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Why the All Blacks might not name many debutants to play Tonga and Fiji
Former All Blacks hooker James Parsons believes the national selectors might take a conservative approach when it comes time to picking their squad to face Tonga and Fiji next month.
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The first All Blacks squad of the year is expected to be named over the coming weeks, with the first test of the year scheduled against Tonga at Mt Smart Stadium in Auckland on July 3.
Two tests against Fiji in Dunedin and Hamilton will follow in consecutive weeks, and speculation among fans and pundits about who could make the squad for the upcoming test series has been ongoing since the beginning of the Super Rugby season.
Throughout Super Rugby Aotearoa and Super Rugby Trans-Tasman, plenty of players have caught the eye and featured in numerous different mock squads, but Parsons says there may be fewer debutants than anticipated.
Speaking on the Aotearoa Rugby Pod, the two-test international said that with a fully-fledged Rugby Championship on the horizon, and a World Cup in France beyond that, consistency needs to be built to achieve success in those tournaments.
“I think they’ll potentially reward form, but, the way I see it, they’ve got to get a squad together that gets some runs on the board that can perform in the Bledisloe Cup and [Rugby Championship],” Parsons said.
“We know that last year wasn’t where we wanted it to be. Yeah, we won the trophies, great, but we also know where the All Blacks standards are. We want to win every test match, so I think it’ll be a balancing act.”
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With that in mind, Parsons expects fewer uncapped players to be included in Ian Foster’s next squad.
“I don’t think there’ll be too many [new players], and we know the All Blacks coaches and management staff don’t give test caps away, so anyone that gets an opportunity will have earned it.
“It’ll be a pretty experienced outfit that’s going out there with a touch of rewarded opportunity.”
Last year, the All Blacks fielded seven debutants, three more than the year before but four less than in 2018, six less than in 2017 and four less than in 2016.
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That influx of new talent since the departure of the golden generation – made up of Richie McCaw, Dan Carter, Ma’a Nonu, Conrad Smith, Keven Mealamu and Tony Woodcock – in 2015 has led to a swell of inexperienced All Blacks in New Zealand.
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As it stands, there are 24 players who have played for the All Blacks and are eligible for selection but only have a total of 10 caps or less.
Those 24 players make up nearly half of the 54 capped All Blacks who are based in New Zealand and are eligible for test selection.
Veteran lock Sam Whitelock, meanwhile, is the only current All Black with more than 100 tests to his name, a stark contrast to previous All Blacks squads in recent seasons, although Aaron Smith and Beauden Barrett could reach that milestone this year.
Parsons suggested that, with uncertainty surrounding how many tests will be able to be played amid the COVID-19 pandemic, now is the time to build more experience leading into the 2023 World Cup.
“The way I see it is we’ve got to look at the year as a whole and prepping towards 2023,” he told the Aotearoa Rugby Pod.
“It’s just nutting down what we need to do for our squad building towards the Rugby Championship and utilising three tests as best we can to make sure our team’s ready for a South African team that’s come off a [British and Irish] Lions [series], an Aussie team that’s come off France, and making sure we’ve got a team that can hit the ground running and do the business there.”
Alternatively, Crusaders halfback Bryn Hall argued that, while he agrees with Parsons that the next All Blacks squad will be mostly made up of capped players, the weakened Tongan and Fijian teams could give the All Blacks a chance to blood some new players.
Both Tonga and Fiji are expected to be without many of their European-based stars due to their involvement in the Premiership and Top 14 play-offs in England and France.
The finals of both competitions are scheduled for June 26, while the semi-finals and qualifying finals will be played in the weeks beforehand.
With the All Blacks scheduled to play Tonga a week later, and then Fiji the following fortnight, most players from those countries involved in the English and French play-offs are likely to be unavailable for selection due to travel and quarantine restrictions.
