Former All Black pinpoints crucial factor for 2027 Rugby World Cup success

Former All Black Ben Smith believes Dave Rennie’s side must maintain a settled selection approach as they build towards next year’s Rugby World Cup in Australia.

Rennie has largely selected the same group of backs when possible, but due to injury, most of the rotation and changes have come in the tight five and the loose forwards.

Will Jordan, Quinn Tupaea, Jordie Barrett, Cameron Roigard, and Damian McKenzie have been constants in the backline, while Ethan de Groot, Codie Taylor, and Peter Lakai have been the most used forwards.

The current Highlanders assistant coach told Sport Nation that it’s important for Rennie to select consistently, when possible, comparing it to the All Blacks‘ 2015 Rugby World Cup victory.

Smith, who won the Rugby World Cup in 2015 with arguably one of the best teams to ever play international rugby, explained what difference consistency in selection will have going into a World Cup year.

“Yeah, I definitely think the cohesion is a big part of it [consistency], and you obviously get cohesion by playing alongside the same players, and you’ve seen that with their selections, and I think that’ll really set the All Blacks up for next year around the World Cup,” Smith told Millsy & Guy on Sport Nation.

“I just reckon it’s little things by playing alongside the guys every week. You get little combinations, you get tendencies that sort of sort of work themselves out.

“You look at a Quinn Tupaea and Jordie Barrett and guys like that that actually sort of are ahead of the game around what each other are thinking, and that’s a big part of the game of footy, I suppose.

“Was being able to be in that space where everyone’s on the same page, and that’s sort of what you’re seeing now around that brand of footy that’s enjoyable for us to watch, but also looks like it’s enjoyable for them to play.

“So it’s a big part of the cohesion aspect of it. I think it’s being able to get those combinations and spend a bit of time nutting it out together and being in tough situations as well. They’ve all been in a few tough situations throughout the year, and I’m sure that’s serving them well.”

Unlike others, who may believe the style the All Blacks are trying to play won’t suit them for the Rugby World Cup in Australia, Smith said if they can continue to evolve with ball in hand, they will be a huge threat.

“Yeah, like it looks like an enjoyable game to play, he one that they’re playing.  They’re obviously trying to move that point of contact constantly, making it really hard for defences to get set,” Smith said on Sport Nation.

“The speed of the ball has been rapid, and they’ve got some athletes that I reckon are really able to play that game and use their skill sets to sort of unlock some of those dangerous backs that they’ve got.

“So I’ve really enjoyed watching as a fan, watching the game and seeing how that sort of evolved over the space of the year, really from South Africa through to where they are at now, which bodes well for the World Cup.”