Rieko Ioane has been one of the All Blacks' most in-form and important players. Photo / Photosport
Rieko Ioane has been one of the All Blacks' most in-form and important players. Photo / Photosport
OPINION:
It didn't, at the time, seem particularly noteworthy that Rieko Ioane played on the right wing when he came off the bench against Fiji in Hamilton this year.
The game was in the bag when he came on and he was being given, or so it appeared, a 25-minuteshift on the less familiar right wing mostly just to stretch his legs and give Will Jordan, who'd had a relatively heavy workload through the Pasifika Series, a welcome break.
But there was significantly more strategic relevance to Ioane being given time on the right wing than it first appeared, and possibly, that will be reflected when the All Blacks select their team to play the 100th test against South Africa this Saturday.
Ioane, given the form he's in and the impact he's had in every test he's played this year, will be in the All Blacks starting XV to play the Boks.
He's probably never looked this sharp or been this important to the All Blacks. He's seamlessly flitted between wing and centre since the start of the season and - aside from one poor decision against the Pumas in Brisbane to not pass to TJ Perenara - has been sensationally good.
Ioane is arguably the player the Boks' renowned rush defence will be most concerned about containing and what they won't know until the team is announced is whether he'll feature at centre or wing.
He'll most likely be picked at centre if Anton Lienert-Brown can't prove in the next 24 hours that his hamstring strain has fully recovered.
Rieko Ioane has been one of the All Blacks' most in-form and important players. Photo / Photosport
Head coach Ian Foster has run a consistent policy while the team have been in Australia of making early decisions on whether recovering players can be considered for selection.
He's taken the view that if players aren't able to train fully early in the week, but could come right by the end of it, that he's not willing to take that risk and live with the uncertainty.
If Lienert-Brown, who damaged his hamstring against the Wallabies in Perth, can persuade the medics that he's fully recovered, then most likely he'll start at centre and Ioane will be picked on the wing.
But it may not be in his usual left-wing berth because that role may be given to George Bridge who has been, probably, the All Blacks biggest improver in the past two tests and gone about making a compelling case for inclusion to play against the Boks.
Bridge has had a tough year with injury and illness, suffering acute appendicitis in mid-May that forced emergency surgery to have the organ removed – a setback that came only weeks after he'd returned from a six-month lay-off recovering from a ripped chest muscle.
The Crusaders wing now appears to have recovered his speed, agility and confidence and while he may not have the same finishing power as either Will Jordan or Sevu Reece, what he does bring to the table is supreme ability at contesting kicks.
George Bridge in action for the All Blacks. Photo / Photosport
Against the Pumas in Brisbane, three times in succession Bridge successfully pulled down aerial bombs and had the strength and awareness to ensure the All Blacks could retain and use possession.
He also chased after a Jordie Barrett offensive kick and collected it, and with those four acts he probably played his way into the All Blacks starting team this weekend.
An hour or so earlier on the same ground, the Wallaby back three had struggled to deal with the numerous high kicks that rained down upon them.
Springboks halfback Faf de Klerk, first-five Handrie Pollard and fullback Willie le Roux didn't kick particularly accurately, but they kicked a lot and got some success from it as Tom Banks, Reece Hodge and Marika Koroibete all spilled possession more often than they didn't.
It gave the Boks a tiny foothold in the game and illustrated how important it will be for the All Blacks to deal effectively and accurately with the inevitable aerial bombardment.
Bridge brings the defensive skill-set the All Blacks will need and a back three with him. Ioane on the right wing and Jordie Barrett at fullback is a horses-for-courses combination with size, physical presence and defensive/aerial capability.
Reece and Jordan have produced strong form this year, too, but there is a feeling this test may not be the right one for either of them to start.
Picking Bridge wouldn't signal a new pecking order, more that the All Blacks want to defuse a specific threat against a specific team and that Bridge is best equipped of the three to do that.
And playing him on his preferred left wing is possible because the All Blacks gained reassurance back in Hamilton that Ioane is more comfortable on the right.
