Some All Blacks selections will go down to the wire - but the World Cup squad is looking as strong as ever
The first All Blacks squad of 2019 will be announced early next month.
The make-up of the team is still being kept under wraps, but we can expect to see a squad bigger than the usual 31 named for this year’s Rugby Championship.
An away match in Argentina will give the selectors the chance to rest some of the season’s busier performers whilst the Maori All Blacks also have two matches on their schedule that may be used as a way of giving more game time to some of the players who have lacked it in 2019.
Regardless of the structure of the first team of the year, Steven Hansen and co’s selections will telegraph the side that we can expect New Zealand to take to the World Cup in September.
Front Row
Joe Moody and Owen Franks have had relatively quiet seasons due to injury. Franks has managed just five appearances to date and will be gunning for as much game time as possible.
The Blues pairing of Ofa Tu’ugafasi and Karl Tui’nukuafe are guaranteed selections. Tu’inkuafe was absent from the Blues’ last month of fixtures due to illness but was training with his side in the final week of the competition.
The fifth propping berth will likely fall to Nepo Laulala, who has primarily been used off the bench in recent weeks for the Chiefs. His teammates Angus Ta’avao and Atu Moli could be the next cabs off the rank, should injury strike, otherwise Highlander Tyrel Lomax has shown plenty of promise this year.
Expect to see the usual trio of Dane Coles, Codie Taylor and Nathan Harris named as hookers – though Liam Coltman won’t be far behind.
Coltman needed to make a huge statement if he wanted to usurp one of the incumbents and while his work at the breakdown is possibly the best of any hooker in the country, his poor lineout throwing over the weekend won’t have helped his cause.
Taylor’s backup at the Crusaders, Andrew Makalio, has come on in leaps and bounds in 2019 and wouldn’t look out of place in an All Blacks jersey.
Locks
Sam Whitelock, Brodie Retallick and Scott Barrett will obviously be the first-choice match-day trio come the World Cup. A fourth lock is possibly a luxury that the selectors won’t be able to justify – but if they do opt for one then it’s likely a straight shootout between Patrick Tuipulotu and Jackson Hemopo.
Highlander Hemopo might have curtailed his All Blacks career when he announced his departure from New Zealand rugby at the end of the season, but his form has been very solid to date. His ability to cover flanker would make him a very hand squad player for the pool stages of the World Cup – an advantage he has over Tuipulotu. Whilst Tuipulotu has been in and out of the All Blacks squad for a number of seasons, he still hasn’t cemented a spot and hasn’t done anything in 2019 to prove that he deserves a place in the team.
Pari Pari Parkinson started the year well for the Higlanders but played less of a role as the season progressed. A Maori All Blacks spot beckons for the young second rower.
Loose Forwards
Sam Cane’s return from a serious neck injury will see him resume his spot in the 7 jersey for the All Blacks. Ardie Savea has been in career-best form for the Hurricanes and is unlucky to probably end up in a bench role, but his ability to cover all three loose-forward positions is invaluable.
Liam Squire managed just a pair of games for the Highlanders at the end of the season but showed enough to suggest he’ll start the international year as New Zealand’s premier blindside flanker. Squire could also suit up for the Maori in the week preceding the start of the Rugby Championship to get an extra match under his belt. The selectors won’t be happy with his ludicrous shoulder charge over the weekend, which buried the Highlanders’ chances of scoring an unlikely win over the Crusaders.
Squire’s Highlanders teammate Shannon Frizell has looked the best of the potential backups. His aerial game and strong tackling should see him fight off the challenges of the likes of Akira Ioane, Vaea Fifita and Luke Whitelock.
Kieran Read, who is still building into his work, will naturally captain the side as the eighth man. Four locks would mean no space for a sixth loose forward. Young guns Tom Robinson and Luke Jacobson will benefit from another season before being elevated into the national team.
Halves
The usual one-two punch of Aaron Smith and TJ Perenara will be retained for the bulk of the tournament, but Brad Weber’s exceptional form and leadership for the Chiefs will see him deservingly take a spot as the third halfback in the team.
Were it not a World Cup year then Te Toiroa Tahuriorangi’s lack of game-time and lack of experience would not count against him – but now’s not the time to be focusing on the future when the All Blacks have a tournament to win.
At first five, Beauden Barrett and Richie Mo’unga will be first- and second-choice – in that order. Mo’unga may be pulling the strings better than Barrett right now, but Hansen knows what he’ll be getting with Barrett in the saddle.
Damian McKenzie’s injury opened the door for another first five to stake a claim, but Josh Ioane is really the only player to put his hand up – but he still has a number of work-ons that might restrict him to fighting it out for the 10 jersey with Otere Black in the Maori All Blacks.
