Meet the eight new All Blacks
With the new 51-man All Blacks squad comes eight brand new All Blacks. Here’s everything you need to know about them.
Dalton Papali’i
In June 2017 Auckland and Blues loose forward Dalton Papali’i was revelling in a second World Under 20 Championship with New Zealand, as a winner in Georgia, but not daring to believe where his career may lead.
Opportunity came knocking in 2018 as the Blues were hit by a severe injury crisis and Papali’i was signed up.
The 21-year-old has played outstanding rugby for Auckland in this year’s Mitre 10 Cup competition topping the tackles count late in the season. Auckland-raised Papalii captained his St Kentigern’s College First XV and in 2015 led the New Zealand Schools side to a convincing win over their Aussie counterparts.
George Bridge
Impressive 23-year-old outside back George Bridge has thrived in the successful environment of the Crusaders Super Rugby team. Born in Gisborne, Bridge moved down to Christchurch six years ago to play club rugby, getting selected in the under 20s national team and Canterbury for the Mitre 10 Cup.
He had an outstanding Investec Super Rugby debut during the Crusaders successful 2017 campaign and was named their Rookie of the Year. He continued his form into 2018, finishing second-equal on the leading try scorers list with 15 tries in the Crusaders’ back to back title season. Earlier this year Bridge signed with the club until 2022.
Brett Cameron
21-year-old Canterbury first five-eighth Brett Cameron came of age in the 2017 Mitre 10 Cup, making an assured performance in the semifinal in just his third provincial outing for the red and blacks, as Canterbury marched to the Mitre 10 Cup title.
Cameron first came onto the national radar in 2014 when he was plucked from Wanganui’s small Cullinane College and named in the New Zealand Schools training squad. The all-round sportsman was already well known in Wanganui, having played age-grade rugby. After school Cameron headed south to Lincoln University and into the Canterbury provincial team. He played one match for the Crusaders this year.
Gareth Evans
Born and bred in the Hawke’s Bay, 27-year-old loose forward Gareth Evans shifted south to Otago University to study and made the Otago provincial side in 2011 aged just 20 going on to play three years for the province, bringing an abrasive style and huge work rate to his game.
He was drafted into the Highlanders for the 2014 season, making 14 appearances in his debut year, before helping the side to their maiden Super Rugby title in 2015 and victory over the touring British & Irish Lions in 2017. The younger brother of 2009 All Black Bryn Evans, Gareth transferred to the Hurricanes in 2018 and quickly established himself as the first choice No 8.
Bryn Hall
Dynamic halfback Bryn Hall’s highly competitive nature and high-energy rugby makes him an asset in any team he plays for. 26-year-old Auckland-born Hall captained his St Peter’s College First XV, was co-captain of New Zealand Under 20 in 2012, and North Harbour provincial captain in 2015.
Hall made his provincial debut for North Harbour in 2012 and strong performances saw him selected for the Blues for the 2013 season. He spent four years with the Blues before transferring to the Crusaders in 2017 and a Championship-winning season. He also earned selection in the M?ori All Blacks during the 2017 DHL New Zealand Lions Series.
Tyrel Lomax
Tyrel Lomax grew up playing rugby league in Australia, before making the switch to rugby union.
The 22-year-old prop played his first year of Investec Super Rugby for the Melbourne Rebels in 2017, before returning to New Zealand.
He played for the Tasman Mako in that year’s Mitre 10 Cup and after a solid debut season was selected as one of 10 new caps in the M?ori All Blacks for their tour to Canada and France.
Lomax joined the Highlanders in 2018, making 15 appearances. Lomax played for Australian schoolboys in 2014 and the Australian U20 side the following year.
His father is former Kiwis rugby league prop John Lomax.
Reuben O’Neill
23-year-old Taranaki prop Reuben O’Neill has overcome injury and a diabetes diagnosis early in his career to take his rugby to the next level.
O’Neill was selected in the New Zealand Schools side in 2012 and then the Taranaki Mitre 10 Cup side in 2015 after successfully returning to rugby from a back injury. O’Neill was a member of the Taranaki side which upset Canterbury to take the Ranfurly Shield in 2017, alongside All Blacks teammate Angus Ta’avao.
He has continued to shore up the scrum so far this year and his strength and power in the front row has caught the attention of the All Blacks selectors.
Matt Proctor
A standout player for both the Hurricanes and the Wellington Lions provincial side, Matt Proctor made his Investec Super Rugby debut in 2013 and was a part of the Hurricanes side that secured their first Super Rugby title in 2016.
His Super season was cut short by injury this year but he returned to captain Wellington’s 2018 Mitre 10 Cup campaign. Proctor represented the M?ori All Blacks in ten appearances and his representative career also includes New Zealand Schools and New Zealand Under 20.
He is not the only Hurricanes player in the family, with younger brother Billy signing a five-year deal with the club this year.
