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The 'deep thinker' that TJ Perenara 'hated playing against' - Hansen hails centurion Whitelock
Sam Whitelock’s switch to a more instinctive style of play has seen him become one of the world’s best locks, according to New Zealand head coach Steve Hansen.
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Whitelock is set to win his 100th cap when the All Blacks face Australia in their Bledisloe Cup and Rugby Championship opener in Sydney on Saturday.
The 29-year-old will become just the eighth Kiwi to reach the landmark, and the first man in his position to do so.
Having captained the team previously in the absence of Kieran Read, Whitelock has developed into a senior figure among the all-conquering All Blacks side, which won six out of six in last year’s competition for a dominant defence of the title.
Just 2? more sleeps…#BledisloeCup #AUSvNZL pic.twitter.com/U5JbIl3xyi
— All Blacks (@AllBlacks) August 16, 2018
“When he first came in, he was a deep thinker,” Hansen said of Whitelock in a media conference. “Everything had to be perfect and there wasn’t a lot of flexibility in that thinking, so that probably inhibited him a little bit.
“He now trusts his own instincts and doesn’t have to see it, think about then do it, he just does it instinctively and that’s improved him immensely I think. He’s always been a quality athlete.
“I think sometimes we forget that because the other guy is so good in Brodie [Retallick], and Sam, I think, in his own right is one of the world’s best locks. He can carry, he can defend, he’s good in the set-piece both in scrum and line-out.
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“I remember when he played about 20 Test matches we sat down and he gave me the goal that he wanted to play 100 Test matches and he’s achieved that. To do that, you’ve got to be playing well consistently to get 20.
“To be able to get 100 just tells you how quality of a player he is. So we’re very proud of him and he’s a big leader in our team now.
“He’s obviously led the All Blacks in the last four Test matches while Reado was out and did a fantastic job of that. He’s a great lieutenant to Reado as well now. He’s only 29 so he should get a few more too. It should be quite exciting.”
"Him leading by example rather than voice is the way he goes about things"
All Blacks teammates pay tribute to Sam Whitelock ahead of his 100th Test this weekend.
?? https://t.co/yoxD1UPM50 pic.twitter.com/w0DNTXAaFa
— All Blacks (@AllBlacks) August 16, 2018
International team-mate TJ Perenara said recently that he “hated” playing against Whitelock at club level – a comment the man himself takes as a huge positive.
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“I think that’s the biggest compliment you can get,” Whitelock said. “Our job as tight-forwards is to annoy [number] nines, 10s and 12s in and around that breakdown and ruck so it’s good to know that I was getting to him when I’ve played against him.
“They [Australia] are the neighbours. They’re across the ditch and it’s the Bledisloe Cup. It’s very very special for us at any stage playing for the All Blacks but playing against an Aussie gives us that extra little bit of motivation in there and I think you can feel that this week within the environment that the boys are up for it.”
Comments on RugbyPass
The rugby championship would be even stronger with Fiji in it… I know it doesen’t fit the long term plans of NZ or Aus but you are robbing a whole nation of being able to see their best players play for Fiji…. Every second player in NZ and AUS teams has Fijian surnames… shame on you!!! World rugby won’t step in either as France and England has now also joined in…. I guess where money is involved it will always be the poor countries missing out….
69 Go to commentsNo surprise there. How hard can it be to pick a ball off the ground and chuck it to a mate? 😂
2 Go to commentsSometimes people just like a moan mate!
1 Go to commentsexcellent idea ! rugby needs this 💪
9 Go to comments9 Brumbies! What a joke! The best performing team in Oz! Ditch Skelton for Swain or Neville. Ryan Lonergan ahead of McDermott any day! Best selection bolter is Toole … amazing player
12 Go to commentsI like this, but ultimately rugby already has enough trophies. Trying to make more games “consequential" might prove to be a fools errand, although this is a less bad idea than some others. Minor quibble with the title of the article; it isn’t very meaningful to say the boks are the unofficial world champions when it would be functionally impossible for the Raeburn trophy not to be held by the world champions. There’s a period of a few months every 4 years when there is no “unofficial” world champion, and the Raeburn trophy is held by the actual world champions.