Could a debutant take their first steps in the international arena come July, or will the #AllBlacks look at shifting around some pieces? #SuperRugbyTThttps://t.co/RWUARPn2qa
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That could, for example, leave Fiji without Semi Radradra (Bristol Bears), Peni Ravai and Peceli Yato (both Clermont), Waisea Naiyacalevu (Stade Francais), Levani Botia (La Rochelle), Tevita Cavubati (Harlequins) and Filipo Nakosi (Castres).
As for Tonga, Siale Piutau (Bristol Bears), Ben Tameifuna (Bordeaux), Telusa Veainu (Stade Francais), Maama Vaipulu (Castres) and Elvis Taione (Exeter Chiefs) could all miss the trip to New Zealand depending on how their club seasons end.
According to Hall, that absence of frontline players could allow the All Blacks to give some inexperienced players a chance to prove their worth in the test arena.
“You’ve got to reward the players that have been playing, and I think there will still be a pretty experienced squad around what they’ll need, because I think’s Jip’s [Parsons] right,” he said.
“We’re having a massive test series where we are going to be playing South Africa, Argentina and Australia.
“You don’t want to be underdone in that sense, but I think they will have a really good balance around the experienced group and then having some younger fellas that, due to performances in Super Rugby Aotearoa and Trans-Tasman, they’ll all be rewarded.
“But, traditionally, they’ve been really smart around that. They’ve had an experienced group and then they’ve brought in players that have given an opportunity in the environment.
“I think the difference between the level of Argentina compared to the Island nations, that might not be able to have those players come in from overseas as much as they’d want, it might actually be a better opportunity for those young fellas coming in to be able to experience that before they go into the Rugby Championship.”
All Blacks in New Zealand with 10 or less test caps
10 tests: George Bridge
8 tests: Sevu Reece, Liam Coltman
7 tests: Brad Weber
6 tests: Tyrel Lomax
5 tests: Caleb Clarke, Hoskins Sotutu, David Havili
4 tests: Tupou Vaa’i, Atu Moli, Dalton Papali’i
3 tests: Te Toiroa Tahuriorangi
2 tests: Will Jordan, Akira Ioane, Luke Jacobson
1 test: Cullen Grace, Asafo Aumua, Peter Umaga-Jensen, Josh Ioane, Braydon Ennor, Brett Cameron, Gareth Evans, Dillon Hunt
Non-test All Blacks: Mitchell Drummond (played against Barbarians and French XV in 2017)
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Comments on RugbyPass
Wow, that’s incredible. Great for rugby.
1 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)
1 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?
2 Go to commentsHe seems to have the same aura as Marcus Smith - by which I mean he’s consistently judged as if he’s several years younger than he actually is. Mngomezulu has played 24 times for the Stormers. When Pollard was his age he had played 24 times for South Africa! He has more time to develop, but he has also had time to do some developing already, and he hasn’t demonstrated nearly as much talent in that time as one would expect. If he is a generational talent, then it must be a pretty poor generation.
4 Go to commentsThe greatest Springbok coach of all time is entirely on the money. Rassie and Jacques have given the south african public a great few years, but the success of the springbok selection policy will need to be judged in light of what comes next. The poor condition that the provincial system is currently in doesn’t bode well for the next few years of international rugby, and the insane 2026 schedule that the Boks have lined up could also really harm both provincial and international consistency.
16 Go to commentsJake White is a brilliant coach and a master in the press. This is another masterclass in media relations and PR but its also a very narrow view with arguments that dont always hold water. White wants his team to win, he wants the best players in SA and wants his team competitive. You however have to face up to the reality of a poor exchange rate and big clubs with big budgets. SA Rugby cant compete and unless it can find more money SA players will keep leaving regardless of Springbok eligibility and this happened in 2015 - 2017. Also rugby is not cricket. Cricket has 3 formats and T20 cricket is where the money is at. When it comes to club vs country the IPL is king but that wont happen because the international calendar does not clash with the club calendar in rugby. So the argument about rugby going down the same path as cricket is really a non-starter
16 Go to commentsNZ rugby seem not to have learnt anything from professional rugby. Super rugby was dying and SA left before they died with the competition. SA rugby did a u turn on their approach to international players playing overseas and such players are now selected for Bok teams. As much as each country would love to retain their players playing in local competitions, this is the way the world is evolving my friends. Move with it or stay 20 years behind the times. One more thing. NZ rugby hierarchy think they are the big cheese. Take a more humble approach guys. You do not seem to have your players best interests at heart.
