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'I didn't want to die wondering': A season of significance for Brad Weber in a crowded All Blacks scrum halves fight
2021 might just be the defining season for Brad Weber in terms of how far higher up the ranks he goes on these shores.
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It was no easy decision to stay in New Zealand for the seven-test All Black. Overseas offers were lucrative, but so too is the lure of unfinished business.
That may be one of the obvious factors behind Brad Weber inking his signature for another year with the Chiefs, and in doing so, remaining a viable All Blacks candidate for at least one more season.
There is plenty of unfinished business for Weber, particularly in Super Rugby as the Chiefs search for the title that has eluded them since 2013, and it’s this particular environment that Weber admits to being most comfortable in.
“I had some pretty decent offers overseas so I had to really weigh up what I wanted to do”, Weber told RugbyPass this week, “it took a bit of time and a bit of thinking but this is my happy place here at the Chiefs and as always it will be about me fitting in and bringing the spark where I can”.
Being a leader and bringing spark to the Chiefs environment is something that the 29-year-old is well used to at this point, but happiness beyond rugby has always been the other key driver.
A laid back, popular character within the Chiefs, Weber has tried his hand at many things throughout his time. From podcasting to golf, Weber enjoys spending his offseason travelling with friends, and more recently tried his hand at becoming a budding DJ thanks to his love of music.
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The 29-year old has never lost that crucial ability to switch off from the pressures of being a professional rugby player. It’s a wholesome and potentially deliberate ploy that Weber utilizes while plying his trade in a professional career that hasn’t been smoothly traversed.
Since capturing national attention in 2014, Weber’s development into one of New Zealand’s premier scrum-halves has been obvious for all to see. But after making his All Blacks debut in 2015 against Samoa, it would be another four years until Weber would pull on the black jersey again.
During that period spanning an entire World Cup cycle, Weber was consistently one of the best in his position throughout Super Rugby but cracking into the All Blacks and slotting in behind Aaron Smith and TJ Perenara proved difficult.
Frustration grew for Weber over successive seasons, leading to the infamous conversation with then All Blacks assistant coach Ian Foster a year out from the 2019 World Cup. It was the moment where Weber finally got a chance to ask serious questions about why he hadn’t been selected in the squad more regularly and why he had been overlooked in favor of others.
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“I let him (Foster) know what my thinking was in terms of my plan to try and get to the All Blacks” Weber told Sky Sport in October 2019, “I didn’t want to die wondering and we always had a good line of communication so I took him up on his offer to call him any time”.
Consistency of skillset around passing and kicking were the key work ons for Weber ahead of the 2019 season, a season that was shaping up to be Weber’s last big crack at the black jersey.
Speed around the field has always been the obvious point of difference Weber holds over others in his position, but it’s also his key eye for the smallest of gaps in and around the breakdown which saw him become a fan favorite early on.
The All Blacks wanted to see the occasional erratic pass and kick firmly extinguished from his game. When that started to happen, Weber was rewarded with All Black selection for the World Cup in Japan and has since amassed a further six caps.
Then came the end to a difficult 2020 season, and the decision over what to do when his existing contract expired. The decision was to extend for another year, which brings us to the here and now.
With TJ Perenara offshore for the next little while, many would assume that Weber will get another chance to prove himself in the All Blacks, not just as a third string option, but potentially as a genuine test match starter.
The challenge for Weber is that he is by no means alone in this race, and from a purely speculatory point of view, many may argue that the time could have come and gone.
Crusaders pair Bryn Hall and Mitchell Drummond both have viable arguments for a shot in the All Blacks, as does rising Blues talent Finlay Christie.
Weber might have the experience and knowledge of the systems under Ian Foster and co, but his form heading into 2021 is also far off where it needs to be when contrasted against the likes of Hall and Drummond in particular.
In his defence, Weber did play in more than a handful of matches where the forwards in front of him didn’t have the greatest of fortunes throughout last season, particularly when wearing the Chiefs strip, but still time feels very much of the essence when you stop to look at some of the talent coming through.
Future prospects will already be being scouted as the next phase of halfbacks to come through the system, likely taking the same path as Weber did through the All Blacks setup in the first instance, the likes of Xavier Roe and Folau Fakatava for example.
Having just signed on for one more year, it will be interesting to see how Weber fairs this season with this reality in the minds of the All Blacks selectors.
Comments on RugbyPass
Super rugby is struggling but that has little to do with sabbaticals. 1. Too many teams from Aust and NZ - should be 3 and 4 respectively, add in 2 from Japan, 1 possibly 2 from Argentina. 2. Inconsistent and poor refereeing, admittedly not restricted to Super rugby. Only one team was reffed at the breakdown in Reds v H’Landers match. Scrum penalty awarded in Canes v Drua when No 8 had the ball in the open with little defence nearby - ideal opportunity to play advantage. Coming back to Reds match - same scrum situation but ref played advantage - Landers made 10 yards and were penalised at the breakdown when the ref should have returned to scrum penalty. 3. Marketing is weak and losing ground to AFL and NRL. Playing 2 days compared with 4. 4. Scheduling is unattractive to family attendance. Have any franchises heard of Sundays 2pm?
8 Go to commentsAbsolutely..all they need is a chance in yhe playoffs and I bet all the other teams will be nervous…THEY KNOW HOW TO WIN IM THE PLAYOFFS..
