Opinion: New All Black Mo'unga is a kick in the balls to Australia and the rest
Richie Mo’unga today became the latest in a long line of Canterbury fly-halves to gain an All Blacks call-up, following in the footsteps of Mehrtens, Mauger and Carter. Mo’unga’s selection serves as yet another reminder of the incredible depth in New Zealand rugby and as a kick in the balls to international challengers and modern-era battlers like Australia.
It was only two short years ago that kiwi rugby fans were preparing to say au revoir to the best number 10 in the world, wondering whether super-sub Beauden Barrett could stamp a permanent place in the starting jersey let alone ever living up to those giddy standards. At the same time, Aaron Cruden was on the way out and Lima Sopoaga was battling form and injury. Many All Blacks fans and pundits approached the 2016 season with trepidation, while international rivals salivated at the prospect of a Carter-less All Blacks side.
Fast-forward to 2017 and it is a vastly different scenario. Beauden Barrett is the world’s standout fly-half and his younger brother Jordie, a better goal-kicker, was unbelievably hot on his heels before being struck down by injury earlier this year. Sopoaga also found some form in Super Rugby and earned a recall, while Damian Mckenzie, a revelation in Cape Town, is well-known to prefer the number 10 jersey to fullback. Add Mo’unga to the mix and it looks like the All Blacks are just having a laugh at World Rugby’s expense.
Eligibility aside, any one of these recent All Blacks could walk into the starting line-up of virtually any international side, bar England and possibly Ireland. Never has one rugby-playing nation possessed such wealth at such a pivotal position.
What Wallabies coach Michael Cheika wouldn’t do to have a player of Richie Mo’unga’s quality on his bench as his side seek to salvage a bit of trans-Tasman pride this weekend. Instead, he is reliant on the solid-yet-unexceptional talents of Bernard Foley and the ever-lingering-but-gradually-fading potential of Quade Cooper to try and salvage Australian rugby dignity.
And while Owen Farrell and Jonny Sexton have been the only players of note to undo the All Blacks in the past 18 months, they will increasingly need to be shielded to avoid injuries that would expose the lack of depth that both England and Ireland have at fly-half.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6TIkV76UKJQ
It is no secret that All Blacks coach Steve Hansen places a huge emphasis on succession planning, with a Japan 2019 three-peat still the top priority for an expectant New Zealand rugby community. Hansen and the NZRU have moved early to lock in key backbone players (See: Key All Black re-signs till 2021) and blood the future crop of Carters and McCaws (See: Lienert-Brown, Harris re-sign with All Blacks).
With injury always a risk for such a key position, the selection of Mo’unga is a master-stroke from a coach looking to secure the widest possible talent pool for his 2019 squad and, in particular, avoid the risk of these sorts of players giving up early on New Zealand to cash in overseas.
NEWS | Richie Mo'unga called into #AllBlacks squad for third #BledisloeCup Test.
READ: https://t.co/0a8nvVfeXE pic.twitter.com/ZNxASQhChh
— All Blacks (@AllBlacks) October 16, 2017
Recent footage from the New Zealand Schoolboys team provides a further kick to the Australian Rugby Union and other nations waiting patiently for an end to All Black dominance, with Aaron Cruden’s younger brother displaying some characteristic skills against a player many are touting as “the Barrett clone”.
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The full All Blacks squad for this Saturday’s Bledisloe Cup match is:
Forwards: Wyatt Crockett, Kane Hames, Nepo Laulala, Jeff Toomaga-Allen, Ofa Tu’ungafasi, Dane Coles, Nathan Harris, Codie Taylor, Scott Barrett, Patrick Tuipulotu, Samuel Whitelock, Sam Cane, Vaea Fifita, Jerome Kaino, Kieran Read, Ardie Savea, Liam Squire and Matt Todd.
Backs: Tawera Kerr-Barlow, TJ Perenara, Aaron Smith, Beauden Barrett, Richie Mo’unga, Lima Sopoaga, Ryan Crotty, Ngani Laumape, Anton Lienert-Brown, Sonny Bill Williams, Rieko Ioane, Waisake Naholo, David Havili and Damian McKenzie.
Comments on RugbyPass
Don’t think that headline is accurate. It’s great to see Aus doing better but I’m not sure they’ve shown much threat to the top of the table. They shouldn’t be inflating wins against the lousy Highlanders and Crusaders either.
3 Go to commentsSuch a shame Roigard and Aumua picked up long term injuries, probably the two form players in the comp. Also, pretty sure Clarke Dermody isn’t their coach. Got it half right though.
3 Go to commentsOh the Aussie media, they never learn. It’s simple to see what’s going on. The Aussie teams are settled, they didn't lose any of their major players overseas. The Crusaders and Chiefs lost key experienced All Blacks, and Razor in the Crusaders case, and clearly neither are anywhere near as strong as last year (The Canes and Blues would probably be 3rd & 4th if they were). The Highlanders are annually average, even more so post-Aaron Smith and a big squad clean out. The two teams at the top? The two nz sides with largely the same settled roster as last year, except Ardie Savea for the Canes. They’ve both got far better coaches now too. If the Aussies are going to win the title, this is the year the kiwi sides will be weakest, so they better take their chance.