9 Go to commentsIts a great idea but one that I dont think will have a lot of traction. It will depend on the prestige that they each hold but if you can do that it would be great. When Japan beat the Boks (my team) I was absolutely devestated but I wont deny the great game they played that day. We were outclassed and it was one of the best games of rugby I have seen. Using an idea like this you might just give the the underdog teams more of an opportunity to beat the big teams and I can absolutely see it being a brilliant display of rugby. They beat us because they planned for that game. It was a great moment for Japan. This way we can remove the 4 year wait and give teams something to aim for outside of World Cup years.
9 Go to commentsHi, Dave here. Happy to answer questions 🥰
9 Go to commentsDon’t think that headline is accurate. It’s great to see Aus doing better but I’m not sure they’ve shown much threat to the top of the table. They shouldn’t be inflating wins against the lousy Highlanders and Crusaders either.
3 Go to commentsSuch a shame Roigard and Aumua picked up long term injuries, probably the two form players in the comp. Also, pretty sure Clarke Dermody isn’t their coach. Got it half right though.
3 Go to commentsOh the Aussie media, they never learn. At least Andrew Kellaway is like “Woah, yeah it’s great, but settle down there guys” having endured years of the Aussie media, fans, and often their players getting ahead of themselves only to fall flat on their faces. Have the “We'll win the Bledisloe for sure this year!” headlines started yet? It’s simple to see what’s going on. The Aussie teams are settled, they didn't lose any of their major players overseas. The Crusaders and Chiefs lost key experienced All Blacks, and Razor in the Crusaders case, and clearly neither are anywhere near as strong as last year (The Canes and Blues would probably be 3rd & 4th if they were). The Highlanders are annually average, even more so post-Aaron Smith and a big squad clean out. The two teams at the top? The two nz sides with largely the same settled roster as last year, except Ardie Savea for the Canes. They’ve both got far better coaches now too. If the Aussies are going to win the title, this is the year the kiwi sides will be weakest, so they better take their chance.
3 Go to commentsThe World Cup has to be the gold standard, line in the sand. 113 teams compete for what is the opportunity to make the pool stages, and then the knockout games for the trophy. The concept is sound. This must have been the rationale when the World Cup was created, surely? But I’m all for Looking forward and finding new ways for the SH to dominate the NH into the future. The autumn series needs a change up. Let’s start by having the NH teams come south every odd year for the Autumn/Spring series games?
9 Go to commentsWhat’ll happen when the AI models of the future go back in time and try to destroy the AI models of the past standing in their way of certain victory?
41 Go to commentsThanks, Nick. We (Seanny Maloney, Brett and I) just discussed Charlie as a potential Wallaby No 8, and wondered if he has truly realised how big he is in contact (and whether he can add 5 kg w/o slowing down). Your scouting report confirms our suspicions he has the materiel. No one knows if he has the mentality (as Johann van Graan said this week about CJ, Duane and Alfie B) to carry 10-15 times a game.
57 Go to commentsHe would be a great player for the Stormers, Dobbo should approach the guy.
3 Go to commentsGood article. A few years back when he was playing for the Cheetahs, he was a quiet standout for exactly the seasons stated here. I occasionally get to see his games in the UK, and he has become a more complete player and in many ways like an Irish player. His work ethic is so suitable to the Leinster game. I wonder if Rassie would have him listed somewhere.
3 Go to commentsResults probably skewed by the fact that a few clubs have foreign fly halves in their 30s, but most teams have young English scrum halves. Results also likely to be skewed by the fact that many teams rely on centres and fullbacks to provide depth at 10, whereas they will need to stock a large number of specialist backup 9s.
2 Go to commentsI really get the sense that when all is said and done, the path of least resistance will end up being a merger of Wasps & Worcester that essentially kills the Worcester Warriors brand and sees Wasps permanently playing at Sixways. I’m not saying that’s what should happen or what I want to happen. I just think it’s the easiest rout to take and therefore, will be what happens. Wasps will definitely return to play first, and I suppose it all depends on if they can find support at Sixways. If people turn up and support Wasps in that community, at that ground, I bet they drop the Sevenoaks plan and just remain at Sixways. Under the radar but not totally unrelated, it looks as though London Irish are going to be brought back from the dead by a German consortium and look set to return, likely to the remade Championship. It’s set to have 12 clubs next season with 14 in 2025/26, what do you want to bet those extra 2 are Wasps and London Irish?
3 Go to commentsThe shoulder is a “joint” with multiple bones. You don’t “fracture” a shoulder, you fracture any one or more of the bones that make up a shoulder.
2 Go to commentsOh dear, bones too suspect to continue?
2 Go to comments