3 Go to commentsBeaches? In Cardiff? Where?
1 Go to commentsHe is right , the Crusaders will be a threat. Scott Barrett, ( particularly), Fergus Burke , Codie Taylor, ( from sabbatical) etc due back soon for the Crusaders. There are others like Zach Gallagher too. People can right the Crusaders off, Top 8 , here we come !!
1 Go to commentsWe will always struggle for money to match the other sides but the least the WRU can do is invest properly in Welsh rugby. Too much has been squandered on vanity projects like the hotel and roof walk amongst others which will never see a massive return. Hanging the 4 pro sides out to dry over the last decade is now coming back to bite the WRU financially as well as on the pitch. You reap what you sow.
1 Go to commentsWhat do you get if you cross a doctor with a fish? A plastic sturgeon
14 Go to commentsWhat happened to feleti Kaitu’u? Hasnt played in a while right?
1 Go to commentsGregor I just can’t agree with you. You are trying to find something that just isn’t there. Jordie Barrett has signed until 2028. By the end of that he would have spent probably 11-12 years on Super Rugby and you say he can’t possibly have one season playing somewhere else. It is absurd. What about this scenario, the NZR play hard ball and he decides to leave and play overseas. How would that affect the competition. There seems to be an agenda by certain journalists to push certain agendas and don’t like it when it’s not to their liking. I fully support the NZR on this. Gregor needs to get a life.
3 Go to commentsHope he stays as believe he can do a great job.
1 Go to commentsMake what step up? Manie has a World Cup winner’s medal around his neck and changed the way the Springboks can play. He doesn’t have anything to prove to anyone. The win record of the Boks with him in the team is tremendous. Sacha can be wonderful and I hope he has a very succesful Bok career, but comparing him to Manie in terms of the next Bok flyhalf is very strange. Manie is the incumbent (not the next) and doing pretty incredibly.
4 Go to comments00 😍 U
1 Go to commentsSabbaticals have helped keep NZ’s very best talent in the country on long term deals - this fact has been left out of this article. Much like the articles calling to allow overseas players to be selected, yet can only name one player currently not signed to NZR who would be selected for the ABs. And in the entire history of NZ players leaving to play overseas, literally only 4 or 5 have left in their prime as current ABs. (Piatau, Evans, Hayman, Mo’unga,?) Yes Carter got an injury while playing in France 16 years ago, but he also got a tournament ending injury at the 2011 World Cup while taking mid-week practice kicks at goal. Maybe Jordie gets a season-ending injury while playing in Ireland, maybe he gets one next week against the Brumbies. NZR have many shortcomings, but keeping the very best players in the country and/or available for ABs selection is not one of them. Likewise for workload management - players missing 2 games out of 14 is hardly a big deal in the grand scheme of things. Again let’s use some facts - did it stop the Crusaders winning SR so many times consecutively when during any given week they would be missing 2 of their best players? The whole idea of the sabbatical is to reward your best players who are willing to sign very long term deals with some time to do whatever they want. They are not handed out willy-nilly, and at nowhere near the levels that would somehow devalue Super Rugby. In this particular example JB is locked in with NZR for what will probably (hopefully) be the best years of his career, hard to imagine him not sticking around for a couple more after for a Lions tour and one more world cup. He has the potential to become the most capped AB of all time. A much better outcome than him leaving NZ for a minimum of 3 years at the age of 27, unlikely to ever play for the ABs again, which would be the likely alternative.
3 Go to commentsJake White talks more sense than anything I've read in the last 5 years. Hope someone's listening.
16 Go to comments