Following the announcement of Ian Foster’s 36-man New Zealand squad for the Rugby Championship, Planet Rugby picks out the winners and losers.
Winners
Bolters
Congratulations to the five newbies, Cam Roigard, Dallas McLeod, Emoni Narawa, Samipeni Finau and Tamaiti Williams, who have all made the All Blacks squad. They are thoroughly deserved call-ups after stunning Super Rugby campaigns.
Two of them, Narawa and Finau, come from the Chiefs after their impressive 2023, where they finished at the Super Rugby Pacific summit and reached the final. The former is a lightning-quick wing, who has torn opponents to shreds, while the latter is a big-hitting back-row that has shone for the league leaders.
The other three are also interesting inclusions. Roigard has taken his chance superbly in the absence of TJ Perenara and, with New Zealand struggling to find their back-up to Aaron Smith, the Hurricanes man could well find himself in that 23 heading into the World Cup.
McLeod and Williams have equally had breakthroughs in 2023, this time at the Crusaders, with the former a strong and skilful utility back, who can play either at centre or on the wing. His team-mate is similarly versatile and is one of the few props that can feature at either loosehead or tighthead, seemingly with equal aplomb.
Sam Cane keeps leadership role
His captaincy and the battle between him and Dalton Papalii for the openside jersey has been the big talking point over the past year. Particularly with the 31-year-old suffering with injuries and a lack of form since the previous World Cup, that spot has come under increasing pressure, but Foster has always kept faith in the skipper.
And on the basis of this year, he is probably right to with Cane excelling in a superb Chiefs outfit. It is interesting that the head coach decided to single him out for praise in his press release, saying: “Sam has proven himself as a great leader of our team despite having had a disrupted couple of seasons leading into this one. We have total belief that he is the right man to lead us.” A message to his detractors, perhaps?
Caleb Clarke stays despite form
All in all, he’s had a decent season for the Blues, but there are back three players that have been far better than him. Equally, it is concerning that his basics don’t hold up in big games, as evidenced by the Aucklanders’ heavy defeat to the Crusaders in the Super Rugby Pacific semi-final.
Clarke isn’t good enough under the high ball, doesn’t work hard enough to get involved in the game, and his defence is flaky. Despite being a thrill to watch with ball in hand, those weaknesses will be exposed by the best at the very highest level.
Crusaders’ in-form backs
Speaking of the form of wingers, Leicester Fainga’anuku has been outstanding for the Crusaders this season. His move to Toulon following the World Cup could have derailed his All Blacks ambitions, but the 23-year-old is playing too well to ignore. Unlike Clarke, there is no doubting his work ethic off the ball, and he could well be a key player heading into the global tournament.
The same could also be said of Braydon Ennor, who has battled back from injury to be included in the New Zealand squad. Ennor ruptured his ACL in 2020 and that evidently affected his form over the next couple of years, but in 2023 he has gradually improved over the course of the season. The 25-year-old has timed his run well, playing a key role for Scott Robertson’s men at the end of the campaign.
Losers
Staggering Shaun Stevenson omission
We can’t quite believe it. He was one uncapped player we had inked into the squad for the Rugby Championship but, for whatever reason, Foster has never quite rated the Chiefs star. Stevenson has always been a standout for the Waikato outfit, but we previously understood why others were seen to be ahead of him in the pecking order. However, the 26-year-old has arguably been the franchise’s best player in 2023, perhaps even eclipsing the brilliant Damian McKenzie this year.
There is so much to admire about his game, not just his pace, balance and footwork, but also the fundamentals. Stevenson is such a smart rugby player who pretty much always takes the right decisions, so it is staggering that the talented back has missed out. The full-back or wing has been added as injury cover for Mark Telea, but the fact that he hasn’t made the 36 is hugely surprising.
Blues’ back-row trio
The decline of Hoskins Sotutu has been stark, with the number eight failing to make either the All Blacks or All Blacks XV squads. Sotutu is a massive talent but, when it has come to doing it at the highest level, he has struggled to make an impact. That was the case in the Blues’ Super Rugby semi-final defeat to the Crusaders, where he was physically overwhelmed by the hosts.
Akira Ioane is another player to miss out, although he did just enough to be included in the second string. The final member of that Blues back-row is Papalii, who does make it into the 36 and will be in and around the squad. However, the selection of Cane as captain is a big blow to his chances of starting – and perhaps being in the 23 – but the openside didn’t help himself with his display against the ‘Saders.
Scrum-halves ousted
Aaron Smith remains the number one half-back, and Roigard is the in-form player, which left one more place. Finlay Christie, Brad Weber and Folau Fakatava were the individuals competing for that slot, and it was the Blues man who got the nod.
Weber and Fakatava therefore missed out. The latter was not surprising, given that he plays second fiddle to Smith at the Highlanders and did not do enough when he got on the field, but the former has enjoyed another fine campaign with the Chiefs. Fakatava still has time on his side and could well play a key part for the All Blacks after the World Cup, but that may be it for Weber, who leaves for the Top 14 following the global tournament.
Injury robs chance of others
It is a remarkably strong squad, especially when you consider who weren’t in contention due to injury. Ethan Blackadder, David Havili, Joe Moody, Quinn Tupaea, Sevu Reece and Perenara were among those to miss out, all players that offer plenty if fit.
It is particularly cruel on Blackadder, someone that has endured his injury troubles over this past year. He missed out on the All Blacks’ 2022 campaign as a result and, despite returning for the Crusaders at the start of the season, the flanker has only featured once since late March. Had the 28-year-old been fit and firing, he was a certainty for the 36.
READ MORE: Five uncapped players named in the first All Blacks squad of 2023
The article Winners and losers from the All Blacks’ Rugby Championship squad appeared first on Planetrugby.com.
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