Sam Whitelock can't be captain of the All Blacks if he isn't in the team
With the announcement of Sam Cane as the next All Black captain, the sun is slowly setting on Sam Whitelock’s international career.
Many tipped Whitelock to succeed Read, and with 117 tests under his belt, it was a short-odds pick.
But, by going with the younger Sam Cane, the All Blacks have opted for a long-term option. Whitelock will be 34 years old in 2023, the year France hosts the next World Cup.
He has been mostly ‘untouchable’ during Hansen’s reign as coach, part of the leadership group, and a vice-captain.
However, Whitelock’s on-field form at the highest level in the last two seasons hasn’t been at the same level shown earlier in his career.
Whilst this isn’t a death knell, reputation can only warrant selection for so long.
In the 2018 loss to Ireland in Dublin, Whitelock’s energy, among a few others in black, was noticeably absent as he operated on tired legs to push through the final intense game of the season. Another forward who looked out of gas that night, Karl Tu’inukuafe, hasn’t played since the final test of that season.
The 2019 semi-final loss to England highlighted the shortcomings of the elder All Black statesmen.
The pack were dominated up front, losing lineout ball, maul turnovers, and run ragged by a more youthful English cohort.
Scott Barrett became the scapegoat of a ‘stacked’ lineout that failed to generate any returns and was subbed at halftime.
The tape, though, shows many guilty culprits at lineout time. Whitelock was one of them, failing to read and react quickly enough to perform lifts to compete with England’s jumpers.
While England ran many slips and ‘jump fakes’ often bluffing twice before hitting the third option, there were other simpler lineout calls that just simply beat the All Blacks to the punch.
Whitelock’s own first two targets on the All Blacks’ own ball resulted in turnovers, a sacked maul and a stolen throw to Itoje.
There were communication issues between all key men in the All Black lineout as they struggled to figure out what England were throwing at them. It was a forgettable performance that everyone will be keen to put behind them.
On the face of it, Scott Barrett’s inclusion in the starting line-up forced Sam Cane to the bench. But in reality, Barrett is an athletic lock first and a loose forward second.
The trade-off was really Whitelock for Cane, as Barrett could have filled a starting lock role to give the All Blacks more athleticism around the park.
In the back row, both Ardie Savea and Cane could have played near 80 minutes with Matt Todd available as a replacement.
Hansen didn’t portion blame on Barrett in the post-match press conference but didn’t completely absolve him either.
“Scott came out and played as well as he could. Did we want to win some more lineout ball? Yes, we did. But we didn’t. It takes more than one person to do that,” he said.
It was Barrett that chased down wing Jonny May, one of the fastest players in the England team who runs 100m at 10.7s, to save seven points.
It was Barrett that sparked a Brodie Retallick line break with a pick-and-go and offload around the ruck deep inside the All Blacks’ own territory.
Barrett was a net-positive over 40 minutes while Whitelock was a net-negative over 80, including giving away key penalties for hitting Owen Farrell with a Bruce Lee facepalm and shouldering Ben Youngs off the ball.
Execution errors are acceptable, but questionable effort should be a potential red flag that one’s desire is coming to an end.
Both Whitelock and Sonny Bill Williams are responsible for this line break last year against the Wallabies just seven minutes into the second half at Eden Park.
One player at least puts his body on the line to make a diving tackle attempt while the other stands by and fails to give anything other than a flailing hand, even with the ball-carrier running in his direction.
They are different athletes, but there should be no difference between their effort output.
This is just one isolated incident, but nonetheless is one that worries for a player potentially meant to carry on in test rugby until 2023.
A player of Whitelock’s calibre should never be beaten like that without at least making an attempt, less than 10 minutes after a half-time break.
It is the play of someone injured, which could have been the case, or someone not at the level required anymore.
Just remember, Rieko Ioane’s and Ben Smith’s starting jobs were quickly axed after one off-night in Perth. It doesn’t take a lot to force change within the All Black camp.
