‘In our eyes…’: Where the All Blacks plan to play world-class Ardie Savea

All Blacks fans can expect to see Ardie Savea lining up at the back of the scrum during next month’s Tests against England with Jason Holland revealing the coaching staff see the backrower as “an eight in our eyes.”

Savea, who was crowned World Rugby’s 15s Player of the Year last October, has proven himself world-class in any loose forward position.

When the New Zealander debuted for the Hurricanes during the 2013 Super Rugby season, Savea went on to start five of 14 matches at openside flanker. For a while, it seemed that was Savea’s best option for club and later country.

Australia, England, Ireland and Italy played against a New Zealand outfit that included Savea at openside flanker during the 2018 end-of-season internationals . But the next year, the Wellingtonian played a bit at blindside before shifting to No. 8.

In the last three years, Savea has started at No. 8 in every Test match that he’s played in. The last time the All Black started at openside flanker for the national team was in the two-point defeat to South Africa on the 2^nd of October 2021.

In 2021 and again in 2023, Savea revealed his preferred position for the All Blacks. It's been a long-lasting debate amongst fans, too, but it seems the decision has been made as New Zealand prepare to usher in a new era under Scott Robertson.

“I think we see Ardie as an eight. Obviously, [Ardie] can do both… but no, he’s an eight in our eyes initially,” Jason Holland said on SENZ’s Bleeding Black.

“That’s the mix around him being able to play eight and obviously, the youngster Wallace Sititi, being also probably an out-and-out eight.

“Then the other couple of boys, Dalton [Papali’i] and Samipeni [Finau] and [Ethan] Blackadder and [Luke] Jacobson, so good balance there around what we need to beat England.”

After being named the world’s best player in 2023, Savea didn’t return to the  Hurricanes this year after taking up a sabbatical in Japan. The loose forward seemed to thrive during an impressive stint with Kobelco Kobe Steelers in Japan.

Before the All Blacks’ squad was named on Monday evening, Savea scored two tries for Wellington club Oriental Rongotai after returning to New Zealand’s shores. It’s worth noting that Savea started in the No. 8 role for the amateur club.

“He’s a smart man around his body. We think he’s in great nick,” Holland explained.

“He had a club game last week… we had a non-finalists training week last week where we had all the boys in training and he was looking in pretty good nick.

“We’ll be backing Ardie’s experience to understand where his body’s at and be ready to play a Test match in a couple of weeks.”

Ethan Blackadder joins Savea and the Chiefs trio of Samipeni Finau, Luke Jacobson and Wallace Sititi as the loose forwards in the All Blacks’ first squad under coach Scott Roberton.