Tana Umaga: 'Hard to gauge' Razor's All Blacks selection policy

There are several selection calls up in the air ahead of the All Blacks‘ first team announcement of the Northern Tour, and former New Zealand captain Tana Umaga says it’s difficult to say who Scott Robertson will look to at this stage of the season.

Umaga, who captained the All Blacks on their last victorious Grand Slam tour in 2005, weighed in on the current squad’s chances this week and acknowledged times had changed since his glory days in the black jersey.

The Moana Pasifika head coach was adamantly opposed to rest and rotation as a player, but now, with the demands of the international arena so intense, he expects to see some movement from week to week as Robertson seeks four consecutive winning efforts.

With the matchday 23 for game one against Ireland set to be named tomorrow, Umaga says Robertson’s selection policy, as it relates to rewarding form vs sticking with more established players, is unclear.

“I think he’s shown a bit of both at this stage, so it’s hard to gauge which way he’ll go,” he told D’Arcy Waldegrave of Newstalk ZB. “Obviously, the desired outcome is to win a Grand Slam, so he’s got to work out whether he has the trust in his players to rotate them, or if he’s going to go with the tried-and-true.

“As we know, trying to win four major Tests in four weeks, and then also trying to keep your side energised and motivated, and I don’t question the motivation, it’s just that energy level. Test rugby’s at such an intensity that it’s hard now for our Test players, I believe, to back up three or four times in a row.

“We’ve seen it with other nations, too. How do they do it consistently? I’m sure that’s something these guys have thought about.

“As I’ve said, (Robertson’s) made some changes after they’ve had wins, and it hasn’t panned out for him. I thought just in that last Aussie game, where he made minor changes and brought senior players back, I think you might see a little bit more of that.

“The prize of winning the Grand Slam is such a huge thing, and something we haven’t done for a while.

“I’d guess that he’d want to put his best side out there as much as he can. I’m sure he’s looking at all of the individual nations and seeing where he can make some changes, and that’s a risk, as a coach. Do I make these changes? You don’t want to underestimate anyone, but also, I’ve got to make sure that I’m getting my guys up and in the best condition I can before the big games.”