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How deep into the barrel must the All Blacks look for their next lock?
By Ned Lester
While competition for selection in Scott Robertson’s first All Blacks squad is fierce and only heating up further as we near the Super Rugby Pacific finals, there is one position where New Zealand is undeniably lacking depth: the second row.
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Of course, the famous black jersey will be missing two of its most renowned servants in 2024, with both Sam Whitelock and Brodie Retallick now retired from the international arena.
But the problems don’t end there for Robertson and company. Injury clouds hang over their next best options.
Patrick Tuipulotu has just been revealed to have ligament damage in his knee which will see him miss the England series and the Test against Fiji in San Diego. This comes after the 43-cap All Black missed the start of the season with a jaw issue.
Scott Barrett has also missed the majority of the Super Rugby Pacific season, initially with a broken finger and more recently due to back spasms. The nature of that injury makes it hard to gauge a timeline for Barrett – a potential All Blacks captain – to return.
So, who’s next? Well, let’s take a look at the options. Here are seven players, listed in order of selection likelihood according to this writer, as well as one bonus player to keep an eye on.
Tupou Vaa’i
24 years old
198 cm
118 kg
Vaa’i will start against England. That much is now clear in the minds of many. While the 24-year-old hasn’t looked all that comfortable on the international stage thus far in his young career, 2024 has seen Vaa’i embrace added responsibility in Retallick’s absence and thrive with it.
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Key statistics to help Vaa’i’s case are found in the Chiefs’ lineout, where they finished the regular season as the most successful team with Vaa’i leading the way in takes.
The Chiefs also topped the season statistics in ruck success, retaining more ball than any other team, a sign of an incredibly hard-working forward pack.
Vaa’i, despite his youth, is the most experienced international option remaining and by far the most in-form. He made 108 of his 116 tackles through nearly 800 minutes this season.
Sam Darry
23 y.0.
2.03 cm
110 kg
Darry has to be considered a leading contender for All Blacks selection against England as a well-rounded young prospect and the tallest available player on this list.
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When healthy, Darry has put his name forward for All Blacks selection in recent seasons and at just 23 years of age, projects to be a worthy investment.
The Blues ranked third in lineout success in the 2024 regular season, although Darry wasn’t employed as a jumper as much as his fellow locks or No. 8 Hoskins Sotutu.
Darry did contribute 72 tackles to the best defensive team in the competition, making more dominant tackles than misses. The Blues were also the second most successful team at retaining possession around the ruck, with Darry proving a willing ball carrier with a high work rate.
Having grown up in Christchurch and still representing Canterbury in the NPC while playing for the Blues, Darry will have connections to all of the All Blacks coaches.
Isaia Walker-Leawere
27 y.0.
197 cm
122 kg
A standout from the Hurricanes’ impressive 2024 campaign, Walker-Leawere has the chance to build on his 2023 All Blacks XV selection by going one better in 2024.
The Hurricanes pack have been immense this season, boasting the second-best lineout success and third-best ruck success as well as a powerful scrum.
Walker-Leawere has heavily contributed to each of those aspects of the game, claiming by far the most lineout takes on his team and working hard around the breakdown.
The 27-year-old made 133 of his 150 tackle attempts during the regular season and played 13 games, proving his durability in a demanding schedule.
One reason Walker-Leawere may be considered a liability however is his discipline, having conceded almost double the number of penalties in 2024 compared to the next worst offender on his team.
Perhaps with Scott Robertson’s track record of empowering players, the coach could bring the best and most disciplined side out of the Hurricanes powerhouse, but the reward is matched by the risk.
Naitoa Ah Kuoi
24 y.0.
198 cm
116 kg
Among the many talented locks on the Chiefs roster, Ah Kuoi has, for a couple of seasons now, been the most lethal defensively at lineout time. The 24-year-old again led his team in lineout steals this season.
Ah Kuoi has clearly caught the eye of All Blacks forwards coach Jason Ryan previously as he was selected for the All Blacks XV in 2023 and performed exceptionally well on the tour of Japan.
It’s also worth noting that All Blacks XV team was led by two names now found alongside Ryan in the All Blacks coaching staff; Leon MacDonald and Scott Hansen.
The latter of those two may hold the key to Ah Kuoi’s selection, as the young fan favourite thrived in the All Blacks XV defensive system which saw him rushing out of the line to make the initial hits behind the gain line, a strategy that allowed the fetchers of the team to put huge pressure on the breakdown.
Ah Kuoi has made 61 of his 69 tackles through his 491 minutes this season and brings energy and character both on and off the field.
Quinten Strange
27 y.o.
199 cm
114 kg
Perhaps the most experienced option for All Blacks consideration, Strange’s game will be well-known to selectors.
