedule returns this year and so does the mini-tours. Fortunately for the All Blacks, they did their time in Argentina last season so they welcome Los Pumas for a two-Test battle at Sky Stadium in Wellington and Eden Park to start their campaign.
After which the side jumps on a plane to face the Springboks in South Africa with an Ellis Park Test followed by a battle in Cape Town at DHL Stadium. One would think these two Tests could determine the winner of the Rugby Championship.
The All Blacks round off their campaign with a Bledisloe Cup double-header against Australia in Sydney and again in Wellington.
Key players
Beauden Barrett’s brilliance in the England Test series not only underlined that he is far from being done at the highest level but also emphatically proved to his coaching staff that he is indispensable. Whether he starts in the 10 or 15 shirt or comes off the bench, the oldest of the Barretts is loaded with experience and quality. Simply put he is gold for Razor right now however they might use him.
Inevitably, when we talk about key players in the All Blacks camp, Ardie Savea’s name will come up. The world’s best player is evergreen in his influence, from his hulking carries to his audacious dummies or defending like a man possessed. Savea is a one-of-a-kind star and a playing legend for the All Blacks and he will be central to their campaign.
Players to watch
It will be TJ Perenara’s last Rugby Championship after announcing he will leave for Japan next year and he is deputised by two rapidly improving youngsters in Cortez Ratima and Noah Hotham, who will both surely get a run in the tournament. It will be fascinating to track their developments alongside Damian McKenzie, who we expect to remain at 10. The fly-half will need to make sure he maximises his opportunities with Beauden on hand to be drafted in if Razor sees fit.
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The return of the ever-prolific Will Jordan means the All Blacks back three could look extremely venomous. Razor likes Jordan at 15 – we know this from Crusader days – and he already said he prefers him there. With that in mind, we could see Jordan at 15 with Sevu Reece and Mark Tele’a as the wings, which is enough to strike fear in any defence. Meanwhile, Christian Cullen’s regeneration, Ruben Love, waits in the background for his chance to run riot. Don’t forget that Beauden is in the mix here too.
Rieko Ioane’s 13 shirt may be under threat according to the general public but the All Black is perilously close to Bryan Habana’s all-time try-scoring record in the Rugby Championship. All he needs is four to go ahead on his own and Ioane is certainly capable of it. Sure, he may not be in his best form but he is a vastly experienced All Black, one you’d expect to bounce back.
Finally some love for the veteran Patrick Tuipulotu, who was a wrecking ball at times against England and needs to take that to the next level during the tournament, especially when facing the massive Springboks pack. Given how thin the second-row situation has quickly become, the All Blacks will be grateful for his inclusion in the squad.
Prospects
The All Blacks will only continue to improve under Razor with each game they play and that will show in the Rugby Championship as they will gain confidence against Argentina.
It all gets a bit more tricky when travelling to the Rainbow Nation and this is where they will lose the Championship. Odds are they will leave their mark on the Springboks but it would be some feat to go to South Africa and walk away with a pair of wins.
Razor’s men will finish strongly against the Wallabies but it won’t be enough. Second.
Fixtures
Saturday, August 10 v Argentina (SKY Stadium, Wellington)
Saturday, August 17 v Argentina (Eden Park, Auckland)
Saturday, August 31 v South Africa (Ellis Park, Johannesburg)
Saturday, September 7 v South Africa (DHL Stadium, Cape Town)
Saturday, September 21 v Australia (Accor Stadium, Sydney)
Saturday, September 28 v Australia (SKY Stadium, Wellington)