3 Go to commentsThe World Cup has to be the gold standard, line in the sand. 113 teams compete for what is the opportunity to make the pool stages, and then the knockout games for the trophy. The concept is sound. This must have been the rationale when the World Cup was created, surely? But I’m all for Looking forward and finding new ways for the SH to dominate the NH into the future. The autumn series needs a change up. Let’s start by having the NH teams come south every odd year for the Autumn/Spring series games?
1 Go to commentsWhat’ll happen when the AI models of the future go back in time and try to destroy the AI models of the past standing in their way of certain victory?
41 Go to commentsThanks, Nick. We (Seanny Maloney, Brett and I) just discussed Charlie as a potential Wallaby No 8, and wondered if he has truly realised how big he is in contact (and whether he can add 5 kg w/o slowing down). Your scouting report confirms our suspicions he has the materiel. No one knows if he has the mentality (as Johann van Graan said this week about CJ, Duane and Alfie B) to carry 10-15 times a game.
57 Go to commentsHe would be a great player for the Stormers, Dobbo should approach the guy.
3 Go to commentsGood article. A few years back when he was playing for the Cheetahs, he was a quiet standout for exactly the seasons stated here. I occasionally get to see his games in the UK, and he has become a more complete player and in many ways like an Irish player. His work ethic is so suitable to the Leinster game. I wonder if Rassie would have him listed somewhere.
3 Go to commentsResults probably skewed by the fact that a few clubs have foreign fly halves in their 30s, but most teams have young English scrum halves. Results also likely to be skewed by the fact that many teams rely on centres and fullbacks to provide depth at 10, whereas they will need to stock a large number of specialist backup 9s.
1 Go to commentsI really get the sense that when all is said and done, the path of least resistance will end up being a merger of Wasps & Worcester that essentially kills the Worcester Warriors brand and sees Wasps permanently playing at Sixways. I’m not saying that’s what should happen or what I want to happen. I just think it’s the easiest rout to take and therefore, will be what happens. Wasps will definitely return to play first, and I suppose it all depends on if they can find support at Sixways. If people turn up and support Wasps in that community, at that ground, I bet they drop the Sevenoaks plan and just remain at Sixways. Under the radar but not totally unrelated, it looks as though London Irish are going to be brought back from the dead by a German consortium and look set to return, likely to the remade Championship. It’s set to have 12 clubs next season with 14 in 2025/26, what do you want to bet those extra 2 are Wasps and London Irish?
3 Go to commentsThe shoulder is a “joint” with multiple bones. You don’t “fracture” a shoulder, you fracture any one or more of the bones that make up a shoulder.
2 Go to commentsOh dear, bones too suspect to continue?
2 Go to commentsBold headline considering the Canes and Blues are 1 and 2 and the Brumbies were soundly beaten by the Chiefs and Blues. Biggest surprise is Rebels 4 Crusaders 12 - no one saw that coming. If Aus are improving that’s great 👍
3 Go to commentsAnna, You are right, we need to have patience whilst the others catch up to England and France. Also it is the PWR that has been the game changer for England. the RFU put money into that initially at the expense of the Red Roses. I was sceptical at first but it has paid off in spades.
1 Go to commentsI think Matt Proctor became a 1 test AB in the same fixture. Cameron is quality and has been great this season, can’t believe’s he only 27. Realistically how would he not be selected for ABs squad this year. Only Dmac is ahead of him as a specialist 10. With Jordan out, it will come down to where and when Beauden Barrett slots back in, and where they want to play Ruben Love. Cameron seems an absolute lock in for the wider squad though. Added benefit of TJ-Cameron-Jordie combination at 9, 10, 11 too.
1 Go to commentsFarcical, to what end would someone want to pay to keep this thing going.
1 Go to commentsHavili, our best 12 by a mile, will be in the squad, if he stays fit. JB is the most overrated AB in the last 50 years.
61 Go to commentsWe had during the week twilight footy, twilight cricket, tw golf plus there was the athletics club. Then the weekend was rugby 15s plus the net ball, really busy club scene back then but so much has changed and rugby has suffered. And it was all about changing lifestyles.
6 Go to commentsIn the 70s and 80s my club ran 5 Senior sides plus a Vets. Now it is 2 sides with an occasional 3rd team. Players have difficulty getting to training now, not sure why and the commitment is not there. It seems to me more a problem of people applying themselves and not expecting to turn up and play whenever they want to.
6 Go to commentsROG’s contract is until 2027. The conversation about a successor to Galthie after RWC 2027 may be starting now. We can infer that Galthie’s reign stops then. He is throwing the Irish Coaching Job angle in because he is Irish. The next Irish coach MUST be Leo Cullen. As well as being the best coach available, coaching the vast majority of Irish Internationals week in week out, he has shown incredible skill at recruiting the best coaching staff for the job in hand. That was a failing in France. Cullen is a shrewd guy and if there is a need for foreign coaches underneath him he won’t hesitate. Rightly so. Ireland does need to start to bring Irish coaches through. Not just at the professional level but we need to train coaches to man new pathways for developing kids from schools/clubs up through the divisions.
8 Go to comments