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Nine potential test debutants named in first All Blacks squad of Ian Foster's reign

By Online Editors
Will Jordan, Damian McKenzie and Caleb Clarke. (Photo by Hannah Peters/Getty Images)

Ian Foster has rewarded Super Rugby Aotearoa form in naming the first All Blacks squad of his tenure as coach of the New Zealand national team.

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Asafo Aumua, Alex Hodgman, Quinten Strange, Tupou Vaa’i, Cullen Grace, Akira Ioane, Hoskins Sotutu, Caleb Clarke and Will Jordan have all been called into Foster’ 35-man squad and could make test debuts against Australia later this year.

Aumua and Ioane were included on the All Blacks’ tour to the Northern Hemisphere in 2017 and suited up against the Barbarians and a French XV but have yet to play any test matches.

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Coaches and players spoke to media after the South beat the North in the one-off rep match played in Wellington, NZ on September 5th.

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Coaches and players spoke to media after the South beat the North in the one-off rep match played in Wellington, NZ on September 5th.

Aumua joins Codie Taylor and Dane Coles as the hookers in the squad, with 23-year-old Aumua comfortably the youngest of the trio. He takes the spot occupied by Liam Coltman at last year’s World Cup in Japan.

Hodgman, Karl Tu’inukuafe and Tyrel Lomax are the other big movers in the front row with the pipping the likes of Angus Ta’avao and South Island representative George Bower spots in the squad. Joe Moody, Nepo Laulala and Ofa Tu’ungafasi are all experienced selections included.

Blues front-rower Hodgman’s unavailability for the North v South match evidently did not harm his cause.

With Brodie Retallick overseas, Scott Barrett on the mend from surgery and up-and-comer Pari Pari Parkinson also out through injury, Foster and his fellow coaches have had to dig deep into New Zealand’s locking stocks. Strange’s inclusion highlights the selectors’ faith in the young man, given he spent much of the season sidelined. 20-year-old Vaa’i has been a solid performer for the Chiefs during Super Rugby Aotearoa and is a name that was likely not on the radar at all at the beginning of the year.

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Sam Whitelock and Patrick Tuipulotu, the captains in last night’s game, will forge a formidable second-row combination in the national side.

The loose forwards were always going to be highly contested with Sam Cane, Lachlan Boshier, Du’Plessis Kirifi and Luke Jacobson all absent from the interisland match. Captain Cane has unsurprisingly been selected alongside fellow World Cup travellers Ardie Savea and Shannon Frizell, while Hoskins Sotutu has been perhaps the most impressive forward in an outstanding Blues pack this season. Grace’s selection comes despite the Timaru-born loosie spending a large part of the season out with injury.

Ioane, after seemingly carrying the world on his shoulders in seasons gone by, has loosened up this year and is rewarded for his flexibility in the loosies. Dalton Papalii also earns selection as the third openside flanker in the squad.

In the backs, Brad Weber has fought off the attention of Finlay Christie and the talented youngsters coming through the ranks to retain the third halfback spot. His performance in the North v South game was a step up from what we’ve seen of him at the Chiefs this season and may well have convinced Foster not to go with a younger option.

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Josh Ioane misses out on selection despite a strong showing for the South, providing the cross-field kick that won the South the match in the final seconds of the interisland encounter. Richie Mo’unga and Beauden Barrett are named as the sole 10s in the squad but Damian McKenzie was tasked with running the cutter for the North in the final quarter and is likely seen as a utility option in the squad.

Ngani Laumape’s injury means that the midfield selections are relatively straightforward with Jack Goodhue, Anton Lienert-Brown, Braydon Ennor and dangerman Rieko Ioane nabbing spots. Although Ennor was taken from the field early in last night’s encounter, he’s evidently been ruled fit for the upcoming international ‘season’.

Caleb Clarke and Will Jordan are the big winners in the outside backs, following exceptional seasons for the Blues and Crusaders respectively.

All Blacks squad

Forwards:

Alex Hodgman, Nepo Laulala, Joe Moody, Karl Tu’inukuafe, Tyrel Lomax, Ofa Tu’ungafasi, Dane Coles, Codie Taylor, Asafo Aumua, Patrick Tuipulotu, Sam Whitelock, Tupou Vaa’i, Quinten Strange, Sam Cane, Cullen Grace, Ardie Savea, Hoskins Sotutu, Akira Ioane, Dalton Papalii, Shannon Frizell.

Backs:

Aaron Smith, TJ Perenara, Brad Weber, Richie Mo’unga, Beauden Barrett, Jack Goodhue, Anton Lienert-Brown, Rieko Ioane, Braydon Ennor, Jordie Barrett, Sevu Reece, Caleb Clarke, George Bridge, Will Jordan, Damian McKenzie.

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J
Jon 42 minutes ago
Jake White: Are modern rugby players actually better?

