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Three players receive unanimous support as All Blacks bolters
By Ned Lester
The All Blacks' Rugby Championship squad is five days away from being announced, with June 18 being the magic date for All Black hopefuls to potentially have their dreams fulfilled.
Injuries and a slightly increased squad size compared to the World Cup requirements will offer a number of fringe players opportunities in the All Blacks environment throughout The Rugby Championship.
Ian Foster has confirmed his interest in several potential newcomers, and his thoughts were shared by pundits on The Breakdown this week.
Former All Blacks Mils Muliaina and Jeff Wilson were joined by former All Black Sevens star Karl Te Nana on the panel and delivered their preferred selections.
Shaun Stevenson was one of three players to receive unanimous support from the trio, getting selected in the outside backs.
Crusaders prop Tamiati Williams has also won the favour of all three pundits, having showcased his strength on both sides of the scrum throughout the 2023 season.
The final unanimous bolter was Moana Pasifika's Levi Aumua, the destructive midfielder who has made his All Black aspirations known and, like the aforementioned talent, could well be in line for a promotion from the All Blacks XV side he represented in 2022.
Beyond the unanimous calls, there were some reservations about the All Blacks' depth heading into the World Cup.
Despite the form of young fringe players such as Samipeni Finau, Emoni Narawa and Cam Roigard, New Zealand's international-level player stocks are looking depleted. Injuries to some experienced campaigners are causing concern so close to the international season.
"Prop was a position where I couldn't get my sixth (player) if I needed one," Jeff Wilson said, before listing three capped All Black props who are currently out with injuries.
"There could be an opportunity for somebody but there's a number of positions for me where I found it difficult to find the next guy, the next standout player."
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Latest Comments
The grandparent rule is a joke, it’s one generation too far.
And the residency rule should be extended to 7 years. I have no issue with a youth who moved to a new country and was developed as a player by his adopted country playing for that country after 7 year’s residency. He would still be 25 or younger when eligible and just entering his prime.
Additionally If you play U20 for a national team then that country developed you, paid for your development ,and should capture your international eligibility.
But this will never happen as Ireland, Scotland, and Wales would not be competitive if they could not bolster their national teams with Kiwis, South Africans, and Aussies.
Go to commentsWe had this conversation a year ago Nick, where I remember showing that throughout 2023 there was a pretty direct correlation between how much England kicked and how well they played. England had two decent performances in the WC kicking everything and defending, and they didn't play that way for the rest of 2023. In fact, England's worst games in 2023 came with Marcus Smith at 10.
A year ago I favoured England building on the gameplan that worked against Argentina and SA, with just minor adjustments. They didn't. They threw it away completely and went to an Irish style attack in the 2024 six nations. That went badly for the first few games, but came good in the end. At the end of the 6N I thought England should build on that gameplan with just minor adjustments. They didn't. They threw it away completely and went over to a Labit/Quins style attack for the rest of 2024 and it has been an unmitigated disaster. I think the personnel England have available are best suited for a return to the Irish style system, with the kick-heavy tactics retained as a backup.
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