No other World Cup squad will have the confidence in their players that the All Blacks will. Photo / Getty
No other World Cup squad will have the confidence in their players that the All Blacks will. Photo / Getty
COMMENT:
In the wake of an All Blacks squad announcement, there is always a wealth of candidates who qualify for a PhD in missing the point.
The question to ask is not whether the selectors have nailed the marginal calls on the fringes of the squad, but whether they haveamassed a core group who are capable of winning the World Cup in Japan later this year.
World Cups, contrary to popular opinion, tend not to be won by the squad which boasts the most depth, but by the one which has the most quality in its matchday 23.
The impact of injuries is overstated and so too the probable influence and importance of those fringe squad members who are selected, in truth, simply as insurance against the worst case scenario.
What actually matters is that the All Blacks go to Japan with a cohesive, effective and powerful set-piece. That they use their scrum as a weapon and launch attacks off their lineout.
What will be important is that they have a loose trio that has the speed to support a high tempo, wide, attacking game and is also capable of holding its own in the ever-critical business of scrapping for and protecting the ball at the breakdown.
They need a halfback that can pass, direct play and kick. A first-five who can see the field, open defences, make the right calls and drive the team into the right places.
They need a midfield that can defend, find holes and chip in with some tactical input. And they need a back three that can deal with being bombarded with high balls, score tries and exploit space.
There also has to be strong leaders across the field; a dominant captain who is respected by all and who has the experience and ability to cope with the pressure.
These are the things that actually matter and the factors that will determine the success or otherwise of the All Blacks in World Cup year.
And so it is in this context that the squad named for the Rugby Championship needs to be evaluated and considerable optimism subsequently generated because the All Blacks have the personnel to win a third consecutive tournament.
As New Zealand Rugby chair Brett Impey read out the 41 names at Ponsonby Rugby Club, the only thing to be certain of was that the All Blacks have picked a squad that can tick every valid box.
There's nothing missing. There is no obvious area of weakness that leaves everyone feeling this All Blacks squad is vulnerable.
Kieran Read is respected and equipped to deal with the pressure of a World Cup. Photo / Photosport
This is a squad with the potential to win the ball and use the ball. It is a squad with ball carriers, tacklers and decision-makers.
It's a squad with experience and youth. There is pace in all the right places and in Kieran Read there is the talismanic figure that all World Cup winning teams need.
The All Blacks have the players they need to win again and every other international coach would agree.
This is what matters because in the coming months the other 19 teams heading to Japan are going to be unveiling their squads and arguably none will contain the same firepower or breadth of talent and ability as the one named by the All Blacks.
There won't be many other squads that, on the strength of their personnel, convince so obviously as potential winners.
So the point is that the All Blacks are in good shape. They are in fact in great shape and there's no need to pick away at the fringes and debate how making the wrong choice with the third hooker might prove to be catastrophic.
What matters now is selecting the right combinations and playing the right sort of football.
Again, though, this is not cause for concern as it is a luxury that every coach dreams of and Steve Hansen won't be tying himself into mental knots figuring how to accommodate endless numbers of world-class players.
The All Blacks coaching team - including Steve Hansen, Scott McLeod and Ian Foster - will be confident in the group they have selected for the Rugby Championship. Photo / Photosport
That's the easy bit and in some areas, selection will be straightforward.
The tight five is a no-brainer. Joe Moody, Dane Coles, Owen Franks, Sam Whitelock and Brodie Retallick. Done.
The loose forwards will be relatively easy to sort out, too. Sam Cane, Ardie Savea and Kieran Read will be in the preferred matchday 23 and their game time and specific roles they are asked to play will be relatively fluid according to the opposition.
Aaron Smith and TJ Perenara work in combination together at halfback as do Beauden Barrett and Richie Mo'unga at first-five.
The only areas that will need a bit of time to sort out will be the midfield and back three but which coach in world rugby wouldn't like to be sifting through the talent the All Blacks have?
The All Blacks have picked a squad that can achieve their goals and nothing else matters.
