1
John Kirwan names his first choice All Black team 'cleaning house' of Crusaders players
Former All Black wing John Kirwan has shared his first choice All Blacks lineup for 2022 which includes a number of changes for the side that lost to France in Paris last November.
ADVERTISEMENT
Speaking on Sky Sport NZ’s The Breakdown, Kirwan offered up his team for discussion based on early Super Rugby Pacific form.
Kirwan made sweeping changes and removed all but one Crusaders player out of the All Black backline, with Richie Mo’unga, David Havili, George Bridge and Sevu Reece all missing out. Of the omissions, only Havili was able to secure a bench spot.
Only one Crusader, the in-form Will Jordan, found a place on the right wing while the Blues combination of Beauden Barrett, Caleb Clarke, Roger Tuivasa-Sheck and Rieko Ioane took the 10-11-12-13 roles.
Aaron Smith starts at halfback while Hurricanes second five-slash-fullback Jordie Barrett retained his place in the 15 jersey.
Finlay Christie was selected to back up Smith on the bench, while Damian McKenzie returned to play a utility role along with Havili.
Despite Joe Moody’s season-ending injury being confirmed today, Kirwan already made the decision to go with his Crusaders teammate George Bower as the starting loosehead prop alongside Codie Taylor and Ofa Tuungafasi in the front row.
ADVERTISEMENT
The established pair of Sam Whitelock and Brodie Retallick were unsurprisingly selected to pack down at lock but in a big omission, Scott Barrett was unable to secure a position on the bench. Instead, Ethan Blackadder and Tupou Vaa’i are to provide loose forward/lock cover.
In the loose forwards, Blues captain Dalton Papalii was named to start at blindside in the 6 jersey, joining Sam Cane at 7 and Ardie Savea No 8 respectively. Moving Papalii to 6 put three opensides across the All Black back row.
“Let’s start with the Dalton Papalii one,” panelist Jeff Wilson said.
“You have been forever not wanting to play guys out of position, he’s an openside flanker.
“So why in the world have you taken a guy that you’ve already said is always a seven and you’ve decided to move him to 6?
ADVERTISEMENT
“Are we looking for specialists or can Dalton Papalii be an international six?”
Former All Black No 8 Stephen Bates backed Papalii to give the role a crack, but said that he is currently the best New Zealand has at openside, based on his form with the Blues this year.
“I think he can be an international seven, he’s the best seven in the country at the moment, playing the best rugby,” Bates responded.
“I think Dalton can play 6 at a pinch, great bench player as well, but I think he’s best position is 7.”
Kirwan’s thinking around Papalii at six centred around having an enforcer in the role like former All Black Jerome Kaino but that would put pressure on the All Blacks set piece.
“For the last 257 days of doing this show we’ve been saying we need a Jerome Kaino, we need a 6 that is going to smash people,” Kirwan said.
“Someone who is going to work really hard and carry the ball hard.”
Wilson highlighted that having Papalii at blindside would make things difficult for the All Blacks at lineout time, to which Bates agreed.
“I will go with Jeff here, the one thing you are doing there is putting a lot of pressure on Sam Whitelock and Brodie Retallick to win lineouts. I know Ardie jumps occasionally, Sam Cane jumped a little bit this week, and Dalton jumps occasionally,” he said.
“But a lot of blindside flankers these days in international rugby, remember who won the World Cup, are big tall men.”
John Kirwan’s early 2022 All Blacks side:
1. George Bower
2. Codie Taylor
3. Ofa Tuungafasi
4. Brodie Retallick
5. Sam Whitelock
6. Dalton Papalii
7. Sam Cane
8. Ardie Savea
9. Aaron Smith
10. Beauden Barrett
11. Caleb Clarke
12. Roger Tuivasa-Sheck
13. Rieko Ioane
14. Will Jordan
15. Jordie Barrett
Reserves
16. Samisoni Taukei’aho
17. Angus Ta’avao
18. TBA
19. Ethan Blackadder
20. Tupou Vaa’i
21. Findlay Christie
22. David Havili
23. Damian McKenzie
Comments on RugbyPass
NZ 😭😭😭is certainly rivaling England for best whingers cup!😭😭😭 !!!
22 Go to commentsYup. New Zealand won 3 out of 10 world cups played. SA 4 out of 8 attempts 30 Vs 50 per cent.🤔🤔
22 Go to commentsShould've done this years ago. Change Saturday kick off times to around 11am. Up and off and back home before 3pm, limit travel time too. Allows players to actually do something else with their Saturday that's family oriented or being rugby fans they could ‘watch’ pro rugby. Increases crowds etc. How can anyone that enjoys grassroots and pro rugby have to choose between the two on Saturdays?
