The biggest positional holes the All Blacks must address under Scott Robertson
The one-point loss in the Rugby World Cup final spelled the end of the Ian Foster era for the All Blacks along with the careers of a host of generational players.
Veteran locks Sam Whitelock and Brodie Retallick, halfback Aaron Smith, hooker Dane Coles are finished in black.
First five-eighth Richie Mo’unga and flanker Shannon Frizell are leaving to Japan and will become ineligible for selection as a result.
Ardie Savea and Sam Cane will play sabbaticals in Japan during the Super Rugby season but return for duties with the All Blacks, while Codie Taylor will also take a non-playing sabbatical.
Beauden Barrett, once thought to be finished after signing a one-year deal with Toyota Verblitz, is on the verge of a new deal with NZR through to 2027 to resume his All Black career.
The bulk of the squad will return which means new head coach Scott Robertson will inherit a strong core of players in 2024 with more players pressing for selection through Super Rugby.
There are really only a few key selections for Robertson & his staff to address to plug the known absences.
The first area of concern is blindside flanker where Shannon Frizell clearly made a difference.
When the All Blacks had him, they were formidable, and when they didn’t, they lacked physicality to match the big sides. For whatever reason, Frizell made the side click over the back half of 2022 and 2023.
However, during his time as Crusaders head coach Robertson saw many different loose forward combinations. He oversaw the transition from a loose trio of Kieran Read, Matt Todd and Jordan Taufua to the likes of Cullen Grace, Ethan Blackadder, Tom Christie and others.
The Crusaders seemed to always find gems in the backrow, underrated players like Wallaby Pete Samu and last year Christian Lio-Willie and Sione Talitui.
If anyone can find the ideal replacement for Frizell with the All Blacks, it will be Robertson and Ryan.
Samipeni Finau of the Chiefs was a debutant before the World Cup, while Tupou Vaa’i was tried unsuccessfully there against France in the opening pool game. Akira Ioane was a large part of Foster’s plans before being left out of the 2023 squad.
Odds are that it will be a Crusader that fills Frizell’s boots, with Blackadder one of the favourites to become the next starting All Black No 6.
In the second row the All Blacks will undeniably go backward.
Losing Sam Whitelock and Brodie Retallick, two all-time greats of the game, simply can’t be done without suffering a drop off.
The question is who will partner Scott Barrett, who is world-class and could possibly be Robertson’s pick for captain.
Tupou Vaa’i and Josh Lord were the young pair invested in by Foster’s staff. Both are 22 and 23 years old with plenty of development still to come. If Super Rugby form impresses, Quinten Strange will be in the mix as a bolter.
Of all the uncapped locks in New Zealand, Strange has the frame to play Test rugby and will likely start for the Crusaders most weeks now that Whitelock has retired.
But the forgotten man is Patrick Tuipulotu of the Blues.
In 2020, his play during Super Rugby elevated to a high level as he took on extra leadership at the franchise.
At just 30 years of age there is plenty of vintage years to come after playing the last of his 44 Tests in 2022. He’s back at the Blues and under contract until 2025.
When you lose two world class locks and your best No 6, it stands to reason that the All Blacks’ lineout will have growing pains in 2024. Relying on combinations already formed at Super Rugby level could be the solution.
For the first time in a long time the All Blacks halves pairing is uncertain.
The All Blacks’ most capped halfback of all-time in Aaron Smith has departed leaving a gaping hole in experience and depth.
His back-ups in 2023, Finlay Christie and Cam Roigard, were rotated in-and-out by Foster’s coaching group.
The young Hurricanes’ No 9 was a bolter selection based on a breakout year and offers explosive running from the base.
His style of play is 9-centric, with a lot of taxiing off the base and sniping around the ruck. This can throw out the timing of an attacking shape and might not be suitable in all systems.
Under Robertson the Crusaders never had a running No 9, always preferring pure distributors in Bryn Hall and Mitch Drummond for quick service.
The three best younger halfback prospects in the country at Super Rugby level, Roigard, Folau Fakatava of the Highlanders and Cortez Ratima of the Chiefs, are arguably all running threats.
It remains to be seen what kind of No 9 Robertson wants and will choose, but all three are in the mix.
Who that man will pass to is also a mystery, but Damian McKenzie remains the front-runner after starting at No 10 in 2023 on a few occasions for the All Blacks.
With Mo’unga ineligible (unless the rules are changed) and Barrett not yet signed to a new sunset deal, the Chiefs’ first five-eighth is set to become the guy after signing a long-term deal with NZR.
A bolter selection for a debut is Fergus Burke, the Crusaders’ fullback who will likely fill Mo’unga’s No 10 jersey in 2024 in Super Rugby. His play in 2023 was exceptional and he even became the primary playmaker at times.
Burke will become an All Black, the only question is when. He is in line to become one of the hybrid 10-15 options in 2024, whilst Stephen Perofeta of the Blues can also push his way back into contention.
