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The trans-tasman rivalry in both rugby union and rugby league has been lopsided for the best part of history.
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In New Zealand rugby union is religion, attracting the country’s best athletes from a young age who are raised on the code. In Australia, the NRL and rugby league holds the attention of Queensland and New South Wales while union barely gets a mention.
The conundrum has weakened the trans-tasman rivalry (in terms of the actual contest) in both codes. The great ‘what-if’ is if both countries’ number one code was the same.
With the NRL season coming to its ultimate grand final week, we propose a league team made up of All Blacks and try and answer sport’s most important question: could the All Blacks field a league team that would win the NRL?
1. Damian McKenzie
Has an electric running game that would prove an absolute handful from the back. Possesses playmaking skills that would give the boys a third ball-player on the edge. A few concerns about ability under the high ball and the number of bombs he would get.
2. Rieko Ioane
Lethal finisher with top-end speed, would probably bag 30 tries in a season. Would be too much to handle for most wingers in the NRL.
3. Anton Lienert-Brown
Great hands make Lienert-Brown a perfect fit to pair with Ioane on the left-hand edge. Could free the big speedster all day long when overlaps present.
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4. Ngani Laumape
The bull-dozing midfielder makes the side as the right centre, having played 30 NRL games for the Warriors. Was mainly used a wing by the Warriors but has played here before. Obviously brings much-needed NRL experience.
5. Waisake Naholo
Have to give Naholo the nod here with the power game he offers the side. Nehe Milner-Skudder would be another strong candidate but he couldn’t crack the Bulldogs so is an unproven commodity in the NRL.
6. Beauden Barrett
Has the cross-field kick in the armory for the fifth tackle option so fits in nicely at 6. The pressure of game management taken off him and will have the freedom to take on the line more at second receiver.
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7. Richie Mo’unga
Possesses a calm head and stability to drive the team around the park. His out-of-hand kicking has phenomenal range so the 40-20 is always on. Won’t hesitate to take a droppie if need be in golden point situations (or any late-game situations for that matter).
8. Akira Ioane
The side needs a damaging ball-carrier to truck it up. Although he hasn’t made his All Blacks debut yet, Ioane re-signed with the NZR this week so what better way to repay the faith by taking 20 hitups a game? He was a force off the back for the Blues and has a wide range of skills. Basically a fitter version of Andrew Fifita.
9. TJ Perenara
League rakes don’t need to have a clinical pass so Perenara gets the edge over Smith as he brings more of the ‘pest-factor’ to get under opposition skin. His bigger frame will hold up better than Smith over the demands of an NRL season.
10. Liam Squire
Just a big man with a dirty mullet that fits the bill as the second front-rower. Could probably churn out 60 minutes to take the pressure off Akira. Has great acceleration and speed, very versatile.
11. Ardie Savea
Dynamic second-rower with powerful leg drive. Can get through 20+ tackles a match as well as be a damaging edge ball runner. Can protect Barrett or McKenzie in the defensive line.
12. Sonny Bill Williams (C)
Picks himself really. Two-time premiership winner, international experience with the Kiwis. 118 games of NRL experience. Will lead from the front and knows what it takes to win a Premiership.
13. Sam Cane
Dominant tackling force that could rack up 50 a match easily. Fills a much-needed role packing down at lock.
Coach – John Kirwan (Couple of seasons with the Warriors plus over 10 years of coaching experience)
Assistant Coach – Frano Botica
So how does this team stack up?
The All Blacks finally figure out how to get all three 10’s on the field at once, making a statement to all other NRL teams. With the simplicity of league, the boys just need a bit of extra conditioning, but their superior skills could cause headaches. They will bring a new style of play to the NRL, like the Ipswich Jets, unafraid to pass to the edge and play footy from their own half instead of one-out runners.
Their culture of winning means nothing less will be expected.
Prediction – Win a Premiership within two seasons (to be safe).
Comments on RugbyPass
I wonder what impact Samson has had on their attack, as the team seems less prone to trundle it up the middle, take the tackle and then trundle it up again. I lost faith in the coach last year as the Rebelss looked like a 2nd/3rd rate South African team. I also disliked Gordon standing back, often ignored as the forward battle went on and on. Maybe its our Aussie way of not getting off our A***’s until the enemy is at the gate.
83 Go to commentsThanks for the write up. Great to see the Rebs winning, I am a little interested in how they will go against the remaining kiwi teams, I think they’ve only played Hurricanes and Highlanders but how great to see these players performing!! I also see Parling has a job beyond June 30! A good move by RA? Also how do you fix the Rebels previously scratchy defence?
83 Go to commentsbe smart - go black
13 Go to commentsNext week the Crusaders hopefully have Scott Barrett back. Will be great to have the captain back. Hopefully he will be the All Black captain as well.
12 Go to commentsExciting place to be for the young fella. I expected he was French Polynesian when I saw him included in the France 6N squad (after seeing him in NZs), and therefor be strong grounds we might loose him to rugby down here. Good, in that he is good enough to warrant such a profile, and from a journalism’s fan interaction aspect, to finally get a back ground story on the fella. Hope he has settled into NZ OK and that at least one rugby country will fit with him to help his development, which, if so, he should surely continue for a few years, and then that he can experience France to it’s fullest with a bit more maturity and less reliance on family than you would have at his current age. A good 3 or 4 years before he would be ready for International duty if he wanted to wait. Of course he already sounds good enough to accept a call up, and to cap himself, in the more immediate future (he’d have to be very very good in the case of the ABs), and he’ll get a great taste of that being with the Canes who have a bunch who are just a few years further into their career and looking likely Internationals themselves.
