James Parsons names his four locks for All Blacks loose forward selection

June 23rd’s All Blacks squad naming is creeping closer and closer, and of the many, many tough selection calls coach Scott Robertson must make, the loose forward trio may just be the hardest of all.

The second-year All Blacks boss is, of course, a former flanker himself, and works hand in hand with forwards coach Jason Ryan on the back row selections.

Headlining the list of loose forward prospects is Super Rugby Pacific MVP Ardie Savea, and while reigning World Breakthrough Player of the Year Wallace Sititi can be considered the next closest thing to a selection lock, things get very murky from there.

Two-time All Black turned Sky Sport analyst James Parsons had a crack at naming the six loose forwards he’d be looking to include, and had four locks before struggling to narrow in on the next two.

“Well, I’m just going on form. So, Ardie. I think Wallace Sititi’s shown he’s hit the ground running – other than injury concerns, he’s definitely there,” Parsons told the Aotearoa Rugby Pod.

“We all know that I’m a big fan of Du’Plessis Kirifi, I think he’s done enough to own that seven spot, his point of difference being around that breakdown.

“And then, Luke Jacobson. I think, again, his role in the seven jersey for the Chiefs, and his ability to cover six, seven, eight. To me, with the form and the way they’ve played, those four are in – from my perspective.

“The next two, it’s pretty hard. I know we say it time and time again; finals footy matters. Probably the only one unfortunate not to get another week is Peter Lakai, because you know that he’s got the physical presence. You think about when he got that late call-up against the French, man, he played pretty well against a big French pack.

“What you’re looking for is their ability to be expansive, but then you know at international level, it’s just a lot more ruthless around that collision area and if you can’t dominate there… someone like Pete Lakai who has a big future, I still think he’d be around that selection discussion.

“With Ethan Blackadder coming back, I know he won’t have a lot of runs on the board, but he had a solid game against the Reds. If he backs up against the Blues and then they go to a final, then there’s no reason why not. If he can stay on the field, we know the selectors like him.

“I think Hoskins Sotutu. Man, he had a big shift on the weekend, and there probably hasn’t been as much of him in the airways as last season, but he is having a strong, solid season, backing up last season. 18 carries, 12 tackles, we mentioned last week we needed to see Patrick (Tuipulotu) and Hoskins deliver, and obviously Dalton (Papali’i) as well. In terms of numbers, Patrick and Hoskins really delivered, but Hoskins was out and out the most.

“And that tight game, to be honest, he’s getting better and better in, around the tight stuff. You know what he can do out there, but I thought in terms of the international game, he was very, very methodical in his work in and around the tight.”

The podcast panel joked that there may be some relationship building needed if Sotutu were to return to the All Blacks environment after a couple of years of being left out in the cold.

But they also noted the lack of a “genuine six” in the selection field, with specialists like Samipeni Finau out of form.

One name that was put forward who could fill that role is Chiefs’ bruiser Simon Parker, the 197, 117 kg, 25-year-old who has had something of a breakthrough season and was influential in the Hamilton club wrapping up the top seed in Super Rugby.

“Parker’s filled that spot while Wallace wasn’t there. He was the six, so if he hadn’t had that time at six and had just spent the whole year at eight, it would be a little bit harder, but he’s probably played his best footy on the blindside, if that’s the position they’re looking to cover.

“You can’t question his ability to win the collision, and he has a lot of flair in his game. Yes, he does the tradesman-like stuff in terms of cleaning a lot of rucks, makes a lot of tackles, is very good in and around the breakdown and making decisions to get turnovers off the back of good, solid chop tackles.

“But, he has actually got a lot of X-factor in his game with ball in hand, but he also has the ability to read a defence and know when he’s just got to put his head down and win a collision.”

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When push came to shove, Parsons’ quartet of form loosies were who he backed to be selected in the matchday 23.

“I’m comfortable with a Du’Plessis and his game coming off the bench. And Jacobson, he’s going to be hard to ignore, to leave him out of the seven jersey.

“I’ve said (previously) if Du’Plessis doesn’t start, there’s no room for him. I’ve actually changed my mind about that. Just because his power game with ball in hand, in and around that breakdown, late in the piece, when the game is on the line; The least penalised player with the most turnovers? He makes great decisions.

“When the game is on the line, having someone like him fresh coming on in jersey 20, and having a Jacobson who has just delivered beyond means in that seven jersey, that’s the balance of the four.”