Romanticism and being sentimental aren’t what builds long-term greatness in professional sports teams. Richie McCaw and Dan Carter were able to get a fairytale finish but that won’t happen every time.
At the age of 30, Whitelock’s contract with New Zealand Rugby was extended on a four-year twilight deal with very favourable terms, which he himself admitted if he didn’t receive he was ready to walk away from test rugby and play in Japan.
“I thought we were just going to go to Japan and not come back to New Zealand,” he said.
It sounds like he was already mentally prepared to leave it all behind. NZR touted it as a ‘major coup’ while Whitelock talked admirably about the exit clause.
“That’s [exit clause] one of the key things that flipped it around from going,” he explained.
Moving on from the international game is already on his mind.
There is nothing left for Whitelock to achieve or prove, he is a test centurion, two-time World Cup winner and three-time Super Rugby champion, with numerous Bledisloe Cups and Rugby Championships.
He will go down as one of the all-time great locks, and few that can match his achievements.
But once he is back in the All Black environment, he must be selected on form or future potential, not past achievements, like any other player. He is not in the development stage so that means it must only be on form.
He doesn’t generate gain line carries or offloads like Retallick, or make deft passes at the line like Barrett.
On tired limbs, he doesn’t eat space off the line and crush ball-carriers with dominant defence anymore.
He tackles serviceably, yes, but defence is more than tackle completion. His spacial coverage is less than that of Barrett’s and the Springboks and England have advanced past the All Blacks in terms of physicality.
He can still hit rucks using his big body to clean and run a lineout, but if other options offer more and are here for the long-term, that is perhaps where Foster should go.
If Whitelock’s leadership and intangible presence are invaluable, a mentoring role within the squad would suit, but a starting role cannot be offered without the form to back it up.
Maybe a light season in the Top League will see Whitelock get a second wind in his career, that cannot be ruled out.
There are younger locks like Quinten Strange and Pari Pari Parkinson who will be pushing for test caps soon. Scott Barrett and Brodie Retallick are in their prime now.
Do the All Blacks sacrifice the future to squeeze more out of Whitelock? The odds are just simply against him reaching the next World Cup.
If he desires to still play internationally this year and beyond, that is great, but the coaches should not give him a free ride to the detriment of the team.
The All Blacks have lived on the mantra that no one is bigger than the team for a long time, and many talented players have been moved on a year too soon rather than a year too late.
What happens with Sam Whitelock will test whether that still holds.
Comments on RugbyPass
“But with an exceptional pass accuracy rating “ Which apart from Roigard is not a feature of any of the other 9s in NZ. Kind of basic for a Black 9 dont.you. think? Yet we keep seeing FC and TJ being rated ahead of him? Weird if it’s seen as vital to get our backline beating in your face defences.
1 Go to commentsThanks BeeMc! Looks like many teams need extra time to settle from the quadrennial northern migration. I think generally the quality of the Rugby has held up. Fiji has been fantastic and fun to watch
13 Go to commentsLets compare apples with apples. Lyon sent weak team the week before, but nobody raised an eyebrow. Give the South African teams a few years to build their depth, then you will be moaning that the teams are too strong.
41 Go to commentsDid footballs agents also perform the scout role at some time? I’m surprised more high profile players haven’t taken up the occupation, great way to remain in the game and use all that experience without really requiring a lot of specific expertise?
1 Go to commentsSuper rugby is struggling but that has little to do with sabbaticals. 1. Too many teams from Aust and NZ - should be 3 and 4 respectively, add in 2 from Japan, 1 possibly 2 from Argentina. 2. Inconsistent and poor refereeing, admittedly not restricted to Super rugby. Only one team was reffed at the breakdown in Reds v H’Landers match. Scrum penalty awarded in Canes v Drua when No 8 had the ball in the open with little defence nearby - ideal opportunity to play advantage. Coming back to Reds match - same scrum situation but ref played advantage - Landers made 10 yards and were penalised at the breakdown when the ref should have returned to scrum penalty. 3. Marketing is weak and losing ground to AFL and NRL. Playing 2 days compared with 4. 4. Scheduling is unattractive to family attendance. Have any franchises heard of Sundays 2pm?
