The five All Blacks with the most to prove in final test of the year against Los Pumas
As the international season winds down to a close, the All Blacks head into their off-season with plenty more questions than answers following a tumultuous opening campaign under head coach Ian Foster’s stewardship.
At the time of writing, the New Zealanders have posted just two wins from five outings to equal their worst-ever world ranking of third place, with only a Bledisloe Cup series win to savour at this stage.
A bonus-point victory over Los Pumas in Newcastle on Saturday would put them in pole position to claim the Tri-Nations title, though, but many of their experienced stars need to step up to the plate and deliver to make that happen.
With that in mind, here are just five of the key All Blacks named in Foster’s starting side for the clash at McDonald Jones Stadium who have the most to prove ahead of what appears to be a much-needed off-season.
Dane Coles
Bursting back to the top of the national pecking order after playing second-fiddle to Codie Taylor at last year’s World Cup, Dane Coles hasn’t embraced the opportunity afforded to him as well as he probably should have.
Although he started in both of the All Blacks’ only two wins thus far this year, he let his guard down badly in the shock 25-15 defeat to Argentina at Bankwest Stadium a fortnight ago.
Ill-discipline was the primary concern, as Coles’ reputation as a chirpy competitor who relishes pushing the boundaries and getting under the skin of the opposition went overboard in Sydney.
A leader of a side that was guilty of conceding far too many unnecessary penalties and looked rattled by Argentina’s niggle and confrontation, the 73-test star was harshly dealt for slapping the face of an opposition player right in front of referee Angus Gardner.
It was a silly infringement to give away and one that portrayed a lack of maturity, a trait seemed to evade many All Blacks in that loss.
Not one to shy away from responsibility, Coles admitted his shortcomings earlier this week, but he will have to walk the walk if he is to show any signs of improvements against the same opponents this week.
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Akira Ioane
It feels a bid odd putting Akira Ioane in this list given he has already proven plenty throughout the course of 2020.
The fact he is even in this All Blacks cohort is a testament to that considering his long struggle to crack national squads of the past, with a vast improvement in work rate, defence, ball-carrying and ability at the set piece and breakdown rewarded with a test debut against the Wallabies in Brisbane.
Despite showing all those attributes inside the opening half an hour, Ioane was short-changed at Suncorp Stadium as he was forced to leaves the field due to Ofa Tuungafasi’s early red card.
That meant Ioane could barely imprint himself on the game as he would have liked, and had he stayed on, maybe the All Blacks would never have fallen to the 24-22 defeat they were subjected to about an hour after his departure from the match.
With Shannon Frizell dropped from the No. 6 jersey after his poor showing against Argentina two weeks ago, Saturday gives Ioane a perfect chance to overcome his false start and push to stake his claim as New Zealand’s premier blindside flanker.
Most pundits expect the All Blacks to exact revenge on Los Pumas after their shock maiden defeat to the Argentines in Sydney a fortnight ago, but an ex-Wallaby isn’t so sure. #ARGvNZL #TriNations https://t.co/RCKm68RG9k
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) November 28, 2020
Jack Goodhue
Cast your mind back to 2017, when an uncapped Jack Goodhue was surging to prominence with both the Crusaders and Northland as he claimed both his first of four Super Rugby titles and Mitre 10 Cup Player of the Year.
The uncapped youngster loomed as a bona fide option to fill the void left by long-serving All Blacks veteran Conrad Smith given their like-for-like qualities, and it was fair to say their was a wave of optimism about his future as an All Black.
How distant those memories now seem in the landscape of the All Blacks, with Goodhue – now equipped with the experience of 17 tests and a failed World Cup campaign – badly under-firing for the struggling national side.
There is an argument to be made that his quiet international season can be linked to being paired with a midfield partner who plays too similarly to himself in the form of Anton Lienert-Brown.
There is also the other point that Goodhue, who has predominantly been played centre throughout his career, has been forced to play at No. 12 when his skill set is better suited to the No. 13 jersey.
Fair enough, but either way, the 25-year-old needs to find some kind of form this weekend.
With Foster seemingly unwilling to put Goodhue back at centre, and Lienert-Brown arguably the form Kiwi midfielder of those in the All Blacks squad, Goodhue has to show that he deserves to stay at No. 12 ahead of Ngani Laumape or Peter Umaga-Jensen.
