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Opinion: New All Black Mo'unga is a kick in the balls to Australia and the rest
By Online Editors
Richie Mo'unga today became the latest in a long line of Canterbury fly-halves to gain an All Blacks call-up, following in the footsteps of Mehrtens, Mauger and Carter. Mo'unga's selection serves as yet another reminder of the incredible depth in New Zealand rugby and as a kick in the balls to international challengers and modern-era battlers like Australia.
It was only two short years ago that kiwi rugby fans were preparing to say au revoir to the best number 10 in the world, wondering whether super-sub Beauden Barrett could stamp a permanent place in the starting jersey let alone ever living up to those giddy standards. At the same time, Aaron Cruden was on the way out and Lima Sopoaga was battling form and injury. Many All Blacks fans and pundits approached the 2016 season with trepidation, while international rivals salivated at the prospect of a Carter-less All Blacks side.
Fast-forward to 2017 and it is a vastly different scenario. Beauden Barrett is the world's standout fly-half and his younger brother Jordie, a better goal-kicker, was unbelievably hot on his heels before being struck down by injury earlier this year. Sopoaga also found some form in Super Rugby and earned a recall, while Damian Mckenzie, a revelation in Cape Town, is well-known to prefer the number 10 jersey to fullback. Add Mo'unga to the mix and it looks like the All Blacks are just having a laugh at World Rugby's expense.
Eligibility aside, any one of these recent All Blacks could walk into the starting line-up of virtually any international side, bar England and possibly Ireland. Never has one rugby-playing nation possessed such wealth at such a pivotal position.
What Wallabies coach Michael Cheika wouldn't do to have a player of Richie Mo'unga's quality on his bench as his side seek to salvage a bit of trans-Tasman pride this weekend. Instead, he is reliant on the solid-yet-unexceptional talents of Bernard Foley and the ever-lingering-but-gradually-fading potential of Quade Cooper to try and salvage Australian rugby dignity.
And while Owen Farrell and Jonny Sexton have been the only players of note to undo the All Blacks in the past 18 months, they will increasingly need to be shielded to avoid injuries that would expose the lack of depth that both England and Ireland have at fly-half.
It is no secret that All Blacks coach Steve Hansen places a huge emphasis on succession planning, with a Japan 2019 three-peat still the top priority for an expectant New Zealand rugby community. Hansen and the NZRU have moved early to lock in key backbone players (See: Key All Black re-signs till 2021) and blood the future crop of Carters and McCaws (See: Lienert-Brown, Harris re-sign with All Blacks).
With injury always a risk for such a key position, the selection of Mo'unga is a master-stroke from a coach looking to secure the widest possible talent pool for his 2019 squad and, in particular, avoid the risk of these sorts of players giving up early on New Zealand to cash in overseas.
Recent footage from the New Zealand Schoolboys team provides a further kick to the Australian Rugby Union and other nations waiting patiently for an end to All Black dominance, with Aaron Cruden's younger brother displaying some characteristic skills against a player many are touting as "the Barrett clone".
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The full All Blacks squad for this Saturday's Bledisloe Cup match is:
Forwards: Wyatt Crockett, Kane Hames, Nepo Laulala, Jeff Toomaga-Allen, Ofa Tu’ungafasi, Dane Coles, Nathan Harris, Codie Taylor, Scott Barrett, Patrick Tuipulotu, Samuel Whitelock, Sam Cane, Vaea Fifita, Jerome Kaino, Kieran Read, Ardie Savea, Liam Squire and Matt Todd.
Backs: Tawera Kerr-Barlow, TJ Perenara, Aaron Smith, Beauden Barrett, Richie Mo’unga, Lima Sopoaga, Ryan Crotty, Ngani Laumape, Anton Lienert-Brown, Sonny Bill Williams, Rieko Ioane, Waisake Naholo, David Havili and Damian McKenzie.
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