9 Go to commentsI bet he inspired those supporters just as much.
1 Go to commentsBen Smith Springboks living rent free in his head 😊😂
67 Go to commentsGood to hear he would like to play the game at the highest level, I hadn’t been to sure how much of a motivator that was before now. Sadly he’s probably chosen the rugby club to go to. Try not to worry about all the input about how you should play rugby Joey and just try to emulate what you do on the league field and have fun. You’ll limit your game too much (well not really because he’s a standard athlete like SBW and he’ll still have enough) if you’re trying to make sure you can recycle the ball back etc. On the other hard, you can totally just try and recycle by looking to offload any and everywhere if you’re going to ground 😋
1 Go to commentsThis just proves that theres always a stat and a metric to use to justify your abilities and your success. Ben did it last week by creating an imaginary competition and now you did the same to counter his argument and espouse a new yardstick for success. Why not just use the current one and lets say the Boks have won 4 world cups making them the most successful world cup team. Outside of the world cup the All Blacks are the most successful team winning countless rugby championships and dominating the rankings with high win percentages. Over the last 4 years statistically the Irish are the best having the highest win rate and also having positive records against every tier 1 side. The most successful Northern team in the game has been England with a world cup title and the most six nations titles in history. The AB’s are the most dominant team in history with the highest win rate and 3 world cups. Lets not try to reinvent the wheel. Just be honest about the actual stats and what each team has been good at doing and that will be enough to define their level of success.
22 Go to commentsHow is 7’s played there? I’m surprised 10 or 11 man rugby hasn’t taken off. 7 just doesn’t fit the 15s dynamics (rules n field etc) but these other versions do.
9 Go to commentsPick Swinton at your peril A liability just like JWH from the Roosters Skelton ??? went missing at RWC
14 Go to commentsLike tennis, who have a ranking system, and I believe rugby too, just measure over each period preceding a world cup event who was the longest number one and that would be it. In tennis the number one player frequently is not the grand slam winner. I love and adore the All Blacks since the days of Ian Kirkpatrick when I was a kid in SA. And still do because they are the masters of running rugby and are gentleman on and off the field - in general. And in my opinion they have been the majority of the time the best rugby team in the world.
22 Go to commentsHaving overseas possessions in 2024 is absurd. These Frenchies should have to give the New Caledonians their freedom.
21 Go to commentsBell injured his foot didn’t he? Bring Tupou in he’ll deliver when it counts. Agree mostly but I would switch in the Reds number 8 Harry Wilson for Swinton and move Rob Valentini to 6 instead. Wilson is a clever player who reads the play, you can’t outmuscle the AB’s and Springboks, if you have any chance it’s by playing clever. Same goes for Paisami, he’s a little guy who doesn’t really trouble the likes of De Allende and Jordie Barrett. I’d rather play Carter Gordon at 12 and put Michael Lynagh’s boy at 10. That way you get a BMT type goalkicker at 10 and a playmaker at 12. Anyways, just my two cents as a Bok supporter.
14 Go to commentsThanks Brett, love your articles which are alway pertinent. It’s a difficult topic trying to have a panel adjudicating consistently penalties for red card issues. Many of the mitigating reasons raised are judged subjectively, hence the different outcomes. How to take away subjective opinions?
9 Go to commentsYes Sir! Surprising, just like Fraser would also have escaped sanction if he was a few inches lower, even if it was by accident that he missed! Has there really been talk about those sanctions or is this just sensational journalism? I stopped reading, so might have missed any notations.
9 Go to commentsAI is only as good as the information put in, the nuances of the sport, what you see out the corner of the eye, how you sum up in a split second the situation, yes the AI is a tool but will not help win games, more likely contribute to a loss, Rugby Players are not robots, all AI can do if offer a solution not the solution. AI will effect many sports, help train better golfers etc.
45 Go to commentsIt couldn’t have been Ryan Crotty. He wasn’t selected in either World Cup side - they chose Money Bill instead. And Money Bill only cared about himself, and that manager he had, not the team.
28 Go to commentsYawn 🥱 nobody would give a hoot about this new trophy. End of the day we just have to beat Ireland and NZ this year then they can finally shut up 🤐
22 Go to commentsTalking bout Ryan Crotty? Heard Crotty say in a interview once that SBW doesen't care about the team . He went on to say that whenever they lost a big game, SBW would be happy as if nothing happened, according to him someone who cares would look down.. Personally I think Crotty is in the wrong, not for feeling gutted but for expecting others 2 be like him… I have been a bad loser forever as it matters so much to me but good on you SBW for being able to see the bigger picture….
28 Go to commentsThis sounds like a WWE idea so Americans can also get excited about rugby, RUGBY NEEDS A INTERNATIONAL CALENDER .. The rugby Championship and Six Nations can be held at same time, top 3 of six nations and top 3 of Rugby championship (6 nations should include Georgia AND another qualifying country while Fiji, Japan and Samoa/Tonga qualifier should make out 6 Southern teams).. Scrap June internationals and year end tours. Have a Elite top six Cup and the Bottom 6 in a secondary comp….
22 Go to commentsThe rugby championship would be even stronger with Fiji in it… I know it doesen’t fit the long term plans of NZ or Aus but you are robbing a whole nation of being able to see their best players play for Fiji…. Every second player in NZ and AUS teams has Fijian surnames… shame on you!!! World rugby won’t step in either as France and England has now also joined in…. I guess where money is involved it will always be the poor countries missing out….
90 Go to comments