1
The explanation behind the All Blacks' four changes
The All Blacks have made just four personnel changes to the starting line-up for Saturday’s series-deciding clash with Ireland, with head coach Ian Foster opting to bring in a raft of experienced players into the 23.
ADVERTISEMENT
Nepo Laulala, Sam Whitelock, David Havili and Will Jordan have joined the run-on side for this weekend’s fixture while Dane Coles, Akira Ioane and Roger Tuivasa-Sheck have been added to the bench.
Debutant Tuivasa-Sheck aside, the other six players who have been promoted into the team are all more experienced than the men they’ve replaced – hinting that the All Blacks believe old heads will be needed to grab a victory in Wellington.
“Plenty of experience and good form,” Foster said when asked what Whitelock would bring to the team after sitting out last week’s loss due to concussion. “I thought his first test was one of the best tests I’ve seen him play for a couple of years.
“He’s really motivated but it’s not just him, bringing Nepo back from a neck [complaint] that has been bothering him, the likes of David Havili coming back in, Will Jordan having another week after Covid just to freshen up… So there is some good experience coming back into this group.
View this post on Instagram
“You got Colesy on the bench and the likes of Akira, whose foot’s coming right, there’s some nice signs there.”
ADVERTISEMENT
Foster indicated that while there had been an overall selection strategy for the three-test series, injuries and illness had shaken things up for the coaches – however many of the players who had been previously been unavailable were back on deck and ready for the deciding test.
“It’s never obvious and easy (to select a team),” Foster said. “There’s always some conversations around a couple of things. We’ve had a plan going into the series of a few things and it’s probably enabled us to go back to that plan.
“There was a selection plan going into this about some things we wanted to get out of it and there was a few players in those first two tests that perhaps weren’t available at the time that we wanted so I think this time it’s a chance. The likes of bringing Davey back in, we’re delighted he’s in great shape. Sammy Whitelock, the chance to give Scott another chance at 6. They’re some of the things we talked about.”
In past series, the All Blacks have typically used the third and final test to give opportunities to players who’d not yet had a chance to play but with the series now on the line thanks to Ireland’s impressive 23-12 victory, there’s little room for error in Wellington.
ADVERTISEMENT
“It’s getting the balance of the toughness of losing, but taking the lessons out of that and moving on really quickly into the next stuff,” he said.
“This is where you want to be in terms of excitement. We don’t want to lose a test, but we have. To come in and have a big game in front of us like this just means the eyes go very quickly from looking back to looking forward.”
Saturday’s fixture between the All Blacks and Ireland is set to kick of at 7:05pm NZT from Sky Stadium.
Comments on RugbyPass
Pick Swinton at your peril A liability just like JWH from the Roosters Skelton ??? went missing at RWC
14 Go to commentsLike tennis, who have a ranking system, and I believe rugby too, just measure over each period preceding a world cup event who was the longest number one and that would be it. In tennis the number one player frequently is not the grand slam winner. I love and adore the All Blacks since the days of Ian Kirkpatrick when I was a kid in SA. And still do because they are the masters of running rugby and are gentleman on and off the field - in general. And in my opinion they have been the majority of the time the best rugby team in the world.
15 Go to commentsHaving overseas possessions in 2024 is absurd. These Frenchies should have to give the New Caledonians their freedom.
21 Go to commentsBell injured his foot didn’t he? Bring Tupou in he’ll deliver when it counts. Agree mostly but I would switch in the Reds number 8 Harry Wilson for Swinton and move Rob Valentini to 6 instead. Wilson is a clever player who reads the play, you can’t outmuscle the AB’s and Springboks, if you have any chance it’s by playing clever. Same goes for Paisami, he’s a little guy who doesn’t really trouble the likes of De Allende and Jordie Barrett. I’d rather play Carter Gordon at 12 and put Michael Lynagh’s boy at 10. That way you get a BMT type goalkicker at 10 and a playmaker at 12. Anyways, just my two cents as a Bok supporter.
14 Go to commentsThanks Brett, love your articles which are alway pertinent. It’s a difficult topic trying to have a panel adjudicating consistently penalties for red card issues. Many of the mitigating reasons raised are judged subjectively, hence the different outcomes. How to take away subjective opinions?
4 Go to commentsYes Sir! Surprising, just like Fraser would also have escaped sanction if he was a few inches lower, even if it was by accident that he missed! Has there really been talk about those sanctions or is this just sensational journalism? I stopped reading, so might have missed any notations.
4 Go to commentsAI is only as good as the information put in, the nuances of the sport, what you see out the corner of the eye, how you sum up in a split second the situation, yes the AI is a tool but will not help win games, more likely contribute to a loss, Rugby Players are not robots, all AI can do if offer a solution not the solution. AI will effect many sports, help train better golfers etc.
45 Go to commentsIt 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.
26 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 🤐
15 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….
26 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….
15 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….
84 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!
4 Go to commentsexcellent idea ! rugby needs this 💪
15 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
14 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.
15 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.
15 Go to commentsHi, Dave here. Happy to answer questions 🥰
15 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 comments