13 Go to commentsI remember towards the end of the original broadcasting deal for Super rugby with Newscorp that there was talk about the competition expanding to improve negotiations for more money - more content, more cash. Professional rugby was still in its infancy then and I held an opposing view that if Super rugby was a truly valuable competition then it should attract more broadcasters to bid for the rights, thereby increasing the value without needing to add more teams and games. Unfortunately since the game turned professional, the tension between club, talent and country has only grown further. I would argue we’re already at a point in time where the present is the future. The only international competitions that matter are 6N, RC and RWC. The inter-hemisphere tours are only developmental for those competitions. The games that increasingly matter more to fans, sponsors and broadcasters are between the clubs. Particularly for European fans, there are multiple competitions to follow your teams fortunes every week. SA is not Europe but competes in a single continental competition, so the travel component will always be an impediment. It was worse in the bloated days of Super rugby when teams traversed between four continents - Africa, America, Asia and Australia. The percentage of players who represent their country is less than 5% of the professional player base, so the sense of sacrifice isn’t as strong a motivation for the rest who are more focused on playing professional rugby and earning as much from their body as they can. Rugby like cricket created the conundrum it’s constantly fighting a losing battle with.
4 Go to commentsOh wow… “But as La Rochelle proved in winning in Cape Town this season, a cross-continental away assignment need not spell the end of days.” La Rochelle actually proved quite the opposite. After traveling to Cape town and back they (back-to-back and current champs) got mercilessly thumped the next week. If travel is not the reason, why else would a full-strength powerhouse like La Rochelle get dumped on their @r$e$ one week later?
26 Go to commentsYou know he can land a winning conversion after the full time siren is up. (Even if it takes two attempts.)
5 Go to commentsA very insightful article from Jake. I would love to know how South African’s feel about their move to Europe. Do you prefer playing in Europe or want to go back to Super Rugby?
4 Go to commentspure fire
1 Go to commentsA very well thought out summary of all the relevant complications…agree with your ”refer the Cricket Test versus 20/20 comparison”. More also definitely doesn't necessarily mean better!
4 Go to commentsMust be something when you are only 19 y.o and both NZ and France want you. Btw he wasn’t the only new caledonian in french U20 as Robin Couly also lived in Noumea until 17. Hope he’s successful wherever he chooses to play.
13 Go to comments“Several key players in the Stade Rochelais squad are in their thirties” South Africans are going to hate the implications of that comment!
5 Go to commentsI know Leinster did a job on La Roche but shortly after HT Leinster were 30-13 ahead of them and at a similar time Toulouse were trailing Exeter. At 60 mins Leinster were 27 ahead but after 67 mins Toulouse were only 19 ahead before Exeter collapsed. That’s heavier scoring by Leinster against the Champions. I think people are looking at Toulouses total a little too much. I also think Northhampton are in with a real chance, albeit I’d put Leinster as favourites. If Leinster make the final I expect them to win by more than ten and with control.
5 Go to commentsHey Nick, your match analysis is decent but the top and tail not so much, a bit more random. For a start there’s a seismic difference in regenerating any club side over a test team. EJ pretty much had to urinate with the appendage he’d been given at test level whereas club success is impacted hugely by the budget. Look no further than Boudjellal’s Toulon project for a perfect example. The set ups at La Rochelle and Leinster are like chalk and cheese and you are correct that Leinster are ahead. Leinster are not just slightly ahead though, they are light years ahead on their plans, with the next gen champions cup team already blooded, seasoned and developing at speed from their time manning the fort in the URC while the cream play CC and tests. They have engineered a strong talent conveyor belt into their system, supported by private money funnelled into a couple of Leinster private schools. The really smart move from Leinster and the IRFU however is maximising the Irish Revenue tax breaks (tax relief on the best 10 years earnings refunded at retirement) to help keep all of their stars in Ireland and happy, while simultaneously funding marquee players consistently. And of course Barrett is the latest example. But in no way is he a “replacement for Henshaw”, he’s only there for one season!!! As for Rob Baxter, the best advice you can give him is to start lobbying Parliament and HMRC for a similar state subsidy, but don’t hold your breath… One thing Cullen has been very smart with is his coaching team. Very quickly he realised his need to supplement his skills, there was talk of him exiting after his first couple of years but he was extremely shrewd bringing in Lancaster and now Nienaber. That has worked superbly and added a layer that really has made a tangible difference. Apart from that you were bang on the money… 😉😂
5 Go to commentsNot sure exactly what went wrong for him at Glasgow but it’s pretty clear he ain’t Franco’s cup of tea. Suspect he would have been better served heading out of Scotland around the same time as Finn, Hoggy and Jonny!
1 Go to commentsBulls disrespected the Northampton supporters and the competition. Decide quickly, fully in or out.
26 Go to commentsI wonder if Parling was ever on England’s radar as a coach? Obviously Borthwick is a great lineout coach, but I do worry he might be taking on too much as both head coach and forwards coach.
1 Go to commentsJason Jenkins has one cap. When Etzebeth was his age he had over 80 caps. Experience matters. He will never amount to what Etzebeth has because he hasn’t been developed as an international player.
2 Go to commentsSays much about the player picking this gig over the easier and bigger rewards offered to him in Japan. Also says a lot about the state sanctioned tax benefits the Irish Revenue offers pro rugby players, with their ten highest earning years subject to an additional 40% tax relief and paid as a lump sum, in cash, at retirement. Certainly helps Leinster line up the financial ducks in a row to fund marquee signings like this!!! No other union anywhere in world rugby benefits from this kind of lucrative financial sponsorship from their government…
5 Go to comments