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'He fits all those boxes': Former All Black's pick for Razor's openside
By Henry Lee
After just four weeks of the new Super Rugby Pacific competition for 2025, players are already putting up their hands for All Blacks selection through effort and form in the new campaign.
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The Chiefs lead Super Rugby Pacific after four rounds, but the NSW Waratahs are the only side with a 100 per cent win rate, having won all three of their games.
With former All Black captain Sam Cane retiring from international rugby at the end of last year’s Northern Tour, a place has opened up in the All Blacks starting side at openside flanker, a position of huge importance to Scott Robertson and his coaching staff, a decision that he won’t take lightly.
Former All Black Jeff Wilson has taken a stab at whom he would pick for the All Blacks at openside flanker, admitting that one of the Hurricanes’ four co-captains, Du’Plessis Kirifi, has impressed him in the last couple of years.
“Du’Plessis is relentless. If you watch him play, he’s a very good athlete,” Wilson said on The Breakdown.
“I think he’s got a massive engine, and on the other side of it, he doesn’t plod his way around the field. He continues to fight and scrap every opportunity he gets at a breakdown.
“So when I think of him, I see a guy who can carry, he can do that, he can carry the ball, he doesn’t slow down. The impact he had on Saturday night was huge in the last 20 minutes when he came on the pitch.
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“For me, Kirifi has matured over the last four years.”
Wilson believes that the All Blacks need a stronger defensive trio in the loose forward positions to improve the team’s defensive rating, saying that Kirifi would improve Robertson’s team on the defensive side of the ball.
“All of a sudden, we’re now conceding one more try, 24 points, and we’re only scoring 22, the conceding points is the concern for me. We were the best defensive team and the best counter-attacking team for a long time.
“We put pressure on the opposition, now I think with our loose forwards, that’s where we need to get our competitive advantage together.
“They set the tone defensively because they have to defend in the most difficult channels, usually three or four out in a ruck or off a set piece, at the tail of a lineup or the edge of a scrum.”
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For former All Blacks back Mils Muliaina, Kirifi at openside flanker with Ardie Savea at eight is the best combination going forward.
“If I was picking the All Blacks today, Kirifi would be in the seven today. If you’re going to pick Ardie at eight, I think you go with Kirifi,” Muliaina said on The Breakdown.
“If it was me picking your All Blacks, he’s in the squad.
When asked about Crusaders loose forward Ethan Blackadder’s impressive performance on the weekend against the Reds, Wilson says he still needs to see more from the 29-year-old to convince him to be in the frame to start for the All Blacks.
“There’s no doubt about it, Ethan’s one of those guys in the conversation, but don’t confuse activity for excellence.
“Don’t confuse the impact you have on the game, the ability to play at different speeds. At the moment, he’s just a little bit one-paced for me.
“He continues to battle, and battle, and battle, but is he strong enough? Is he quick enough across the ground? Can he stay in support?
“He’ll keep fighting and play hard, but he’s got to show more. Once again, though, is he a seven? There’s a lot of trying to win the race to the breakdown, win the race to the breakdown, read the game.
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The 2 players who, together as a wrecking & attacking unit will occupy the minds & bodies of All Black opposition everywhere are Sititi and Sotutu! Even their names, “See & Sow” [Si & So] spoken together sound like a menacing war machine to your ears! I can hardly wait to see them play together in the same team! Both of these ruthless attackers and wrecking machines will stew up any one who tries to get the ball! The Samoan & the Fijian especially bred to play rugby.
Savea 7 Wallace Satiti 8 and Frizell 6 no further questions sir! As for 10 I want to see Love groomed for this. I saw him in this position for his super debut and have been waiting patiently for him to be recognised as a 10. He looked like a young Dan Carter….a good full back but a future 10!
Looks like the Hurricanes are committed to Harry Godfrey at 10 and Love at 15
Kirifi should fill the spot in the squad that Cane took last year. Cane started because of his immense experience, defence and hard-nosed-go-full-speed approach.
Sititi at 8
Savea at 7
Not sure who’s at 6 - Finau, Papali’i, Blackadder and Jacobson are capable of playing there
Kirifi and Lakai as the next players to develop
I see Savea, Sititi and Lakai as best 3 loosies and they could pretty much all interchange. However that's not a big trio, Simon Parker impresses as a big body with potential, Cullen Grace maybe but he needs regular time at 6 rather than being a part time lock.
Simon Parker is a very big unit at 6 and definitely should be considered as an option at 6 along with Frizell, Fineau, Grace, Sufua, and Flanders.