11 Go to commentsAbsolutely..all they need is a chance in yhe playoffs and I bet all the other teams will be nervous…THEY KNOW HOW TO WIN IM THE PLAYOFFS..
2 Go to commentsI really hope he comes back and helps out with some coaching.
1 Go to commentsI think we are all just hoping that the Olympic 7s doesn’t suffer the same sad fate as the last RWC with the officials ruining the spectacle.
1 Go to commentsPersonally, I’ve lost the will to even be bothered about the RFU, the structure, the participants. It’s all a sham. I now simply enjoy getting a group of friends together to go and watch a few games a year in different locations (including Europe, the championship, etc). I feel extremely sorry for the real fans of these clubs who are constantly ignored by the RFU and other administrators. I feel especially sorry for the fans of clubs in the Championship who have had considerable central funding stripped away and are then expected to just take whatever the RFU put to them. Its all a sham, especially if the failed clubs are allowed to return.
9 Go to commentsI’m guessing Carl Hayman would have preferred to have stayed in NZ with benefit of hindsight. Up north there is the expectation to play twice as many games with far less ‘player management’ protocols that Paul is now criticising. Less playing through concussions means longer, healthier, careers. Carter used as the eg here by Paul, his sabbatical allowed him to play until age 37. OK its not an exact science but there is far more expectations on players who sign for Top 14 or Engl Prem clubs to get value for the huge salaries. NZR get alot wrong but keeping their best players in NZ rugby is not one of them. SA clubs are virtually devoid of their top players now, no thanks. They cant threaten the big teams in the Champions Cup, the squads have little depth. Cant see Canes/Chiefs struggling. Super has been great this year, fantastic high skill matches. Drua a fantastic addition and Jaguares will add another quality team eventually. Aus teams performing strongly and no doubt will benefit with the incentive of a Lions tour and a home RWC. Let Jordie enjoy his time with Leinster, it will allow the opportunity for another player to emerge at Canes in his absence.
11 Go to commentsLove that man, his way to despise angry little men is so funny ! 😂
4 Go to comments“South African franchises would be powerhouses if we had all our overseas based players back in situ. We would have the same unbeatable aura the Toulouses, Leinsters or Saracens of this world have had over the last decade or so.” Proof that Jake white does not understand the economics of the game in SA. Players earning abroad are not going to simply come back and represent the bulls. But they might if they have a springbok contract.
22 Go to commentsA lot of fans just joined in for the fun of it! We all admire O'Gara and what he has done for La Rochelle
4 Go to commentsThe RFU will find a way to mess this up as usual. My bet is there will be no promotion into the the Premiership, only relegation into National League One. Hopefully they won’t parachute failed clubs into the league at the expense of clubs who have battled for promotion.
9 Go to commentsWell that’s the contracts for RG and Jordie bought and paid for. Now, what are the chances we can persuade Antoine to hop over with all the extra dosh we’ll have from living at the Aviva & Croke next season…??? 🤑🤑🤑
35 Go to commentsWow, that’s incredible. Great for rugby.
35 Go to commentsYou probably read that parling is going to coach the wallaby lineout but if not before now you have.
14 Go to commentsIf someone like Leo Cullen was in O’Gara’s place I don’t hear Boo-ing. It’s not just that La Rochelle has hurt Leinster and O’Gara is their Irish boss. It’s the needle that he brings and the pantomime activity before the game around pretending that Munster were supporting LaRochelle just because O’Gara is from Cork. That’s dividing Irish provinces just to get an advantage for his French Team. He can F*ck right off with that. BOOOOO! (but not while someone is lying injured)
4 Go to commentsDid the highlanders party too hard before the game? They were the pits.
1 Go to commentsWhat a player! Not long until he’s in the England side, surely?
5 Go to comments