The All Blacks World Cup race: Don't sleep on Waisake Naholo just yet
The sight of Waisake Naholo terrorising opposition defenders as the Highlanders fell to the Stormers in Cape Town on Saturday was a welcome return to normality.
Although the result didn’t fall in his side’s favour, and their hopes of Super Rugby play-offs virtually lie outside of their hands, Naholo’s try-scoring return to rugby is something that All Blacks fans must be savouring four months out from the World Cup.
It was a vintage Naholo display that had yet to be seen up until that point of the season, as poor form dating back to late last year prior to an MCL injury that ruled him out of action for eight weeks starved onlookers from witnessing the Naholo that most had become accustomed to.
Last week at the Newlands, however, the 28-year-old was in inspired form in his first match back.
He used his blistering pace and explosive power to full effect as he clocked up 104 running metres, two clean breaks, two defenders beaten, three turnovers won through his immense strength over the ball at the breakdown, eight tackles made from eight attempts, and a try off the back of some good inter-linking play and continuity by his teammates.
It is match statistics like these that have helped make Naholo both the Highlanders’ leading all-time try-scorer and a prominent figure within the All Blacks squad since 2015.
That prominence within the national set-up came into question during last year’s northern tour, though, following a string of underwhelming outings, which carried on through early into this year’s Super Rugby campaign as he failed to re-establish himself as one of the competition’s most lethal wings.
However, it now appears the Naholo of old is back, and as a result, he’s clawed himself back into All Blacks contention after many had ruled him out.
It wouldn’t have been out of the question for Steve Hansen to have included him regardless of form in what’s likely to be an extended squad for the upcoming Rugby Championship.
The All Blacks head coach has a history of keeping faith in players of whom he’s regularly picked in the past despite the inconsistency of their performances, and it’s conceivable that he would have done the same for Naholo had he continued his wavering form.
He might only be one match into his comeback, but that should be irrelevant now as Naholo has seemingly resurrected his form, and a call-up to the All Blacks for at least the Rugby Championship should not only have Hansen’s seal of approval, but also the public’s.
Furthermore, if he can sustain the quality of performance he laid upon the Stormers for the remainder of Super Rugby and throughout the condensed Rugby Championship, then a World Cup call-up – which almost seemed dead in the water upon the announcement of his knee injury two months ago – would be inevitable.
That’s on the basis that Hansen follows through on comments he made in February, when he said the performances of players at the latter rounds and play-offs of Super Rugby will count for more given the high-pressure environments that comes with those matches.
“We’re looking for people who can show you, particularly in the business end of Super Rugby, that they can cope with the heat of the fire and the pressure that comes with it,” he told Newstalk ZB.
“That’s why the latter games of the tournament are so important because that’s when the pressure is really on.
“That will show you how they cope, but it’s another level when you get to the All Blacks, you haven’t just got your franchise looking at you, you’ve got the whole nation.
“For some, it can be overwhelming, and you’ve got to take the time with them so they can grow and learn to cope with it.”
One individual who may struggle to cope with such pressure in a World Cup year, purely through lack of experience, is Crusaders flyer Sevu Reece.
The 22-year-old has staked a massive claim to win Super Rugby rookie of the year, impressing with his strong ball-carrying, blockbusting power, electric speed and determined work ethic.
All of this has culminated in him sitting second-equal in the league for tries scored (nine), sixth-equal for offloads (17), seventh-equal for line breaks (13) and ninth-equal for tackle busts (34), all while he’s played just nine games so far this season.
No doubt Reece has spectacularly played himself into All Blacks contention, and his omission from John McKee’s preliminary 50-man Fiji World Cup training squad indicates his international future, in the short-term at least, lies with New Zealand rather than with his nation of birth.
He shares similar wing qualities to that of Naholo, both of whom play ‘power wing’ roles based on physical, athletic prowess as opposed to those who operate on skill-based attributes, such as Damian McKenzie, Jordie Barrett and Ben Smith.
While listed as a first-five within the All Blacks, McKenzie was largely deployed as a fullback for the national side, so his season-ending knee injury last month means that there will likely be an additional space in the outside backs for the World Cup, as Beauden Barrett and Richie Mo’unga are almost certain to be the only two first-fives in the squad with no suitable third-choice option being eligible for selection.
