Sonny Bill Williams. Photo / Getty
Is SBW the luckiest player in All Blacks' 31-man squad? Tony Veitch and Eric Young break down the talking points from the weekend.
All Blacks squad announcement:
Veitch: They are going to play footy. That's what I love about this team.
Young: Steve Hansen has said that all year hasn't he? He
is the sort of guy you know who wants to put a team out at the Rugby World Cup that is going to take the game to a place that has never been before.
Veitch: And he's saying we're going to go to the Northern Hemisphere, we're going to take our 31, we're going to take Naholo, we're going to give him a shot because we're going to play winning rugby and score some tries.
Is Sonny Bill the luckiest?
Young: I'm wondering whether Sonny Bill Williams is the luckiest player in world rugby.
Veitch: he has copped it hasn't he? There have been times when Sonny Bill has copped it in the past as we all know but this has gone to another level.
Young: Sure he's had injuries, sure he hasn't had the opportunities of other players have had but you could say that about Israel Dagg. You could say that about Cory Jane. And neither of them are going to the Rugby World Cup.
Veitch: They have buried that argument that you can't play your way out of the All Blacks. That has gone now.
What if Andrew McFadden has lost the dressing room?
Young: I couldn't say that he has lost the dressing room but it is clear they have stopped listening to something.
Veitch: You watch that performance, there was dropped balls, missed tackles...all of it. I've gone through the table and there is a chance they could get the wooden spoon.
