Which Super Rugby Pacific players are under the most pressure in 2023?

Super Rugby Pacific is set to return at the end of the month with the Crusaders and Chiefs kicking off the proceedings on February 24 in Christchurch.

The opening match is a repeat of last year’s semi-final, while the top two Australian sides, the Brumbies and Waratahs, will square off later that evening.

Five RugbyPass writers, Ben Smith, Finn Morton, Hamish Bidwell, Nick Turnbull and Tom Vinicombe, have run their eyes over the new squads and the upcoming schedule and have dusted off their brains after a long off-season to answer some of the most important questions for the year ahead.

Which players are under the most pressure in 2023?

BS: There are many players whose time is ticking in terms of their New Zealand careers. There isn’t one obvious candidate, with many players at crossroads in terms of their New Zealand careers.

Peter Umaga-Jensen has extra competition for midfield time with Riley Higgins at the Hurricanes, particularly if Jordie Barrett is going to be used there as well. Chiefs wing Etene Nanai-Seturo is in need of a big season to really become the explosive player he can be. Roger Tuivasa-Sheck faces a defining season in terms of his rugby union future at the Blues. Mitch Hunt at the Highlanders has to live up to the expectations and investment the franchise has put in him.

FM: All Blacks captain Sam Cane is under immense pressure going into the 2023 season.

The star flanker was ruled out of the All Blacks’ end-of-season tour last year after sustaining an injury against Japan, and his replacement made the most of his absence. Blues flanker Dalton Papali’i was one of New Zealand’s best during their Autumn Nations Series campaign. All Blacks great Ian Jones questioned Cane’s place in the national team on SENZ following Papali’i’s stellar run of form, and he hasn’t been alone in expressing that view. Both players have a point to prove this year, but Papali’i holds the advantage at the moment.

On the other side of the Tasman Sea, Queensland Reds playmaker James O’Connor needs to find some form – and find it quick.

The star flyhalf was dropped from Dave Rennie’s Wallabies plans following a disastrous loss to Argentina in Mendoza, and hasn’t been recalled since. Before Rennie’s departure, a 44-player Wallabies squad was announced and O’Connor was nowhere to be found. O’Connor is good enough to play at this year’s World Cup, but it’s up to him to prove it.

HB: I could name dozens. I mean, honestly, how many All Blacks justify their place on a regular basis?

They might be famous or popular or brilliant on occasions, but there aren’t many Luke Romanos in there. Guys who might not be flash, but whose teams win more often than not. I mean that’s what the game’s about, is it not? Or at least it used to be.

I’m not sure Gary Knight or Mark Shaw or Craig Green or Warwick Taylor would get a game for the All Blacks these days. Heck, they might not even get a go at Super level. But they used to be the kinds of guys we built successful teams around. Reliable, self-sufficient, uncompromising, modest.

I know I sound like a silly old man but, in absolute fairness, just above every All Black we have should feel under pressure this year. We’ve witnessed three or four seasons of underwhelming – some might even say unacceptable – performances and yet the same old faces keep being rewarded with the same big contracts. There are many reasons why the All Blacks aren’t the team they were, but the lack of pressure on incumbents is one of the more glaring.

NT: In Australia, I think Folau Fainga’a will have has work cut out. On his day he is a very good player however with Eddie Jones coming back into the Wallabies fold I can’t see him allowing his set piece to tolerate the inconsistent performances Folau has produced. He will have to deliver a season of consistent excellence if he wants to feature at the Rugby World Cup as he has stiff competition looming, particularly from NSW with the return of Tolo Latu and the emerging Billy Pollard out of the ACT.

In New Zealand, I suggest Sam Cane will be under the spotlight. His performances for the All Blacks in 2022 were not his best with some questioning his place in the side. He will need a strong Super Rugby season to hush the naysayers early. He has the ability to do so but the pressure is on for him to make a statement.

TV: With a World Cup on the horizon, it’s hard to look past the men who are yet to secure their places on the plane to France later in the year.

Looking at New Zealand, the likes of Stephen Perofeta, Asafo Aumua and Quinn Tupaea have all spent time with the All Blacks in recent seasons but their World Cup fates may be somewhat out of their hands, depending on when and where their coaches intend to inject them in Super Rugby. Tupaea, in particular, will be in a race against time to get back into tip-top shape following major injury in 2022. With David Havili, Anton Lienert-Brown and now Jordie Barrett all legitimate options in the No 12 jersey for the national side, there are no guarantees that Tupaea will travel later in the season.

It’s in the halfbacks where the pressure will be most noticeable, however. TJ Perenara (when back from injury), Brad Weber and Finlay Christie will all be regularly starting for their Super Rugby franchises, and at most two of those players will join Aaron Smith at the World Cup. They’re all experienced players and the competition could well bring out the best in them.

Across the ditch, it could be young No 10 Noah Lolesio who feels the pinch the most. With a few experienced options floating around, including Quade Cooper, Bernard Foley and James O’Connor (and Australia’s selection policy for the flagship tournament still very much TBC), plus a couple of fellow youngsters such as Tane Edmed and Ben Donaldson impressing in representative sides last year, Lolesio has a major fight on his hands to be included in the Wallabies’ 33-man squad for France.