The All Blacks have made three changes to their starting lineup for Saturday’s Tri Nations rematch against Argentina following their historic loss to the Pumas two weeks ago. #TriNations #ARGvNZL https://t.co/1SfMaQv8ae
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) November 27, 2020
Richie Mo’unga
The debate in New Zealand regarding who should be the All Blacks’ starting first-five out of Richie Mo’unga and Beauden Barrett has been ever-present since 2018 and almost certainly won’t die down any time soon.
Both have immense yet contrasting qualities of their own, but it’s been Mo’unga who has come out on top to clinch the No. 10 jersey in most of New Zealand’s tests since last year.
With that jersey comes a multitude of pressure and responsibility, especially when there is an equally deserving challenger nipping at the incumbent’s heels.
Just how well Mo’unga has fared under that pressure and responsibility has been called into question, as the inconsistency of his performances have often reflected the All Blacks’ results.
Perhaps his best game in the black jersey came against the Wallabies last month when he scored two tries and looked unstoppable as he orchestrated a 43-5 Bledisloe Cup drubbing at ANZ Stadium.
But, there have been times where he has looked equally as lost and has struggled to stamp his authority on matches in the same way he so stunningly did for the Crusaders in Super Rugby Aotearoa.
It will be difficult for Mo’unga to address his lack of consistency with just one game left this year, but a solid outing to show what he’s capable of would go a long way to easing concerns from fans who have lingering doubts about his ability as a test playmaker.
FORM XV ?
A form selection heading into the penultimate weekend of the @autumnnations #WALvENG #IREvGEO #FRAvITA https://t.co/76P4TmIqye
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) November 27, 2020
Beauden Barrett
Just like Mo’unga, there are those who have similar qualms about Barrett’s performances in 2020 as the two-time World Rugby Player of the Year has battled to inflict the sort of damage that made him the best player on the planet.
It could be his positional switch from first-five to fullback in order to accomodate for Mo’unga in the starting lineup is hindering his output in the test arena.
That’s what advocates of Barrett’s move back to the No. 10 jersey will have you believe, but it’s hardly as if the 29-year-old doesn’t possess all the requisite skills to flourish as a fullback.
After all, it was his game-breaking ability to pierce opposition defences through sheer speed, acceleration and other-worldly vision that made him one of the game’s brightest talents just a handful of years ago.
However, aside from a few gliding runs against Australia at Eden Park and some nice touches at ANZ Stadium the following week, we are yet to see those attributes on show this year.
Even when he was handed the No. 10 jersey in the ill-fated Brisbane test at the beginning of the month, Barrett wielded little influence, and while much of the finger-pointing can be directed at Tuungafasi’s red card, it can’t be denied he was outplayed by his out-of-position opposite Reece Hodge, who also had to deal with a red card for his side.
It was a similar story when he was back at fullback against Los Pumas a week later, and for a player of his stature in a team that demands excellence, the onus will be on Barrett to conjure up something far better than what we’ve seen in weeks gone by.
Comments on RugbyPass
This just proves that theres always a stat and a metric to use to justify your abilities and your success. Ben did it last week by creating an imaginary competition and now you did the same to counter his argument and espouse a new yardstick for success. Why not just use the current one and lets say the Boks have won 4 world cups making them the most successful world cup team. Outside of the world cup the All Blacks are the most successful team winning countless rugby championships and dominating the rankings with high win percentages. Over the last 4 years statistically the Irish are the best having the highest win rate and also having positive records against every tier 1 side. The most successful Northern team in the game has been England with a world cup title and the most six nations titles in history. The AB’s are the most dominant team in history with the highest win rate and 3 world cups. Lets not try to reinvent the wheel. Just be honest about the actual stats and what each team has been good at doing and that will be enough to define their level of success.
16 Go to commentsHow is 7’s played there? I’m surprised 10 or 11 man rugby hasn’t taken off. 7 just doesn’t fit the 15s dynamics (rules n field etc) but these other versions do.
7 Go to commentsPick 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.
16 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 🤐
16 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….
16 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 💪
16 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.
16 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.
16 Go to comments