Consequently, there would be a five-man outside back contingent, meaning there will be enough for two ‘power wings’ among the other outside backs who act as playmakers, counter-attackers, utilities and are designed for aerial battles.
One of those ‘power wings’ will undoubtedly be Rieko Ioane, indisputably the best wing on the planet, meaning Naholo and Reece are direct rivals with one another for the second ‘power wing’ slot.
With Naholo’s chequered form and injury woes up until Saturday, and given Reece’s undeniably outstanding form since his Super Rugby debut in round four, most would have the latter as their pick to accompany Ioane as the second ‘power wing’ option in Japan later this year.
But, as Naholo begins to rise to form at just the right time of the season, the selection disparity between him and Reece is beginning to diminish.
That much is particularly evident when taking into consideration that the threat posed by Reece has been drastically nullified in three of his last four outings, as the Sharks, Stormers and Blues restricted him to a combined total of 26 metres, two defenders beaten, less than one clean break per match, and no tries.
All of those statistics pale in comparison to his season averages of 72 running metres, 4.1 defenders beaten, 2.7 clean breaks and one try per match.
That’s not to suggest that Reece’s form is declining or that he’s fallen out of favour with the national selectors, but it certainly paints a picture that he hasn’t consistently maintained the vein of form that catapulted him onto the All Blacks’ radar in March and April.
Combine that with the lack of experience he has over Naholo – who won both the World Cup and Super Rugby with the All Blacks and Highlanders in 2015, claimed the ITM Cup with Taranaki in 2014, was part of the World Cup-winning All Blacks Sevens side in 2013 and has 26 test caps to his name – and the shift in momentum for All Blacks selection looks to be moving in Naholo’s direction.
It may only be one game since his return from unemphatic form and a substantial injury, but that one outing has shown that he’s primed for action in the most important stretch of Super Rugby for World Cup contenders, and with the experience he has under his belt compared to his rivals, there remains a strong case for Naholo’s inclusion in Japan.
In other news:
Comments on RugbyPass
first no arms shoulder or helmet tackle into his rib cage is going to be so very painful even to watch. go back to RU mate.
1 Go to commentsBulls by 5. Plus another 50.
3 Go to commentsJohan Goosen avatar. Cute. Surely someone at RP knows how to do a google image search?
3 Go to commentsCan’t these games play a little earlier? Asking for a friend.
3 Go to commentsIt’s impressive that we can see huge stadiums with attendance in the 40 000 to 50 000 region. It shows how popular this competition is becoming. What is even more impressive is the massive growth in broadcast viewership. The URC is one of the two best leagues in the World, the other being the Top14.
7 Go to commentsChristie is not Sottish, like the majority of the Scotland team.
2 Go to commentsHold the phone, decline over-rated. Is it a one game, dead cat bounce or the real thing? Has the Penney dropped? Stay tuned.
45 Go to commentsTotally deserved win for the Crusaders Far smarter than the Chiefs who seem to be avoiding the basics when it matters Hotham showed them what was missing and Hannah seems a real find - a tad light but that can be fixed over time
8 Go to commentsGreat insight into the performance culture with Sarries and I predict Christie will be a fixture in the Scotland team now for some time to come. However, he is slightly missing his own point around Scotland “being soft” when he cites physicality examples in defence of that slight. The issue is much closer to the example he referenced around feeling off before a game but being told “it doesn’t matter, you can still play well” by Farrell. Until Scotland can get their psyche in that square, they will carry on folding under extreme pressure…
2 Go to comments> We are having to adapt, evolve and innovate more than when we were in Super Rugby where there was only really one style that everybody had to play to gain the most success. Have = able to? Interesting what that one style might be? I thought SA sides still had bad tours now, or at least bad schedule, months away? Those extra few hours flights have to be a killer though, no surprise to see their sides doing so badly at the start of the season each year. I wouldn’t enjoy that unfairness as a supporter.