In other news:
Comments on RugbyPass
Omg… you are bruised And battered Benny. Stop crying … the scoreboard speaks. What a pathetic lover you are.. 🤣🤣🤣
127 Go to commentsPacific Lions, cry me a river
127 Go to commentsThis is the single worst piece of journalism I have ever seen since your last one. As a neutral, who really states that there should be an asterisk next to a win? You are an utter embarrassment to real AB fans, journalism and that joke of a house which pays you for this nonsense. Get a life, Ben.
127 Go to commentsGuys. Cancel the World Cup champions after this analysis. It changes everything. Ben knows. We’ll have to unengrave the Bokke off the trophy and hand it to the ABs, now that I’ve been enlightened about this illegitimate win. This needs to be done. Now!
127 Go to commentsBen is right here though, Springboks were woefully poor with the advantage they had throughout this game. The France match was heroic because that was an even contest this match had it taken place in Rugby Championship would have been an easy win for NZ. If anything this match should tell the Bok coaches that a lot of this team should be changed. They beat this same NZ team by record margin with the same circumstances but with a different core. They bring back the tried and tested guys and they nearly botch this game.
127 Go to commentsI knew who wrote this article from the first few words in the headline…lol. The red card actually did the ABs a favour. It galvanized them, only then did they step up a gear. Before that there was zero momentum.
127 Go to commentsFirstly the foul on Bongi was a planned move just like the NZ master plan with Bryce Lawrence you kiwis are filthy fux perhaps try to play a cleaner game next time I doubt that’s possible tho but don’t worry world rugby is on yr side they trying to take away all the BOKS strengths to help all you weakling as Jeremy Clarkson would say LA OO ZA ERR..🤣
127 Go to commentsAbsolutely spot on Ben. I certainly wouldn't gloat over a win like that. Frustrating as it is it's done and dusted and history will forever show the result.
127 Go to commentsHo hum.
127 Go to commentsNo question they were the better team. But that is the beauty of sport isn’t it!
127 Go to commentsEveryone is into Hurling in Ireland according to Porter, but only 11 of Ireland's 32 counties enter a team into the national competition. Same old blarney.
1 Go to commentsLet’s be honest. The draw and scheduling in the World Cup was a joke but South Africa found a way after having to go the hard (nearly impossible) way to the Cup Final via France and England. NZ had a hard game against France (lost) and had 5 weeks to prepare for the Quarter, 3 weeks knowing it was Ireland. NZ theerfore had to win one big game against an Irish team who played SA and then Scotland 7 days before. They won and it was de facto a semi final because they were playing a relatively weak Argentina team and it was a walk over. In the final a very rested NZ team was playing a very tired SA team and still lost. They couldn’t score more than 11 points. Put another way SA had to find a way to win while tired and they achieved that. NZ should thank their lucky stars that they fixed the scheduling in 2015 otherwise they would be dealing with a Bok treble.
127 Go to commentsPerhaps if Bongi wasn’t targeted and removed from the game in the first 3 minutes it would have been quite a different game. Maybe if NZ also faced the same competition the Boks faced to their win NZ would have looked quite different. The final score shows who outplayed who.
127 Go to commentsRubbish article! Abuladze played most of Exeters matches when fit. He got injured against Glasgow a while ago and is out for the rest of the season, thats why he hasnt played for Exeter and Georgia recently. Do some proper research next time!
1 Go to commentsGotta love it when kids throw their toys out the pram and can’t hack it with the grown ups debate. Here’s looking at you turlough! 😉🤣
148 Go to commentsThey lost the game period move on
127 Go to commentsSpringboks won! Stop winging. You can change the game however much you and your rugby colonizing IRB want to and the Springboks will win you at that too. Your mind is colonized my friend get a life
127 Go to commentsBen, nobody gets fooled anymore by selective and biased data to support an hypothesis. Games are decided on such small margins these days that you win some and lose some, and dominance is a thing of the rugby past. Look at the RWC circle of fortune…. Ireland beats SA who beat France who beat NZ who beat Ireland. And so it goes on. Match officials help to eliminate real indiscretions. If they had been with us years before, no doubt results would have been different. Remember Andy Haden’s dive from a lineout in 1978 for which a match-wining penalty was awarded? Wales should have beaten the ABs that day. They took the loss like the gentlemen they were.
127 Go to commentsWith all the analysis and how good the all blacks were.The fundamental mistake with the ABs is that this is a test match and not an exhibition.There is no better team(country) in world rugby than the Boks that knows how to win a test match(we are post masters at this).We know our rules, we have the discipline, we tackle like beasts, we take our points and we never give up.I now have educated the ABs supporters(at least say thank you).Please stop “bitching” , accept what the outcome is and move along swiftly.
127 Go to commentsAnd they came from behind to win two big games before the final. No one can say what would have happened. Had the boks gone behind the game plan changes and the result may changes. Ifs and ands are irrelevant. The boks won. Neutral critics enjoyed the games they played. Its not a popularity contest. Get over it and move on.
127 Go to comments