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Why Ian Foster picked McKenzie over Mo'unga
By Ned Lester
Following an exceptional year for the Chiefs, Damian McKenzie will get his chance to lead the All Blacks around the park in the team's first Test of the international season against Argentina.
The Rugby Championship kicks off this weekend and Mendoza plays host to the first glimpse of All Blacks rugby in a World Cup year.
Four years of preparation is wrapping up and Ian Foster's first team announcement of the year hasn't exactly resolved the lingering questions, although his press conference offered some answers.
McKenzie's form certainly warranted an opportunity at the playmaker role for the All Blacks, but many expected Foster to prioritize continuity and select Richie Mo'unga with just five games until the All Blacks' World Cup campaign kicks off against hosts France.
Foster revealed his choice to instead field McKenzie was largely influenced by the idea of getting the Chiefs flyhalf back up to speed in the international game after missing 2022's international season while playing in Japan.
"He's just playing well," Foster said. "He's been out of the All Blacks for a year, I've been so impressed with the way he's come back and I think that the best way for us to get him back defending the way he can, and contribute and be a part of this team and to give us the best chance to show how he can play for us is to give him that opportunity when he's feeling confident.
"We've got Beaudy (Barrett) at fullback, Richie (Mo'unga) at 10, we've got a bit of a luxury there at the moment. It's just a nice vote of confidence for Damian. When you've been out of the All Blacks for a while, there's always a bit of nerves.
Some speculation suggested Mo'unga and other first-choice options from 2022 are being rested to reserve some energy for the Springboks who the All Blacks face next week in Auckland, but Foster was unwilling to comment on that theory.
"That's next week's topic. This is a big Test for us and we're not thinking too far beyond that right now."
In the Covid-impacted schedule throughout Foster's tenure, there have been few Tests outside of New Zealand or Australia, and the coach acknowledged that fact in emphasising the importance of embracing the Mendoza match and all of its challenges.
The match kicks off at 7:10 am NZT on Sunday.
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Latest Comments
I agree.
I’d like to know what constitutes a 208 week ban though?
Must the eyeball be dislodged? Hanging by a vein?
Go to commentsAlso a Bristol fan and echo your sentiments.
I love watching Bristol but their approach will only get them so far I think. Exeter played like this when they first got promoted to the prem and had intermittent success, it wasn't until they wised up and played a more balanced game that they became a consistently top side.
I really want Bristol to continue playing this brand of rugby and I don't mind them running it from under their posts but I don't think they need to do it every single time. They need to be just a little bit more selective about when and where on the pitch they play. Every game they put themselves under so much needless pressure by turning the ball over under their posts trying to do kamikaze moves when it's not required. By all means run it from your goal line if there is a chance for a counter attack, we all want to see Bristol running in 100m tries from under their posts but I think until they learn when to do it and when to be pragmatic, they are unlikely to win the premiership.
Defense has been a real positive from Bristol, they've shown a lot of improvement there... And I will say that I think this kamikaze strategy they employ is a very good one for a struggling side and could be employed by Newcastle. It's seems to have turned around Gloucester's fortunes. The big advantage is even if you don't have the biggest and best players, what you have is cohesion. This is why Scotland keep battering England. England have better individuals but they look muddled as a team, trying to play a mixed strategy under coaches who lack charisma, the team has no identity. Scotland come out and give it full throttle from 1-15 even if they struggle against the top sides, sides like England and Wales who lack that identity drown under the relentless will and synergy of the Scots. If Newcastle did the same they could really surprise some people, I know the weather is bad up there but it hasn't bothered the Scots. Bristol can learn from Scotland too, Pat is on to something when he says the following but Scotland don't play test matches like headless chickens. They still play with the same level of clarity and ambition Bristol do but they are much better at picking their moments. They needed to go back to this mad game to get their cohesion back after a couple of seasons struggling but I hope they get a bit wiser from matches like Leinster and La Rochelle.
“If there’s clarity on what you’re trying to do as a team you can win anything.”
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