7 Go to commentsThe problem for NZ, and Aus, is they ripped up the SR model and lost a massive chunk of revenue that hasn’t been replaced. Don’t forget SA clubs went North because they were left with no choice, Argy unceremoniously binned and Japan cast adrift. Now SR wasn’t perfect, far from it, but they’ve jumped into something without an effective plan, so far, to replace what they’ve lost. The biggest revenue potential now lies in Japan but it won’t be easy or quick to unlock, they are incredibly insular in culture as a nation. In the meantime, there is a serious time bomb sitting under SH rugby and if it happens then the current financial challenges will look like a picnic. IF the Boks follow their provincial teams and head north then it’s revenue meltdown. Not guaranteed to happen but the status quo is a very odd hybrid, with the Boks pointing one way and the clubs pointing the other way. And for as long as that remains then the threat is real.
45 Go to commentsI think Etene has had some good tuition, likely while at the Warriors to be a professional that helped his rugby jump, but he was certainly thrown in the deep end way too early. Should have arguably 20 less SR caps, and therefor a way better record that he does at his age, but his development would have been fast tracked by the need to satiate his signing away from league. Again, credit to him and others that he has done it so well. Easy to fall over under that pressure in the big leagues like that but he kept at it when I myself wasn’t sure he was good enough.
1 Go to commentsAwesome story. I wonder what a bigger American (SA) scene might have mean for Brex.
1 Go to comments“Johnny McNicholl and the Crusaders” save a Penney. Who has been in camp this week and showed them how to play?
8 Go to commentsSo, reports of the Crusaders’ demise / terminal decline are perhaps just - slightly - premature/exaggerated…? 🤔 Will we see a deep-dive into that by the estimable Rugbypass scribes, and maybe one or two mea culpas? Thought not.
8 Go to comments1. The Chiefs are rudderless without DMac, which enhances his AB chances 2. Chiefs pack are powderpuffs. The hard men arent there anymore 3. They had their golden title chance last yr and wont threaten this yr. Gone in second round of playoffs.
8 Go to commentsHonestly, why did you have to publish such a foolish article the day they play us? 😂
45 Go to comments> They are not standalone entities. They are linked to an amateur association which holds the FFR licence that allows the professional side to compete in the league. That’s a great rule. This looks like the chicken or egg professional scenario. How long is it going to be before the club can break even (if that is even a thing in French rugby)? If the locals aren’t into well it would be good to se them drop to amateur level (is it that far?). Hope they can reset from this level and be more practical, there will be a time when they can rebuild (if France has there setup right).
1 Go to commentsWhat about changing the ball? To something heavier and more pointed that bounces unpredictably. Not this almost round football used these days.
35 Go to commentsThis is the problem with conservative mindsets and phycology, and homogenous sports, everybody wants to be the same, use the i-win template. Athlete wise everyone has to have muscles and work at the gym to make themselves more likely to hold on that one tackle. Do those players even wonder if they are now more likely to be tackled by that player as a result of there “work”? Really though, too many questions, Jake. Is it better Jake? Yes, because you still have that rugby of ole that you talk about. Is it at the highest International level anymore? No, but you go to your club or checkout your representative side and still engage with that ‘beautiful game’. Could you also have a bit of that at the top if coaches encouraged there team to play and incentivized players like Damian McKenzie and Ange Capuozzo? Of course we could. Sadly Rugby doesn’t, or didn’t, really know what direction to go when professionalism came. Things like the state of northern pitches didn’t help. Over the last two or three decades I feel like I’ve been fortunate to have all that Jake wants. There was International quality Super Rugby to adore, then the next level below I could watch club mates, pulling 9 to 5s, take on the countries best in representative rugby. Rugby played with flair and not too much riding on the consequences. It was beautiful. That largely still exists today, but with the world of rugby not quite getting things right, the picture is now being painted in NZ that that level of rugby is not required in the “pathway” to Super Rugby or All Black rugby. You might wonder if NZR is right and the pathway shouldn’t include the ‘amateur’, but let me tell you, even though the NPC might be made up of people still having to pull 9-5s, we know these people still have dreams to get out of that, and aren’t likely to give them. They will be lost. That will put a real strain on the concept of whether “visceral thrill, derring-do and joyful abandon” type rugby will remain under the professional level here in NZ. I think at some point that can be eroded as well. If only wanting the best athlete’s at the top level wasn’t enough to lose that, shutting off the next group, or level, or rugby players from easy access to express and showcase themselves certainly will. That all comes back around to the same question of professionalism in rugby and whether it got things right, and rugby is better now. Maybe the answer is turning into a “no”?
35 Go to comments