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All Blacks selector hints at RWC squad in aftermath of losing McKenzie

By Alex Shaw
Steve Hansen and Grant Fox look on prior to the Test match between the New Zealand All Blacks and France at Eden Park. (Photo by Anthony Au-Yeung/Getty Images)

Since Damian McKenzie went down with a knee injury that rules him out of the 2019 Rugby World Cup, speculation has been rife on who could fill the void in the All Blacks‘ 31-man squad.

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RugbyPass has looked at potential fly-half candidates to replace the versatile back, whilst the possibility of selecting a full-back such as Will Jordan has also been raised.

Based on comments from All Blacks selector and former RWC-winner Grant Fox, some weight has been lent to the latter of those two proposals.

Speaking to Radio Sport, Fox was forthcoming with his opinion that New Zealand do not necessarily need to add a third fly-half to complement the duo of Beauden Barrett and Richie Mo’unga.

“The way the draw sits, will a first five get a lot of rugby anyway?

“Possibly not. Japan is only ten and a half hours away, it’s not hard to get someone up there.

“You need someone [at fly-half] to cover those middle two pool games [Canada and Namibia]. Could we get away without a specialist? Possibly.

“Is that risky? Yes. We can only pick 31 so you’ve got to compromise somewhere. Do we compromise at 10, nine or somewhere else?

“We are pretty clear on thought at the moment but it’s something we don’t want to divulge too much.

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“You’ve got to worry about your injuries. If you get a late injury before a big game, you are running a hell of a risk.

“Compromise and risk become part of your discussion and we’ve just got to deal with it. But it is a lot easier to get a player to Japan if needed, compared to the UK in 2015.”

With Jordie Barrett, barring injury, almost a certainty to make the squad later this year, it does give the All Blacks a safety net at the position, should a player pick up a minor knock and miss a game or two, but not require a replacement that would then rule him out of the rest of the competition.

The younger Barrett brother has plenty of experience at fly-half from his age-grade days, although his rugby for the Hurricanes and the All Blacks has predominately come at full-back, on the wing or in the midfield.

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New Zealand, Steve Hansen and Fox will have the benefit of the upcoming Rugby Championship to look at the balance in the squad, possibly give Jordie some playing time at 10 or even call up a specialist fly-half, such as Otere Black or Josh Ioane, before they make their final decision over who and who not to take to Japan in September.

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Jon 8 hours 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”?

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j
john 11 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.

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