Strange had the opportunity to step up for the Crusaders in 2024, but Sam Whitelock’s boots are mighty large and filling them proved as difficult as one might expect. In saying that, when surrounded by a more experienced forward pack, specifically after the return of Codie Taylor, Strange looked far more comfortable on the field.
The Crusaders’ lineout was a shambles in the early part of this season and Strange’s brain fart at the end of the game against the Brumbies ultimately cost his team the result, a particularly poor mistake given his team were just a few points shy of making the playoffs.
Despite all of that though, there’s no denying Strange’s ability to work hard and provide the needed dirty work for wins, having been involved in the entity of the Scott Robertson-era Crusaders dynasty.
Strange also boasts an All Blacks XV selection in 2023 and was a part of the All Blacks’ 2020 Rugby Championship squad but an injury forced him to leave camp early.
Josh Lord
23 y.o.
202 cm
106 kg
Lord’s injury woes have continued in 2024. After returning from a torn ACL he suffered midway through 2022, Lord appeared in the All Blacks’ opening Test of 2023 but was the less experienced option heading into the Rugby World Cup so didn’t make the cut.
An ankle complaint saw the youngster miss the opening few rounds of this season and he only managed 130 minutes of action before a knee issue surfaced. He hasn’t been seen since.
At the time, Chiefs coach Clayton McMillan said Lord’s injuries weren’t healing as expected and so the team looked to be taking a cautious approach moving forward. He has however been participating in Chiefs trainings.
Should he end up being healthy and available for All Blacks selection, Lord offers a tall frame and plenty of mobility, but whether or not he can stay on the field is unfortunately a big question mark at this point.
Laghlan McWhannell
25 y.o.
198 cm
114 kg
One name who re-appeared out of the blue in 2024 was Laghlan McWhannell, and while the 25-year-old doesn’t boast the CV of the others on this list, he can certainly compete with their talent.
A highlight of the 2018 New Zealand U20 campaign, injuries have held the former Chiefs forward back throughout his young career. But, having sought a fresh start in Auckland, McWhannell is finally on the field again and showing the promise he offered all those years ago.
McWhannell claimed the most lineout takes of any Blues player this season, playing more minutes than any of his second-row teammates.
He did however miss the most tackles for any Blues player, falling off 20 of his 101 efforts. It’s likely the All Blacks will look to more proven players.
One to watch: Fabian Holland
21 y.o.
204 cm
124 kg
Holland is not available for All Blacks selection yet, he has one more year before qualifying under World Rugby’s residency laws – something All Blacks coach Scott Robertson had a keen awareness of when asked about the 21-year-old earlier in the year.
His name is worth mentioning as his form would otherwise demand inclusion so he looks likely to be an All Black in 2025. This means reinforcements are en route for Razor, and the selectors this season may have a short-lived window to impress at the next level.
Holland is a breakdown turnover machine and a safe pair of hands at lineout time, also proving to be one of the Highlanders’ most robust tacklers while being the biggest lock in the country.
Regardless of his ill discipline no one is performing at the level of walker-leawere. Also stood up in the semi despite being in the losing team
For years nz struggled with short and average locks compared to the likes of aus and sa. It’s feeling like back to those days for now.
Those listed weights are woefully out of date (for Lord and Darry particularly) and the Super clubs should be more diligent in updating this vital stat. I agree re Ah Kuoi as a bolter - he has the grunt for lock cover at international level but his future might be at 6. He’s a brilliant line-out option, is fast and agile and has the soft hands of a slip. It is such a shame about Holland - Breakdown’s stats showed he made 28 tackles against the Brumbies! Can that be right?
Josh Lord has the most upside, but at only 106kg you can see why he's more injury prone than Blackadder.
It’s also ridiculous that Fabian Holland doesn't qualify until the end of 2025, when he's been in NZ since high school.
Yet kiwi players all over the place virtually have an arm through another nations jersey before they’ve even hopped on the plane because of some silly heritage ‘link’ to a country they’ve never set foot in. Ridiculous.
Look, I’m only 5’2” but I’m strong AF and if someone can chuck me on their shoulders I’m totally open to giving it a crack.
The silver lining to the lock injury/lack of depth situation is that a number of these guys will get a run for the ABs this year when they otherwise wouldn’t have, and a couple of them will show that they have what it takes at the higher level.
On average they are definitely on the shorter side, but Ireland’s locks in particular have shown you don’t need to be over 2m to be a world class lock.
If Sotutu is selected he will be able to take some of the line out burden as he is one of the best in the country in that department.
I hope that Razor will be bold with his selections.
Ah Kuoi could well be the man under the radar who gets a crack in the squad if he has a screamer on the weekend. He wouldn’t be the first to sneak in under the radar and stranger things have happened.
Jamie Hannah is one for the future also ..As for leawere and Strange both are rocks and diamonds type players for everything they do good they then do something twice as bad ..With big paddy out id be putting Darry as back up for Barrett and Vaai