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The answer to the New Zealand's lock crisis? Super Rugby Aotearoa stars weigh in on All Blacks selection debate

By Alex McLeod
(Photo by Hagen Hopkins/Getty Images)

As Super Rugby Aotearoa winds down to its conclusion, the national rugby focus in New Zealand will soon begin to shift to the upcoming North vs South clash, which will be followed by Ian Foster’s first All Blacks squad announcement.

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The historic inter-island clash is set to be revived at Eden Park on August 29, two weeks after the final round of Super Rugby Aotearoa.

The following day, Foster will name a 35-man All Blacks squad ahead of a New Zealand-hosted Rugby Championship and a possible four-match Bledisloe Cup series, although both tournaments are yet to be confirmed.

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After eight rounds of Super Rugby Aotearoa action, plenty of selection debate has arisen as to who could make the cut in the national squad.

Particular interest has been fixed on the lock department, where there seems to be a shortage of talent in the absence of Brodie Retallick, who remains on sabbatical, and Scott Barrett, who will be sidelined over the coming months with a toe injury.

That leaves only All Blacks centurion Sam Whitelock and Blues captain Patrick Tuipulotu as the only second rowers with test match experience who stand as realistic selection options.

All Blacks selector Grant Fox indicated last month that, without Retallick and Barrett, there will be a chance for uncapped locks in Super Rugby Aotearoa to make their way into the national squad.

“We are not overly blessed in the locking department with big, strong athletic men,’’ Fox told Newstalk ZB.

“We have lots of guys who are a good physical size, who are great toilers who roll their sleeves up and get stuck in but in our view we can’t have everybody of the same ilk.

“We needs some contrast in that.’’

Just who fits the bill as a “big, strong athletic” second rower remains to be seen, but that hasn’t stopped Super Rugby Aotearoa stars James Parsons and Bryn Hall from voicing their opinions into the discussion.

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Speaking on RugbyPassAotearoa Rugby Pod, Parsons seemed unconcerned at the depth of New Zealand’s locking stocks as he listed off a number of potential candidates who he believed may be worthy of an international call-up.

However, the two-test All Black hooker was adamant that his Blues and North Harbour teammate Gerard Cowley-Tuioti was a “a no-brainer” selection.

“For me, it’s Gerard,” Parsons said. “You just watch the weekend [against the Highlanders], watch the week before against the Chiefs.

“He’d been out for two months with a shoulder injury, and came back off the bench, and then started the last two.

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“I just think defensively, his ability to carry, and I think he’s great in the set piece, and will only get better in an All Black environment – but I am biased.”

He added: “Talk about dominant tackle stats, work rate, ability in the air, I think he has to be right in the discussion, especially if you’ve listened to Foxy’s comments.

“They’ve got a lot of grafters, the way they perceive it, there’s a lot of grafters around there, but they want a point of difference, that athletic style of lock as well.

“Vaea [Fifita] might even come back into the frame there, and as I mentioned with Gerard there, he’s a real option, he’s mature, he’s had a lot of experience.”

Parsons noted that injured Highlanders lock Josh Dickson would have been deep in contention for national honours had he not broken his leg against the Crusaders, but it was his second row partner at the southern franchise that Hall was impressed by.

“I think Pari Pari [Parkinson] as well,” Hall said. “I think if you look at his tools and how big he is, and I guess the physicality side, he’s probably something a little bit different, he’s probably a lot taller and a lot bigger.

“If you’re talking about potentials, I think Pari would be a pretty good option as well.”

Standing at 2.04m and 119kg, Parkinson is among the largest players in Super Rugby Aotearoa, and Parsons believes his height would be a valued asset at the lineout.

“I mean, it’s hard to look past his height, as a lock,” Parsons said.

“He just has to factor into the decision. You will win clean ball. It’s a no-brainer that the Highlanders are second in lineouts, it’s got a lot to do with him, and the other fella we spoke about, Dickson.

“That height is an easy win against most locks.”

The other prospect highly-regarded by both Hall and Parsons was Crusaders youngster Quinten Strange, who has featured predominantly off the bench for the reigning Super Rugby champions.

He has, however, shown plenty of promise since making his Mitre 10 Cup debut in 2016.

“I really like Quinten Strange,” Parsons said. “I’ve liked Quinten Strange for a long time.

“I think he’s great at Tasman, I think he’s got the ability to be a ranging sort of lock, and, as we’ve seen, he’s got a bit of fight in him too. He’s got plenty to like about him as well.”

