By Liam Napier in London
The selection of three locks in the All Blacks first-choice starting team – and England’s contrasting approach to their sizeable forward pack - looms large over the highly anticipated rematch at Twickenham.
Brodie Retallick is the focal figure for the All Blacks this weekend as he makes his return from a two-week suspension to notch his 100th test and break the world record second-row partnership with Sam Whitelock.
“There’s 11 players who have done it and I’ve been around for nine so I’ve seen how special it is for the player and their family,” Retallick said. “It’s taken its time at the backend compared to the first 50 but I’m proud. It’s awesome to still be here and represent the country.”
While Retallick’s milestone dominates the pre-match focus, Scott Barrett’s switch to blindside could hold greater implications for this contest.
The decision to start Retallick, Whitelock and Barrett is not unexpected as All Blacks coach Ian Foster reinstates his incumbents, which includes Jordie Barrett’s return to second five-eighth, for their final test of the year.
Selecting that locking trio does, however, set up an eerily familiar polar opposite approach that pits the All Blacks’ ability to target the lineout and embrace superior work-rate against England’s ball carrying impact.
Codie Taylor getting the nod over powerhouse hooker Samisoni Taukei’aho and Mark Telea retaining the right wing role from Sevu Reece are the other selection points of contention, along with the twin loose forward and midfield options on the bench, but Barrett’s move to blindside for his third start there this year holds most intrigue.
“We tried it a couple of times this year and it worked well,” Foster said. “We’ve been really pleased when he’s played six for us. The first test against Ireland when we had a massive performance he was a part of that.
“There’s been a whole lot of circumstance, injuries and suspensions that have stopped us being able to dabble with that further but it feels right.”
England’s contrasting approach involves Maro Itoje switching from blindside to lock and Eddie Jones selecting two traditional No 8s, Sam Simmonds and Billy Vunipola, in a loose forward trio with Tom Curry.
While that leaves England shorn a lineout target, they will clearly attempt to impose their power game on the All Blacks – just as they did so brutally in the World Cup semifinal three years ago.
“Ideally we would have three jumpers, but we feel we need that contest in the back-row for this week,” Jones said. “Billy’s job is to get us over the gain line. If you can get over the gain line against New Zealand you can present problems for their defence, and he has the opportunity to do that.”
Foster doesn’t need spies stationed at England’s plush Pennyhill Park base in Bagshot to know the locals will favour relentless physical force over subtlety.
“They know their game well,” Foster said. “They’re still searching for a few combinations but they’ll be up for it. They play a really strong pressure game and that’s what they’ll be looking to do against us.
“The like to squeeze your game and your mindset so the challenge is to make sure we don’t go into our shell.
“We’re ready. We’ve really targeted these three tests - Wales, Scotland and England. We knew all of them would be tough up here. Every test has been massive.
“We’re delighted with where we’ve got to the last couple of tests but we’ve got to climb again on Saturday.”
With his family among the 82,000 sellout crowd at Twickenham, Retallick hopes to savour the occasion alongside long-time locking mate, Whitelock. In their 64th start together Retallick and Whitelock will underline their status as the best modern era combination as they surpass Springboks legends Victor Matfield and Bakkies Botha’s record.
“To notch up one more is awesome. I looked up to those players and saw a lot of them when I was younger so it will be awesome to say we’ve done that,” Retallick said.
As for his longstanding unspoken bond with Whitelock, Retallick offered: “It’s a relationship I cherish a lot. I’m pretty relaxed. He likes to nail his homework. He’s a farmer and a hunter and I don’t do that too much these days but we definitely get on.”
Last week against Scotland the All Blacks needed a last quarter surge from their bench to escape a tense 50-minute scoreless period in Edinburgh. To improve their six test unbeaten run, they are likely to need similar impact from Taukei’aho and Shannon Frizell in particular.
Reflecting on the challenges this season, featuring four losses and eight wins, has posed, Retallick encapsulates the essence of this defining finale for the All Blacks.
“It’s been a bit of a rollercoaster. When you look back to July and where we were post the Irish series is somewhere we’ve never been in my career in terms of how the team was going. It’s fair to say we’ve come out the other side of that and the team is building.
“We’ve put some performances together - still looking for some consistency - but it’s the perfect challenge to come up against a big England pack and a skilled team to see where we’re at in the last game of the year.”
All Blacks:
Ethan de Groot, Codie Taylor, Tyrel Lomax, Brodie Retallick, Samuel Whitelock, Scott Barrett, Dalton Papali’i, Ardie Savea, Aaron Smith, Richie Mo’unga, Caleb Clarke, Jordie Barrett, Rieko Ioane, Mark Telea, Beauden Barrett. Replacements: Samisoni Taukei’aho, George Bower, Nepo Laulala, Shannon Frizell, Hoskins Sotutu, TJ Perenara, David Havili, Anton Lienert-Brown.
England:
Ellis Genge, Luke Cowan-Dickie, Kyle Sinckler, Maro Itoje, Jonny Hill, Sam Simmonds, Tom Curry, Billy Vunipola, Jack van Poortvliet, Marcus Smith, Jonny May, Owen Farrell, Manu Tuilagi, Jack Nowell, Freddie Steward. Replacements: Jamie George, Mako Vunipola, Will Stuart, David Ribbans, Jack Willis, Ben Youngs, Guy Porter, Henry Slade