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Will Jordan opens up on competition for All Blacks fullback spot

By Alex McLeod
(Photos / Getty Images)

All Blacks star Will Jordan has opened up on being denied the chance to play at No 15 for New Zealand by incumbent fullbacks Jordie Barrett and Damian McKenzie.

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Since making his test debut last year, Jordan has been used exclusively as a wing under All Blacks head coach Ian Foster, despite his impressive performances at the back while playing for the Crusaders and Tasman at Super Rugby and NPC level.

Instead, Foster has opted for Barrett and McKenzie as his main two No 15 options this year after abandoning last year’s experiment of having Beauden Barrett at fullback.

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McKenzie and the younger Barrett brother shared the fullback jersey throughout 2021, with the latter ending the test campaign as the preferred candidate at the back after starting in his side’s four major tests against the Springboks, Ireland and France.

Jordan, meanwhile, was used solely as a wing, where he proved himself as a try-scoring machine by dotting down 15 times in 11 tests to earn himself World Rugby’s Breakthrough Player of the Year award this week.

Jordan’s form in the No 14 jersey has led to questions as to whether he deserves a chance in his preferred fullback role for the All Blacks, but the 23-year-old maintains that he is happy to play in either position.

In a wide-ranging interview on the What A Lad podcast, hosted by former Hurricanes fullback James Marshall, Jordan said he doesn’t mind playing on the wing, a position less familiar to him, given the standard of competition for the fullback spot.

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“I was just pretty happy just on the wing for the ABs this year,” Jordan told What A Lad.

“It was cool to get a good run of games and string a few together, and I think that helps, rather than sort of playing one and then you’re in and out of the team, so that was cool.

“I haven’t actually played too much wing before, so, just on the back of that continuity stuff, it was cool to be able to take some learnings from game-to-game.

“In terms of the wing v fullback stuff, it’s a bit sort of either or for me. I enjoy playing fullback for the Crusaders, and that’s sort of where I’ve played most of my footy, but, if it’s on the wing for the ABs, then that’s happy days as well.

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“Pretty good cattle around fullback especially at the moment, so I’ll let them duel it out there.”

While it comes as little surprise that Jordan has been retained as a wing by the All Blacks due to his incredible strike rate, the man himself revealed he has encountered some challenges while making the positional switch.

The 13-test international said perhaps the biggest adjustment he has had to make while moving from fullback to wing is staying focused for the entirety of the match while having less involvement on the action.

Jordan told What A Lad that being a wing often means he doesn’t have as much influence on the match as he would as a fullback, which he said caused him to “drift in and out of games” for the All Blacks this year.

He attributed his struggles to stay mentally sharp throughout test matches in recent months as a reason behind some occasionally below-par showings, such as his side’s first Rugby Championship test against the Springboks in September.

Although they eventually emerged 19-17 victors in Townsville, the All Blacks struggled to deal with South Africa’s persistent aerial bombardment and competitiveness in the collision area, leading to uncharacteristic errors and interrupted game play.

Jordan was one of a handful of players who were subsequently dropped for the following week’s rematch on the Gold Coast, and he said that fixture proved to be a key lesson in his development as an All Black and an outside back.

“One thing I learned this year, just in terms of the on-field stuff, is just how important it is to be on for every game, which seems obvious, but within a tour or a 15-game season, it does happen where, mentally, you drift in and out of games or your mindset is not quite right,” Jordan told What A Lad.

“That was probably something I noticed from that South African game where I didn’t have the best game.

“It wasn’t like I wasn’t prepared for the game or I wasn’t mentally up for it, but it was just a good lesson for me on how important it is to just nail your prep every week and just really be physically up for the challenge.

“I think that’s the thing with test footy. If you’re not physically up for it, then you’ll get found out.

“I think that’s something that I’ve not struggled with, but had to come to terms with more playing on the wing this year as opposed to fullback.

“At fullback, you’re just in the game a bit more, just because you’re closer in the field, the ball’s getting kicked to you a lot and that sort of thing, whereas there were games this year where, in the first half, I’d barely touched the nut and play would never go my way.

“There were a couple of times where I’d come into the shed at half-time and go, ‘Jeez, I need to get involved in the game, I need to get stuck in’.

“It wasn’t a case of I hadn’t been looking for it or getting off my wing, but it’s just the way it went, so that’s particularly important, if you have had a quiet five or 10 minutes, to mentally stay on so when you do get your opportunity, you’re ready to take it, because how often do you finally see a team get to the ball and they’ll drop it straight away?

“Particularly on the wing, that’s something that I’d really be aware of.”

Listen to Will Jordan’s interview on the What A Lad podcast below:

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Jon 7 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 10 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.

39 Go to comments
A
Adrian 12 hours ago
Will the Crusaders' decline spark a slow death for New Zealand rugby?

Thanks Nick The loss of players to OS, injury and retirement is certainly not helping the Crusaders. Ditto the coach. IMO Penny is there to hold the fort and cop the flak until new players and a new coach come through,…and that's understood and accepted by Penny and the Crusaders hierarchy. I think though that what is happening with the Crusaders is an indicator of what is happening with the other NZ SRP teams…..and the other SRP teams for that matter. Not enough money. The money has come via the SR competition and it’s not there anymore. It's in France, Japan and England. Unless or until something is done to make SR more SELLABLE to the NZ/Australia Rugby market AND the world rugby market the $s to keep both the very best players and the next rung down won't be there. They will play away from NZ more and more. I think though that NZ will continue to produce the players and the coaches of sufficient strength for NZ to have the capacity to stay at the top. Whether they do stay at the top as an international team will depend upon whether the money flowing to SRP is somehow restored, or NZ teams play in the Japan comp, or NZ opts to pick from anywhere. As a follower of many sports I’d have to say that the organisation and promotion of Super Rugby has been for the last 20 years closest to the worst I’ve ever seen. This hasn't necessarily been caused by NZ, but it’s happened. Perhaps it can be fixed, perhaps not. The Crusaders are I think a symptom of this, not the cause

39 Go to comments
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