Why Scott Robertson shifted Will Jordan back to All Blacks’ wing

All Blacks coach Scott Robertson has explained the somewhat surprising decision to move Will Jordan back to the wing after just one Test at fullback. Jordan wore the No.15 in the 18-12 loss to the Springboks in Cape Town but will return to the right edge for the All Blacks’ next Test.

On Saturday afternoon, Jordan will join Caleb Clarke and Beauden Barrett in a familiar outside backs combination when New Zealand takes on Australia in a crunch Bledisloe Cup Test. That same trio started against the Springboks at Johannesburg’s Emirates Airline Park.

Clarke missed the next Test against the Boks with a back injury which led coach Robertson to make some significant changes to the backline. Mark Tele’a and Sevu Reece got the nod to start on the wings while Jordan shifted to the back.

But, it’ll be a different story this weekend.

Robertson coached Jordan for years at Super Rugby level with the Crusaders – with the pair both playing a role in an unrivalled dynasty – and primarily saw the now 26-year-old as a fullback. That hasn’t really been the case at international level, though.

While Jordan has moved to fullback in the backend of Test matches, the All Black has only ever started in that position on two occasions. After the team was announced to the public on Thursday, ‘Razor’ Robertson explained why that was the case this week.

“There’s always conversations,” Robertson told reporters.

“When Caleb came back we felt it was the best mix, the best balance for us to put Beauden to fullback and Will on the wing.

“They’ve had a great combination here, all three of them have so that’s what we’ve gone for.

“He’s playing some great Test footy on the wing,” he added when asked about Jordan.

“Just because you start on the wing doesn’t mean you can’t finish at fullback and that’s what we tried last week with Beauden to come on, eh was covering 10 and fullback.

“You’re always trying to make sure you get your balance of your squad right and give guys opportunities and the best team to finish matches.

“We’ve gone for that group this week.”

This change sees Barrett return to the starting side for the first time since that Johannesburg Test, with Robertson benching the former two-time World Rugby Player of the Year for the second match in Cape Town.

That was all part of a plan to hopefully add a bit more punch and experience to the All Blacks’ reserves, but it didn’t quite down as they fell in a thriller at DHL Stadium. It was a Barrett experiment which seems like a thing of the past for at least this week.

The All Blacks have still named a solid group of reserves as they look to snap a worrying trend. They haven’t scored a single point in the final 20 minutes of four Tests this year – they’ve only played seven – and that’s a stat that the coaches are well aware of.

“Well every Test’s been different for us,” Robertson explained.

“We’re aware, we’re always trying to be the best we can and make sure they come on and make an impact at the right time.

“There’s different factors but we’ve considered it all, done a little bit of homework to make sure that we can put the best team on at the right time.”