Sounds good to me kirifi and Ardie only one smidgen of concern Size eg the Northern Hemisphere loose forwards are not exactly average size SA as always a physical trio and Argentina they like to grind i’m also of the 2% of Ardie taking a more multi roll 7 - 8 oh well kirifi it is
Because I personally do not believe that Wallace Sititi is tall enough to start at blindside flanker on an All Black team capable of winning against South Africa or France consistently (Jerome Kaino was 1.96m, not 1.88m), I believe Sititi must be the first loosie selected when healthy and put in his best position which is No 8. Hoskins Sotutu would be my backup 8.
Once you commit to playing your best player in 2024 (Sititi) at 8, it is obvious that Savea is selected at openside flanker with a Savea clone, like Peter Lakai or Duplessis Kirifi, as his backup at 7. I would select Lakai as he is 21 and his best years are ahead of him.
With Sititi at 8 and Savea at 7, the All Blacks then need to settle on a BIG mobile blindside in the Kaino mold (who hits hard in defence and runs hard in tight and is a good lineout jumper). Samipeni Fineau, Cameron Sufua, Cullen Grace, Devon Flanders, and Simon Parker are options.
And of course Shannon Frizell is returning to NZ after the Japan Top League is over. My choice at 6 would be Frizell and whichever of the above mentioned SR candidates steps up. Cullen Grace is a very good 6 but like Blackadder has been unable to stay healthy an entire season. However Grace just turned 25 so there is still hope he can overcome his injury history. Fineau needs to step up this season and start rocking big forwards and not just small 10s from Australia as he made his reputation on last season. Fineau is still young and despite not being impressed at all with him at All Black level in his first two seasons, he is too young to discard. But he needs to show mongrel against guys his own size!
Three players I would move past and not select are Dalton Papalii, Luke Jacobson, and Ethan Blackadder who are all very good Super Rugby players but have been tried and tested at All Black level and none of the three have proven to be more than average. And now they are in their late 20s with little to no upside.
Sotutu is lazy on defense and has a bad attitude that should be no where near the All Blacks!
It took Jerome Kaino several seasons to find his feet in the test arena, Finau will be the same. Good things take time. He doesn’t just hit 10s hard, hes been sitting big forwards down every game this season. Against the Brumbies he made 4 good tackles in the first 5 phases of the game. I also hope Frizzel returns in peak condition from Japan and hasn’t dropped weight like some forwards do over there. We need those extra KGs to take on the big sides
I to would prefer Sititi at 8 blindside is crucial with Frizzell returning and up to speed Finau must continue as understudy so included of the 3 theres still a place for Blackadder if fully fit as a multi roll ( he's a grunt ) papalii can stay where he is
As for Blackadder, no one can question his attitude and dedication, the guy will just throw himself against a brick wall, and coaches absolutely love players like that.
Guy’s only have two problems: he can’t stay healthy for a long run with the style he plays, and he’s not really a pilfering 7, he’s more of a 6/8, but those spots seem occupied.
If Razor decides to play Ardie at his natural 7, then there’s an opening at 8 where Blackadder could get a look, but then again I think Iose should get a look at some point.
If Razor keeps playing Ardie at 8, then I think Kirifi is a better match for the 7 jersey, than Blackadder is.
I think, that Kirifi deserves a chance. He’s been excellent for years, while steadily improving as a player, and a leader. The only issue I take with him being the ABs’ starting 7 is, that I see Ardie not only as a 7, but as the best 7 in the world. Playing Kirifi at 7 means playing Ardie at 8, which means playing your best player out of position, and that’s just poor asset management.
Ask Pocock, the best 7 Australia had at the time, having to play 8 to make room for Hooper at 7.
It just rubs me the wrong way. You shuffle the team around your biggest assets, not the other way around.
dont think so there are others available in super rugby
Karefi is from the same mold as Savea, have him in the ABs in a heart beat.
Without a doubt, Kerefi should have been there last year as well as Sotutu.
Unfortunately Razor has such an obsession with defending that he prioritises that over attacking power,
This was painfully obvious when the ABs were absolutely exposed at the breakdown last year.
There was just not enough ‘menace’ in the AB forwards. Sotutu and Kerefi are perfect for disruption in attacking sides, Razor needs to wake up to this and quickly
Sotutu is a good attacker, but a lazy defender which is why he didn’t get picked and in fact was dropped from the All Blacks in 2023.
Kerefi is a good defender though a bit on the small side for international rugby, however he certainly has the work rate sadly missing from Sotutu’s game.