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Six of the toughest selection headaches that could define the North vs South clash
By Online Editors
While a resurgence of COVID-19 has cast doubt on the feasibility of the highly-anticipated North vs South clash taking place at Eden Park next Saturday, there remains hope that the fixture will go ahed as planned.
Although Auckland will remain in level three lockdown until at least three days before the match is scheduled to take place, cash-strapped New Zealand Rugby is adamant the match will be played out, albeit potentially from a different venue.
Wellington looms as the next most likely city to host the event in front of a live crowd, which would provide the national union with some much-needed influx of cash.
With revenue at the forefront of NZR's mind, hopes of the historic inter-island derby taking place are high, which has led RugbyPass scribes Tom Vinicombe and Alex McLeod to lay-out the biggest selection dilemmas facing each side.
North Island - Tom Vinicombe
Caleb Clarke vs TJ Faiane
Now, these two players may not play in the same position – but they’re probably still going head-to-head for spots in the starting line-up, depending on the structure of the backline.
Rieko Ioane has found a new lease of life in 2020 after stumbling a little bit last year. He’s been excellent in the Blues midfield, especially on attack, but the selector may still have some reservations about his defence. With Jack Goodhue and Braydon Ennor likely lining up in the South Island centres, the selectors may be more comfortable running with TJ Faiane in the midfield.
Faiane has been the glue for a dynamic Blues backline and the Aucklanders looked decidedly less organised on both attack and defence when Faiane wasn’t on the park. If Faiane plays in the midfield then Ioane would slot in on the left wing.
Alternatively, Caleb Clarke has been immense for the Blues since announcing himself against the Hurricanes in the opening game of Super Rugby Aotearoa. The son of Eroni Clarke has plenty of bulk but sacrifices nothing in speed and will inevitably find himself wearing black in the future.
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