This is the problem with conservative mindsets and phycology, and homogenous sports, everybody wants to be the same, use the i-win template. Athlete wise everyone has to have muscles and work at the gym to make themselves more likely to hold on that one tackle. Do those players even wonder if they are now more likely to be tackled by that player as a result of there “work”? Really though, too many questions, Jake. Is it better Jake? Yes, because you still have that rugby of ole that you talk about. Is it at the highest International level anymore? No, but you go to your club or checkout your representative side and still engage with that ‘beautiful game’. Could you also have a bit of that at the top if coaches encouraged there team to play and incentivized players like Damian McKenzie and Ange Capuozzo? Of course we could. Sadly Rugby doesn’t, or didn’t, really know what direction to go when professionalism came. Things like the state of northern pitches didn’t help. Over the last two or three decades I feel like I’ve been fortunate to have all that Jake wants. There was International quality Super Rugby to adore, then the next level below I could watch club mates, pulling 9 to 5s, take on the countries best in representative rugby. Rugby played with flair and not too much riding on the consequences. It was beautiful. That largely still exists today, but with the world of rugby not quite getting things right, the picture is now being painted in NZ that that level of rugby is not required in the “pathway” to Super Rugby or All Black rugby. You might wonder if NZR is right and the pathway shouldn’t include the ‘amateur’, but let me tell you, even though the NPC might be made up of people still having to pull 9-5s, we know these people still have dreams to get out of that, and aren’t likely to give them. They will be lost. That will put a real strain on the concept of whether “visceral thrill, derring-do and joyful abandon” type rugby will remain under the professional level here in NZ. I think at some point that can be eroded as well. If only wanting the best athlete’s at the top level wasn’t enough to lose that, shutting off the next group, or level, or rugby players from easy access to express and showcase themselves certainly will. That all comes back around to the same question of professionalism in rugby and whether it got things right, and rugby is better now. Maybe the answer is turning into a “no”?

32 Go to comments
j
john 3 hours ago
Will the Crusaders' decline spark a slow death for New Zealand rugby?

But here in Australia we were told Penney was another gun kiwi coach, for the Tahs…….and yet again it turned out the kiwi coach was completely useless. Another con job on Australian rugby. As was Robbie Deans, as was Dave Rennie. Both coaches dumped from NZ and promoted to Australia as our saviour. And the Tahs lap them up knowing they are second rate and knowing that under pressure when their short comings are exposed in Australia as well, that they will fall in below the largest most powerful province and choose second rate Tah players to save their jobs. As they do and exactly as Joe Schmidt will do. Gauranteed. Schmidt was dumped by NZ too. That’s why he went overseas. That why kiwi coaches take jobs in Australia, to try and prove they are not as bad as NZ thought they were. Then when they get found out they try and ingratiate themselves to NZ again by dragging Australian teams down with ridiculous selections and game plans. NZ rugby’s biggest problem is that it can’t yet transition from MCaw Cheatism. They just don’t know how to try and win on your merits. It is still always a contest to see how much cheating you can get away with. Without a cheating genius like McCaw, they are struggling. This I think is why my wise old mate in NZ thinks Robertson will struggle. The Crusaders are the nursery of McCaw Cheatism. Sean Fitzpatrick was probably the father of it. Robertson doesn’t know anything else but other countries have worked it out.

15 Go to comments
A
Adrian 5 hours ago
Will the Crusaders' decline spark a slow death for New Zealand rugby?

Thanks Nick The loss of players to OS, injury and retirement is certainly not helping the Crusaders. Ditto the coach. IMO Penny is there to hold the fort and cop the flak until new players and a new coach come through,…and that's understood and accepted by Penny and the Crusaders hierarchy. I think though that what is happening with the Crusaders is an indicator of what is happening with the other NZ SRP teams…..and the other SRP teams for that matter. Not enough money. The money has come via the SR competition and it’s not there anymore. It's in France, Japan and England. Unless or until something is done to make SR more SELLABLE to the NZ/Australia Rugby market AND the world rugby market the $s to keep both the very best players and the next rung down won't be there. They will play away from NZ more and more. I think though that NZ will continue to produce the players and the coaches of sufficient strength for NZ to have the capacity to stay at the top. Whether they do stay at the top as an international team will depend upon whether the money flowing to SRP is somehow restored, or NZ teams play in the Japan comp, or NZ opts to pick from anywhere. As a follower of many sports I’d have to say that the organisation and promotion of Super Rugby has been for the last 20 years closest to the worst I’ve ever seen. This hasn't necessarily been caused by NZ, but it’s happened. Perhaps it can be fixed, perhaps not. The Crusaders are I think a symptom of this, not the cause

15 Go to comments
T
Trevor 8 hours ago
Will forgotten Wallabies fit the Joe Schmidt model?

Thanks Brett.. At last a positive article on the potential of Wallaby candidates, great to read. Schmidt’s record as an international rugby coach speaks for itself, I’m somewhat confident he will turn the Wallaby’s fortunes around …. on the field. It will be up to others to steady the ship off the paddock. But is there a flaw in my optimism? We have known all along that Australia has the players to be very competitive with their international rivals. We know that because everyone keeps telling us. So why the poor results? A question that requires a definitive answer before the turn around can occur. Joe Schmidt signed on for 2 years, time to encompass the Lions tour of 2025. By all accounts he puts family first and that’s fair enough, but I would wager that his 2 year contract will be extended if the next 18 months or so shows the statement “Australia has the players” proves to be correct. The new coach does not have a lot of time to meld together an outfit that will be competitive in the Rugby Championship - it will be interesting to see what happens. It will be interesting to see what happens with Giteau law, the new Wallaby coach has already verbalised that he would to prefer to select from those who play their rugby in Australia. His first test in charge is in July just over 3 months away .. not a long time. I for one wish him well .. heaven knows Australia needs some positive vibes.

21 Go to comments
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