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The uncapped players who will be picked for the All Blacks or Wallabies this season

By RugbyPass
(Photos / Getty Images)

With the first-ever edition of Super Rugby Pacific just around the corner, the RugbyPass Round Table writers from New Zealand and Australia – Alex McLeod (AM), Tom Vinicombe (TV), Nick Turnbull (NT), Jack O’Rourke (JO) and Jordan King (JK) – deliver their verdicts on how the upcoming 2022 season will pan out.

Which uncapped player will be picked for the All Blacks or Wallabies after this season?

AM: Little more than 18 months out from the next World Cup, one would imagine both the All Blacks and Wallabies will beginning to minimise the number of newbies introduced into their respective set-ups as they look to settle their squads.

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That doesn’t mean there won’t be any room for any test rookies, though. In New Zealand, much hype has centred around Roger Tuivasa-Sheck’s switch from the NRL to the Blues, and if he can live up to expectation, he could well end the year as an All Black.

Highlanders halfback Folau Fakatava will also be in the reckoning provided he is granted dispensation from World Rugby to represent New Zealand, which may prove to be threatening for one or two current All Blacks.

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Picking the 2022 Super Rugby Pacific champions | Aotearoa Rugby Pod

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Picking the 2022 Super Rugby Pacific champions | Aotearoa Rugby Pod

Across the ditch, Reds wing Suliasi Vunivalu and Rebels prop Pone Fa’amausili should both win Wallabies caps if they can shake off their injury woes that have prevented them from representing Australia in recent seasons.

Keep an eye out for Waratahs No 8 Rahboni Warren-Vosayaco, who previously starred for the Sunwolves as a midfielder and has returned to Australia with the aim of playing for the Wallabies.

TV: If Leicester Fainga’anuku can manage another season as impressive as his last, it would be a massive surprise if he didn’t earn a call-up to the All Blacks later this season.

Fainga’anuku was one of the Crusaders’ most devastating attackers last year, whether on the wing or in the midfield, and could be the big centre that the All Blacks seemed to be missing at times this season.

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With the likes of David Havili and Jack Goodhue in the midfield, and George Bridge and Sevu Reece on the wings, there aren’t any guarantees that Fainga’anuku will even be starting matches this year – but the hulking utility offers something that no one else in the Crusaders backline can bring to a match.

The big work-on for Fainga’anuku this year will be his defence and if he can shore up that side of his game, the world’s his oyster.

The other potential mover and shaker is 21-year-old Blues fullback Zarn Sullivan, whose performances defied his age during last year’s Trans-Tasman tournament.

With some more Kiwi derbies under his belt this season, Sullivan would be an excellent selection for the future, someone who could be the next ‘big thing’ in world rugby, if he’s given the opportunity.

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NT: For the Wallabies, I think Nick Frost, the 206cm Brumbies lock, will earn a call up to the Wallabies squad and will be blooded by Wallabies coach Dave Rennie somewhere in 2022.

Frost played some tough rugby in 2021 and under the guidance of Laurie Fisher at the Brumbies, coupled with Dan McKellar now being the forwards coach for the Wallabies, the stars are aligning for him if he can continue to develop on the trajectory he is on.

JO: In terms of the Wallabies, there are still a number of positions where someone could make their mark.

Once Fijian flyer Suliasi Vunivalu is back and fit, he will be poised to light up the competition. In his first few games for the Reds he showcased the speed and athletic ability that convinced the Reds to sign him from the NRL.

He has been battling a hamstring injury, but should be an instant call up if he can stay on the field.

JK: As it stands, Folau Fakatava won’t be eligible for the All Blacks until next year. However, if NZR were to work out an exemption for the promising halfback he would be a no-brainer for Ian Foster come selection time.

The Highlanders rotated between Fakatava and Aaron Smith last year to give the youngster more meaningful minutes, and it ended up being a potent one-two punch.

While it’s unlikely he’ll ever possess his mentor’s service skills, his fearlessness in the contact area and running game are qualities that arguably can’t be coached.

He is also coming off a significant knock to his knee, but given how he starred in the Highlanders first preseason outing it wouldn’t surprise me if we see him go to another level.

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J
Jon 8 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”?

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j
john 11 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.

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