Midfield
Ngani Laumape is firmly entrenched as the fifth best centre in the country. With Hansen’s recent praise of Sonny Bill Williams implying the match-starved midfielder’s spot is safe, it’s hard to see Laumape getting a look in ahead of Anton Lienert-Brown, Ryan Crotty and Jack Goodhue.
After Laumape, Ma’a Nonu has done enough to show that he would be up for international football, if called upon.
There’s an excellent crop of young midfielders coming through the ranks in New Zealand, and the departure of Crotty and (probably) Williams next year could open up some spots.
Outside Backs
Rieko Ioane and Ben Smith are obvious starters in the back three. Determining who should partner them is a tougher question.
Jordie Barrett’s utility means he’s a certainty for the squad – but he probably isn’t adept enough at fullback or on the wing to be starting the crunch games. Questions have been raised about Waisake Naholo but his form in the last few weeks should see him selected for the tournament.
The other option for the right wing is someone who has yet to establish themselves in the squad. The Crusaders trio of George Bridge, Sevu Reece and Will Jordan probably have the greatest up-sides to their games.
Reece is an out-and-out wing so will probably struggle to make the team, given that Ioane will be camped out on the left. Jordan has proven excellent for the Crusaders in his debut season but hasn’t been sighted since May due to a lingering foot injury. That leaves Bridge in the box-seat. Bridge can cover both wing and fullback and has exceptional pace to burn – shown in his All Blacks debut against Japan last year.
Other names that have been touted for selection include David Havili, Solomon Alaimalo and Ben Lam. The latter two have underperformed compared to last year and won’t earn selection ahead of some of the other candidates, whilst Havili has a habit of following up excellent matches with very poor ones.
Likely All Blacks squad for the World Cup:
Hookers: Dane Coles, Codie Taylor, Nathan Harris
Props: Joe Moody, Karl Tu’inukuafe, Owen Franks, Nepo Laulala, Ofa Tu’ungafasi
Locks: Brodie Retallick, Sam Whitelock, Scott Barrett, Jackson Hemopo
Loose Forwards: Liam Squire, Shannon Frizell, Sam Cane, Ardie Savea, Kieran Read
Halfbacks: Aaron Smith, TJ Perenara, Brad Weber
First Fives: Beauden Barrett, Richie Mo’unga
Midfielders: Ryan Crotty, Sonny Bill Williams, Jack Goodhue, Anton Lienert-Brown
Outside Backs: Rieko Ioane, Waisake Naholo, Ben Smith, Jordie Barrett, George Bridge
Comments on RugbyPass
It 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.
25 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 🤐
13 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….
25 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….
13 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….
77 Go to commentsNo surprise there. How hard can it be to pick a ball off the ground and chuck it to a mate? 😂
2 Go to commentsSometimes people just like a moan mate!
1 Go to commentsexcellent idea ! rugby needs this 💪
13 Go to comments9 Brumbies! What a joke! The best performing team in Oz! Ditch Skelton for Swain or Neville. Ryan Lonergan ahead of McDermott any day! Best selection bolter is Toole … amazing player
12 Go to commentsI like this, but ultimately rugby already has enough trophies. Trying to make more games “consequential" might prove to be a fools errand, although this is a less bad idea than some others. Minor quibble with the title of the article; it isn’t very meaningful to say the boks are the unofficial world champions when it would be functionally impossible for the Raeburn trophy not to be held by the world champions. There’s a period of a few months every 4 years when there is no “unofficial” world champion, and the Raeburn trophy is held by the actual world champions.
13 Go to commentsIts a great idea but one that I dont think will have a lot of traction. It will depend on the prestige that they each hold but if you can do that it would be great. When Japan beat the Boks (my team) I was absolutely devestated but I wont deny the great game they played that day. We were outclassed and it was one of the best games of rugby I have seen. Using an idea like this you might just give the the underdog teams more of an opportunity to beat the big teams and I can absolutely see it being a brilliant display of rugby. They beat us because they planned for that game. It was a great moment for Japan. This way we can remove the 4 year wait and give teams something to aim for outside of World Cup years.
13 Go to commentsHi, Dave here. Happy to answer questions 🥰
13 Go to commentsDon’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. At least Andrew Kellaway is like “Woah, yeah it’s great, but settle down there guys” having endured years of the Aussie media, fans, and often their players getting ahead of themselves only to fall flat on their faces. Have the “We'll win the Bledisloe for sure this year!” headlines started yet? 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?
13 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?
44 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 comments