Ardie Savea will captain the All Blacks against the Wallabies at Eden Park on Saturday evening with Scott Barrett out injured.
The All Blacks have largely struggled in the second half of tests this year.
The Wallabies come to Auckland sitting atop the Rugby Championship standings.
The Bledisloe Cup test team picks are clearly aimed at fixing a major failing of the All Blacks in several tests this year and last: their inability to score points and control games in the second half/last quarter, an issue pointing strongly to the selection and deployment ofthe bench.
It’s a coaching/selection issue. Other teams, particularly the Springboks, have created a more precise science in the make-up of their bench and use of the launch button. The All Blacks’ bench, meanwhile, has too often looked like a mechanism to give people game time as Scott Robertson and co seek to build depth.
In Wellington, the Boks’ bench became an emergency measure instead of a strategic move after they lost three key backs – yet the hand-picked replacements added to their overall thrust and energy.
In contrast, the All Blacks’ bench has seemed activated only by time: “Oh, 60 minutes are up; off he goes and on he goes ... ” It hasn’t solved the team’s shortcomings in the last 20 minutes.
The bench for the Australia clash shows the coaching group have attempted, after the woefulness in Wellington, to shape the bench into more of a weapon – but they could have gone further. For example, they may have learned Fabian Holland (on the bench in Wellington) is not an impact player. His value is in lineouts, tackling and at breakdowns. Better to start him and use a player of more impact off the bench – like Patrick Tuipulotu, coming in for Scott Barrett after his shoulder injury.
However, even if he had not been injured, would Barrett be the best choice as a starting lock? That spills over on to the discussion about captaincy, but Barrett looks weighed down by it. He is a fine player, respected by his peers, but is he among the top two locks right now?
There was also a stark contrast with Siya Kolisi in Wellington. The Boks skipper is an inspiring, passionate leader. Barrett is a quieter model, less obvious and perhaps in danger of being perceived by impatient fans as another Crusaders captain of the All Blacks was – Reuben Thorne, once nastily termed “Captain Invisible”. The difference is that Thorne had an 86% win record with the All Blacks.
No one is blaming Barrett for what happened in Wellington. However, responsibility is usually sheeted somewhere, captain and coaches generally. It also begs this question: if, for any reason, Ardie Savea turned the captaincy down, then who?
Let’s not get bogged down with captaincy conundrums; the goal here is to examine assembling an effective bench. Part of the problem for the All Blacks has been injury and players with too little game time at a high level – which is why the team/bench to play Australia could have looked a little different:
Scott Barrett will miss the All Blacks' test against the Wallabies on Saturday due to a shoulder injury. Photo / Sylvie Whinray
Hooker: Codie Taylor.
Props: Fletcher Newell, Ethan de Groot, the latter solid in the scrum. Newell did the business scrum-wise against the Boks in the first test and has upped his game around the field. That leaves room for Tamaiti Williams and Tyrel Lomax to come off the bench. The coaches decided on Lomax to start, and maybe that’s right; he is world-class when on form and after uninterrupted game time.
Locks: Tupou Vaa’i and Holland, as per the selection. When he’s fit, Barrett comes off the bench.
Loose forwards: As per selection – Simon Parker, Savea, Wallace Sititi (but only just ... his form post-injury not yet up to his form pre-injury), but with Samipeni Finau on the bench. The selectors instead plumped for Peter Lakai to cover all three positions and, if he can revive his compelling form of last year, perhaps they’re right. Finau has lineout capability and undoubted firepower as an impact player, though he hasn’t consistently displayed that, hence Lakai’s opportunity.
Halfbacks: Cam Roigard, Cortez Ratima on the bench.
First five-eighths: Beauden Barrett, Damian McKenzie on the bench.
Midfield: My choice would be Jordie Barrett and Braydon Ennor. Billy Proctor played well otherwise in Wellington, but once held on to the ball with a player outside and was nailed by Cheslin Kolbe. Next time, Kolbe read Proctor’s passing intent perfectly for his intercept try. Proctor has had a consistent outing at centre without really cementing his spot – partly due to the misfiring backline, with the All Blacks’ attack clearly fourth best in the championship right now.
Leicester Fainga’anuku may be the eventual answer at centre, but Ennor has been playing well for Canterbury in the NPC, figuring three times in a terrific movement for Andrew Knewstubb’s try in the Ranfurly Shield loss to Otago. He has speed and heft, is solid defensively and has calmed fears he is off overseas by re-signing for the Crusaders.
Back three: Caleb Clarke, Leroy Carter, Will Jordan, as per selection. Fainga’anuku would be on the bench, covering 12, 13 and both wings, ready for early entry if the team needed a power boost. He offers a different dimension, often staying close to the ball and making telling pick-and-go runs in the style of the much-missed Mark Telea.
A fully available All Blacks bench could look like this: Samisoni Taukei’aho, Williams, Lomax, Barrett, Finau; Ratima, McKenzie, Fainga’anuku. They are subs capable of the considerable impact needed at this level.
All Blacks side to face Wallabies
1. Ethan de Groot, 2. Codie Taylor (vice-captain), 3. Tyrel Lomax, 4. Fabian Holland, 5. Tupou Vaa’i, 6. Simon Parker, 7. Ardie Savea (captain), 8. Wallace Sititi, 9. Cam Roigard, 10. Beauden Barrett, 11. Caleb Clarke, 12. Jordie Barrett (vice-captain) , 13. Billy Proctor, 14. Leroy Carter, 15. Will Jordan.