The exciting young fullbacks in New Zealand, Zarn Sullivan at the Blues and Ruben Love of the Hurricanes, would need to elevate their play significantly to be considered. They have the potential but 2024 might be too early.
The best player in Super Rugby in 2023, Shaun Stevenson, could barely crack the squad who will be looking to add to his one cap, whilst Will Jordan could become the first-choice fullback if he can develop accuracy in his kicking game.
At Test level he has been wayward, kicking out on the full far too much. The reason why Barrett held selection over Jordan in the No 15 role was his ability to manage the backfield and relieve pressure consistently.
Overall, Robertson will inherit a very capable group of All Blacks, most of the World Cup squad with only a few uncertain areas that need answers.
Comments on RugbyPass
Who listens to this retard? He was a massive liability as a player but obviously a media sensation
40 Go to commentsI’m not surprised by such ‘virtue signalling’ by Sonny Boy. Butter wouldn’t melt in his mouth. He’s such a pious Islamic muppet, imo.
40 Go to commentsI’ve actually never heard of the guy (then I don’t watch League as it is boring). But if he is good enough.. then good luck to him. If not, well, he can always return to league.
2 Go to commentsIt is pretty clear that by almost any measure that NZ are a more successful rugby nation than South Africa. Quite aside from the distasteful events during the last RWC final. NZ lead SA in all significant measurements.
39 Go to commentsDickson went to his pocket for a card, saw who it was, changed his mind and spoke at length to TMO. One angle clearly shows Care diving over a Saints player to kill the ball. 1st yellow, reason given for not Red was player was falling backwards. He was only falling backwards after contact with Lawes. Graham try should have stood. Mitchell did not have both hands on the ball, ball went forward from a Saints boot dragging over it. 2 intentional knock-on's. One of which had an overlap on the outside. If Quins are happy to win by intentional foul play, then it does not say much for them. Would appear to be a bad day for Karl Dickson, also for the RFU in appointing a Ref who spent 8 years as a player at one of the clubs.
1 Go to commentsLet’s not forget about Ardie Savea just yet.
4 Go to commentsThe URC and the Euro Championscup can’t run at the same time, basically dilutes both competitions.
1 Go to comments“While Sotutu should start at No.8 for the All Blacks against England, but it’s only in that arena that he can prove just how good he really is.” And that my friends is where simply hasnt shone despite multiple opportunities. Even in this performance you can see what did him in in the test arena..he almost always still runs at the opposition almost ramrod upright making him easier to stop than it should be.
4 Go to commentsShould have been 0-0 and a message from SR CEO to both teams - “don’t worry about turning up next year”.
4 Go to commentsGreat work Owen Franks. A great of this team, scoring his first try for the Crusaders since 2010.He was beaming, justifiably. A fine win, he and the rest did the job up front.
1 Go to commentsDanny Care. Lang in die tand.
1 Go to commentsBig empty stadium does nothing for atmosphere but munster are playing well with solid performance
1 Go to commentsYes, Fiji can win the World Cup! With that belief plus their christian faith🙏 and hard work it is achievable. Great article. Ian Duncan Fiji resident 1981-84
2 Go to commentsInteresting comments about Touch. England’s hosting the Touch World Cup this year and the numbers have exploded since their last World Cup in 2019, something like 70% more teams and 40 nations taking part. And England Touch have made a big thing about how many universities are in their BUCS University Touch Championship as well as Sport England membership. Can only see this growing even more domestically as more people become aware of it
10 Go to comments“Cortez Ratima is light years ahead of anyone on current form, while TJ Perenara has also skyrocketed into contention following the unfortunate injury to the talented Cam Roigard.” At last some sanity. Hitherto so many pundits have been wittering on about Finlay Christie to the point one wondered if they were observing a FC in a parallel universe where the FC they saw wasnt just the mediocre Shayne Philpott project of Fosters hapless AB reign in the real world. Ratima, Perenara and Fakatava are the ONLY logical 9s for Razor now Roigard is crocked.
4 Go to commentsThis game was just as painful as the Hurricanes game. It was real fork-in-the-eye stuff.
4 Go to commentsNow if they could just fire the Crusaders ground PA guy who likes to play his dance music and just loves the sound of his own voice the entire game, even when play is going on. And I thought their brass band thing of a few years ago was bad.
5 Go to commentsUnfortunately when you lose by far the two form players this season in Roigard and Aumua, you're left replacing two game changing Tanks with a couple of pea-shooters. Which is also about the speed of TJs pass.
4 Go to commentsBit rich coming from the guy with zero loyalty to anyone or any team, including happily taking a players place in a league world cup squad because well, SBW wanted to play in it and thus an already named player got told he was no longer going. And airing stuff like this, which may or may not be true, doesn't exactly say you're a stand up guy either SBW. Just looking to keep his name in lights as usual.
40 Go to commentsTamati Tua. …the Taniwha NPC midfielder. Ollie Sapsford, Hawkes Bay NPC midfielder…doing well
4 Go to comments