Having played with and won three consecutive Super Rugby titles with Strange since moving to the Crusaders from the Blues three years ago, Hall agreed with Parsons’ verdict on the 23-year-old.

“If you think about our locking stocks down south, he’s not afraid to talk and give his opinion and is seen, probably, [as] one of the leaders in our group,” Hall said.

“I guess that tactical side as well, he’s pretty knowledgeable and has a really great understanding of rugby as well.”

Listen to the full episode of the Aotearoa Rugby Pod below

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J
Jon 2 hours ago
Jake White: Are modern rugby players actually better?

This 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
j
john 4 hours ago
Will the Crusaders' decline spark a slow death for New Zealand rugby?

But here in Australia we were told Penney was another gun kiwi coach, for the Tahs…….and yet again it turned out the kiwi coach was completely useless. Another con job on Australian rugby. As was Robbie Deans, as was Dave Rennie. Both coaches dumped from NZ and promoted to Australia as our saviour. And the Tahs lap them up knowing they are second rate and knowing that under pressure when their short comings are exposed in Australia as well, that they will fall in below the largest most powerful province and choose second rate Tah players to save their jobs. As they do and exactly as Joe Schmidt will do. Gauranteed. Schmidt was dumped by NZ too. That’s why he went overseas. That why kiwi coaches take jobs in Australia, to try and prove they are not as bad as NZ thought they were. Then when they get found out they try and ingratiate themselves to NZ again by dragging Australian teams down with ridiculous selections and game plans. NZ rugby’s biggest problem is that it can’t yet transition from MCaw Cheatism. They just don’t know how to try and win on your merits. It is still always a contest to see how much cheating you can get away with. Without a cheating genius like McCaw, they are struggling. This I think is why my wise old mate in NZ thinks Robertson will struggle. The Crusaders are the nursery of McCaw Cheatism. Sean Fitzpatrick was probably the father of it. Robertson doesn’t know anything else but other countries have worked it out.

15 Go to comments
A
Adrian 6 hours ago
Will the Crusaders' decline spark a slow death for New Zealand rugby?

Thanks Nick The loss of players to OS, injury and retirement is certainly not helping the Crusaders. Ditto the coach. IMO Penny is there to hold the fort and cop the flak until new players and a new coach come through,…and that's understood and accepted by Penny and the Crusaders hierarchy. I think though that what is happening with the Crusaders is an indicator of what is happening with the other NZ SRP teams…..and the other SRP teams for that matter. Not enough money. The money has come via the SR competition and it’s not there anymore. It's in France, Japan and England. Unless or until something is done to make SR more SELLABLE to the NZ/Australia Rugby market AND the world rugby market the $s to keep both the very best players and the next rung down won't be there. They will play away from NZ more and more. I think though that NZ will continue to produce the players and the coaches of sufficient strength for NZ to have the capacity to stay at the top. Whether they do stay at the top as an international team will depend upon whether the money flowing to SRP is somehow restored, or NZ teams play in the Japan comp, or NZ opts to pick from anywhere. As a follower of many sports I’d have to say that the organisation and promotion of Super Rugby has been for the last 20 years closest to the worst I’ve ever seen. This hasn't necessarily been caused by NZ, but it’s happened. Perhaps it can be fixed, perhaps not. The Crusaders are I think a symptom of this, not the cause

15 Go to comments
T
Trevor 9 hours ago
Will forgotten Wallabies fit the Joe Schmidt model?

Thanks Brett.. At last a positive article on the potential of Wallaby candidates, great to read. Schmidt’s record as an international rugby coach speaks for itself, I’m somewhat confident he will turn the Wallaby’s fortunes around …. on the field. It will be up to others to steady the ship off the paddock. But is there a flaw in my optimism? We have known all along that Australia has the players to be very competitive with their international rivals. We know that because everyone keeps telling us. So why the poor results? A question that requires a definitive answer before the turn around can occur. Joe Schmidt signed on for 2 years, time to encompass the Lions tour of 2025. By all accounts he puts family first and that’s fair enough, but I would wager that his 2 year contract will be extended if the next 18 months or so shows the statement “Australia has the players” proves to be correct. The new coach does not have a lot of time to meld together an outfit that will be competitive in the Rugby Championship - it will be interesting to see what happens. It will be interesting to see what happens with Giteau law, the new Wallaby coach has already verbalised that he would to prefer to select from those who play their rugby in Australia. His first test in charge is in July just over 3 months away .. not a long time. I for one wish him well .. heaven knows Australia needs some positive vibes.

21 Go to comments
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