“Many things went wrong for the All Blacks in Wellington and it started way before kick off. Kafer’s column in 2020 following the All Blacks’ draw against the Wallabies on home soil is even stronger almost two years on, as he forecast the rocky road ahead for Foster if he didn’t master the art of selection. While in the back-row the All Blacks again played players out of position with Scott Barrett playing at blindside flanker instead of the second-row and Ardie Savea at No.8, with McCaw’s heir apparent Cane unmoveable at openside flanker.įoster, who also was promoted to take over from Hansen despite many believing Crusaders coach Scott Robertson was the right person for the job, only clouded the situation further when he made Cane captain, thereby creating a David Pocock-Michael Hooper situation of their own as they disrupted the overall balance of the back-row by picking the two specialist flankers. The midfield too was constantly changed, as the All Blacks experimented to try and find their answer to the hole left by Ma’a Nonu’s departure. Sam Cane (R) with Sam Whitelock (C) and Beauden Barrett during the series against Ireland. It led the All Blacks to moving Beauden Barrett away from his preferred position in the No.10 jersey to fullback. Richie Mo’unga’s emergence saw Hansen question who was the best playmaker, as he went away from the pick-and-stick method previously used when Carter and McCaw had young guns trying to dislodge them. The All Blacks’ selection issues go further than the recent defeats.ĭuring the latter stages of Steve Hansen’s tenure the knighted coach began trying to squeeze as many talented players in as possible rather than selecting the best team to win. “I have no desire to revisit the harebrained arrogance of the New Zealand national body which has, over the last decade, decimated club rugby, killed the National Provincial Championship, homogenised Super Rugby, burned Australia, Argentina and South Africa (And guess which nation’s clubs now play regularly against teams from the latter?) and told all who would listen, and many who didn’t really care, how much they were worth,” he wrote. Outside backs: Caleb Clarke, Emoni Narawa, Leicester Fainga’anuku, Mark Telea, Will Jordan.ĪLSO READ: McCaw has doubts over All Blacks World Cup bid SQUAD GRAPHIC The All Blacks squad for the 2023 Rugby Championship.“I’m faced with the decision of cutting two or three teams out of our competition and we took great offence to the way that was handled and the way we were instructed how the competition was going to come together, and I don’t think that was either fair or the right way to handle it,” McLennan said in 2020.For years, decades even, the All Blacks have swept the world away with their stunning play on the field, holding a 20-year Bledisloe Cup stranglehold over the Wallabies.īut after a few defeats, the added pressure has seen the All Blacks walk away from their responsibilities to promote the game, as New Zealand commentator Scotty Stevenson, who penned Kieran Read’s autobiography, slammed the NZR and the All Blacks during a recent column for The Spinof f. Midfielders: Anton Lienert-Brown, Jordie Barrett, Rieko Ioane, Braydon Ennor, Dallas McLeod Scrumhalves: Aaron Smith, Finlay Christie, Cam Roigardįlyhalves: Beauden Barrett, Damian McKenzie, Richie Mo’unga Loose forwards: Ardie Savea, Dalton Papali’i, Luke Jacobson, Sam Cane (captain), Samipeni Finau, Shannon Frizell Locks: Brodie Retallick, Josh Lord, Sam Whitelock, Scott Barrett, Tupou Vaa’i Props: Ethan de Groot, Fletcher Newell, Nepo Laulala, Ofa Tu’ungafasi, Tamaiti Williams, Tyrel Lomax Hookers: Codie Taylor, Dane Coles, Samisoni Taukei’aho Foster said he didn’t expect Whitelock to play in Saturday’s Super Rugby final. Several players have missed out due to injury, but veteran lock Sam Whitelock, battling an Achilles injury, has been included. In more big news from the squad announcement, Sam Cane has been retained as All Blacks captain. The All Blacks coach also revealed he had texted some players who had not been selected and had not received a response. Foster did add that Stevenson has been listed as injury cover only for Mark Telea.
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