2 Go to commentsI really hope he comes back and helps out with some coaching.
1 Go to commentsI think we are all just hoping that the Olympic 7s doesn’t suffer the same sad fate as the last RWC with the officials ruining the spectacle.
1 Go to commentsPersonally, I’ve lost the will to even be bothered about the RFU, the structure, the participants. It’s all a sham. I now simply enjoy getting a group of friends together to go and watch a few games a year in different locations (including Europe, the championship, etc). I feel extremely sorry for the real fans of these clubs who are constantly ignored by the RFU and other administrators. I feel especially sorry for the fans of clubs in the Championship who have had considerable central funding stripped away and are then expected to just take whatever the RFU put to them. Its all a sham, especially if the failed clubs are allowed to return.
9 Go to commentsI’m guessing Carl Hayman would have preferred to have stayed in NZ with benefit of hindsight. Up north there is the expectation to play twice as many games with far less ‘player management’ protocols that Paul is now criticising. Less playing through concussions means longer, healthier, careers. Carter used as the eg here by Paul, his sabbatical allowed him to play until age 37. OK its not an exact science but there is far more expectations on players who sign for Top 14 or Engl Prem clubs to get value for the huge salaries. NZR get alot wrong but keeping their best players in NZ rugby is not one of them. SA clubs are virtually devoid of their top players now, no thanks. They cant threaten the big teams in the Champions Cup, the squads have little depth. Cant see Canes/Chiefs struggling. Super has been great this year, fantastic high skill matches. Drua a fantastic addition and Jaguares will add another quality team eventually. Aus teams performing strongly and no doubt will benefit with the incentive of a Lions tour and a home RWC. Let Jordie enjoy his time with Leinster, it will allow the opportunity for another player to emerge at Canes in his absence.
8 Go to commentsLove that man, his way to despise angry little men is so funny ! 😂
4 Go to comments“South African franchises would be powerhouses if we had all our overseas based players back in situ. We would have the same unbeatable aura the Toulouses, Leinsters or Saracens of this world have had over the last decade or so.” Proof that Jake white does not understand the economics of the game in SA. Players earning abroad are not going to simply come back and represent the bulls. But they might if they have a springbok contract.
22 Go to commentsA lot of fans just joined in for the fun of it! We all admire O'Gara and what he has done for La Rochelle
4 Go to commentsThe RFU will find a way to mess this up as usual. My bet is there will be no promotion into the the Premiership, only relegation into National League One. Hopefully they won’t parachute failed clubs into the league at the expense of clubs who have battled for promotion.
9 Go to commentsWell that’s the contracts for RG and Jordie bought and paid for. Now, what are the chances we can persuade Antoine to hop over with all the extra dosh we’ll have from living at the Aviva & Croke next season…??? 🤑🤑🤑
16 Go to commentsWow, that’s incredible. Great for rugby.
16 Go to commentsYou probably read that parling is going to coach the wallaby lineout but if not before now you have.
14 Go to commentsIf someone like Leo Cullen was in O’Gara’s place I don’t hear Boo-ing. It’s not just that La Rochelle has hurt Leinster and O’Gara is their Irish boss. It’s the needle that he brings and the pantomime activity before the game around pretending that Munster were supporting LaRochelle just because O’Gara is from Cork. That’s dividing Irish provinces just to get an advantage for his French Team. He can F*ck right off with that. BOOOOO! (but not while someone is lying injured)
4 Go to commentsDid the highlanders party too hard before the game? They were the pits.
1 Go to commentsWhat a player! Not long until he’s in the England side, surely?
5 Go to commentsHe seems to have the same aura as Marcus Smith - by which I mean he’s consistently judged as if he’s several years younger than he actually is. Mngomezulu has played 24 times for the Stormers. When Pollard was his age he had played 24 times for South Africa! He has more time to develop, but he has also had time to do some developing already, and he hasn’t demonstrated nearly as much talent in that time as one would expect. If he is a generational talent, then it must be a pretty poor generation.
6 Go to commentsThe greatest Springbok coach of all time is entirely on the money. Rassie and Jacques have given the south african public a great few years, but the success of the springbok selection policy will need to be judged in light of what comes next. The poor condition that the provincial system is currently in doesn’t bode well for the next few years of international rugby, and the insane 2026 schedule that the Boks have lined up could also really harm both provincial and international consistency.
22 Go to commentsJake White is a brilliant coach and a master in the press. This is another masterclass in media relations and PR but its also a very narrow view with arguments that dont always hold water. White wants his team to win, he wants the best players in SA and wants his team competitive. You however have to face up to the reality of a poor exchange rate and big clubs with big budgets. SA Rugby cant compete and unless it can find more money SA players will keep leaving regardless of Springbok eligibility and this happened in 2015 - 2017. Also rugby is not cricket. Cricket has 3 formats and T20 cricket is where the money is at. When it comes to club vs country the IPL is king but that wont happen because the international calendar does not clash with the club calendar in rugby. So the argument about rugby going down the same path as cricket is really a non-starter
22 Go to commentsNZ rugby seem not to have learnt anything from professional rugby. Super rugby was dying and SA left before they died with the competition. SA rugby did a u turn on their approach to international players playing overseas and such players are now selected for Bok teams. As much as each country would love to retain their players playing in local competitions, this is the way the world is evolving my friends. Move with it or stay 20 years behind the times. One more thing. NZ rugby hierarchy think they are the big cheese. Take a more humble approach guys. You do not seem to have your players best interests at heart.
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