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'Can we trust him?': Why Hurricanes' hooker may miss out on All Blacks
By Kim Ekin
The Hurricanes loss to the Blues featured a misfiring set-piece at lineout time as the visitors struggled to find their rhythm in the wet conditions at Eden Park.
The performance has raised question marks for hooker Asafo Aumua, who has been in impressive form this season, around his suitability for an All Black recall.
Veteran All Black Dane Coles has been out most of the season which has allowed Aumua to start frequently, but the performance against the Blues has left ex-All Blacks unsure about the Hurricanes' No 2.
Former All Black fullback Mils Muliaina had Aumua pencilled down as the third hooker in his All Blacks squad but couldn't commit after the lineout woes in Auckland.
"Coles has been out for a long time so I've had Aumua, but last night I think his lineouts let him down," Muliaina said.
"That's where I'm like, far man, I'm a little bit iffy there at the moment.
"Taukei'aho and Codie Taylor for me are definite."
The Hurricanes lineout only completed 64 per cent of their throws while the Blues did not have the same problems, operating at 91 per cent.
The mark for the Hurricanes was far lower than their season average of 84 per cent.
Ex-All Black Jeff Wilson wasn't prepared to put all the blame on Aumua with so many complex parts required to run a lineout effectively, but did think the hooker lost confidence as the night went on.
"The lineout for me is a real challenge when you look at lineouts that are failing and not quite working," Wilson said.
"There are so many pieces of the puzzle here. It's calling, it's lifting, it's jumping.
"I think they [Hurricanes] lost their way and he suffered because of that.
"All of sudden I think Asafo was second guessing his own throws.
"That happened down in Dunedin as well against the Highlanders."
John Kirwan's said Aumua's biggest problem now is that even if he recovers over remaining games it will be hard to regain the trust of selectors.
He said the All Black selectors need to trust that their hookers can throw under pressure in a big games, which will lead them to pick more experienced options for the third hooker role.
"The selectors will go, can we trust him under pressure? And they have to answer yes or no," Kirwan said.
"Can you trust Dane Coles under pressure? Yes.
"Can we trust Aumua right now? And I don't know whether they think like this, but after last night [against the Blues] there is a massive question mark.
"They will have to ask themselves those questions. Hard."
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All of these media pundits always miss the obvious whenever they analyse what is ailing or assisting the game. Rugby always has contentious points for debate when picking apart individual games and finding fault with itself. All this focus and scrutiny on “speeding up the game”, “high ball in play” etc is all contextual to the fan. As a tv viewer, if you’re absorbed into a game, regardless if your team is playing or not, more ball in play time and action are all byproducts of the contest. A good contest subliminally affects your memory in selectively remembering all the good aspects. A poor contest and your brain has switched off because its a blowout and the result is never in doubt or it’s a real chore to watch and remain engaged throughout. The URC, Top 14 and English premiership are all competitions that feel like there’s real jeopardy each week. The dominance of Super rugby by NZ teams was unhealthy from a sustainable interest perspective. You can’t fault those teams or the players, but the lack of competitions won by SA and Australian teams long term was always going to test the faith and patience of die-hard and casual fans from those regions. SANZAR took their eye off the fans and fans voted with their feet and subscriptions. They were so concerned about expanding their product they forgot the golden rule about broadcasting live sport. Viewers tune in more when there’s an atmosphere and a true contest. You need to fill stadiums to create one, host unions need to do more to service ticket buyers, and this year proves the other, there’s more interest in Super rugby this year only because more games are competitive with less foregone conclusions. All these micro statistics bandied about, only interest the bean counters and trainspotters.
Go to commentsIt’s a good, timely wake up call for NZ Rugby (seem to be a few of them lately!) - sort out the bureaucratic nonsense at board level. We can’t expect to stay the number one option without keeping fans/players engaged. We’ve obviously been bleeding players to league for years but can’t let the floodgates open (although I think this headline is hyperbolic as it’s a result of a recent Warriors pathways system where they are tracking things more closely) Understand the need to focus boys on rugby if they’re at a proud rugby school too, don’t think it’s harsh at all re Barakat in Hamilton. Reward the committed players with squad positions. An elite 1st XV system in NZ has done more for league than they even realise, think it’s good to protect our game further.
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