Halfbacks Brad Weber of the Chiefs and Cam Roigard of the Hurricanes. Photo / Photosport
Halfbacks Brad Weber of the Chiefs and Cam Roigard of the Hurricanes. Photo / Photosport
OPINION
For a number of All Blacks hopefuls, time is up – there are no more games left to stake one last claim for inclusion.
Into this category go Levi Aumua, the brilliantly robust Moana Pasifika midfielder who has been Super Rugby’s most destructive runner, and Billy Harmon, the inspirationalHighlanders captain who has performed miracles at the breakdown this season.
Highlanders halfback Folau Fakatava is also in the wait and see category now – hoping he did enough in his mostly cameo role to remind the All Blacks selectors that he possesses a distinct and difficult to predict running game.
Others such as Hurricanes halfback Cam Roigard, Hurricanes centre Billy Proctor, Crusaders prop Tamaiti Williams and Chiefs outside backs Shaun Stevenson and Emoni Narawa know they have at least one more game to fly their respective flags.
And then there are the likes of Finlay Christie, Ethan Blackadder, Akira Ioane, Hoskins Sotutu, Tupou Vai’i, Josh Lord and Brad Weber who have been All Blacks but sit on the fringe.
Blues loose forward Hoskins Sotutu loses the ball on the try line against the Crusaders. Photo / Photosport
Those with time still left to impress know they can significantly advance their cause by delivering calm, accurate rugby in these next few weeks.
Knockout rugby is a different beast, the pressure is greater and selectors like seeing who copes with that and who wilts as it’s usually, but not always, a good guide to who is equipped to handle the intensity of test matches.
What makes these next few weeks yet more fascinating is how little time and how few games the All Blacks will have before they finalise their World Cup squad.
The Super Rugby final is on June 24 and the All Blacks will fly out to Argentina a week later to play in Mendoza on July 8.
They will be back in Auckland to play the Springboks on July 15 before facing the Wallabies on July 29 and August 5, with the World Cup squad to be announced on August 7.
Of the group which have run out of time, Aumua and Fakatava may both find themselves on the plane to Argentina.
Levi Aumua of Moana Pasifika. Photo / Photosport
Aumua’s ability to break tackles and get behind defences is something the All Blacks are unlikely to be able to resist.
He’s competing in what is a relatively deep pool of midfield options, but he brings a power game, the likes of which none of his rivals get remotely close to matching.
And it’s his obvious point of difference that could see him rewarded with the fourth midfield spot alongside Jordie Barrett, Rieko Ioane and Anton Lienert-Brown.
Aumua clearly has more to his game than raw power, but that’s the part of his portfolio the All Blacks will be most interested in, and they will be aware that if they take him to France, he’d be a genuine option to put on the bench to give them something direct and destructive to call upon.
Fakatava will similarly be pinning his hopes on the fact he offers something different – and while he played mostly off the bench this campaign, he showed that he can make a lot happen with his running game.
So too is he somewhat strangely brilliant at winning turnovers and come the World Cup, the All Blacks will need men on the field in the final quarter who can produce definitive moments that turn games.
With that in mind, Roigard will presumably play himself into the All Blacks squad if he can deliver the same punch and impact in Canberra – and beyond if the Hurricanes go through – that he has so far in 2023.
Cam Roigard scores a try for the Hurricanes. Photo / Photosport
His passing and box kicking have been mostly consistent and up to international standard, but what has set him apart this year is his ability to score tries.
What that points to is his keen sense of opportunity, and not only can he sniff blood so to speak, he’s shown himself to be magnificently ruthless at exploiting defences.
He’s strong, he’s quick and he totally commits when he backs himself and if his game holds up under the pressure of a quarterfinal it will serve as a big clue that his fearless style will play well for the All Blacks.
If Williams can anchor a destructive scrum for the Crusaders, he’ll likely be in.
Ioane and Sotutu are likely fighting for one place between them and the latter in particular could shoot up the rankings if he can provide a timely reminder of his athletic ball carrying and produce explosive defence.
Stevenson and Narawa, name-checked by All Blacks coach Ian Foster earlier in the year, both need to produce big moments in big games to stay in the selection race.
Again, there is probably room for only one of them and that decision will be made on the basis of who shines the brightest in these next games.
