Steve Hansen has announced his first All Black team; here 'tis:
Israel Dagg, Zac Guildford, Conrad Smith, Sonny Bill Williams, Julian Savea, Dan Carter, Aaron Smith, Kieran Read, Richie McCaw (c), Victor Vito, Sam Whitelock, Brodie Retallick, Owen Franks, Andrew Hore, Tony Woodcock. Reserves: Hika Elliot, Ben Franks, Ali Williams, Adam Thomson, Piri Weepu, Aaron Cruden, Ben Smith.
Three players will debut on Saturday night; Julian Savea, Aaron Smith and Brodie Retallick. We send them warm congratulations. But what do you reckon; should there be more?
By and large, Hansen and his fellow selectors have picked on form. The exceptions to that are Ali Williams and Piri Weepu, who will both appear from the bench. It's highly arguable that either deserves a place in the squad given some pretty average form as part of the woeful Blues this season. But Hansen will doubtless argue that both have played their best rugby in the All Black jersey.
The first post-World Cup season is always one of transition. We doubt that either Williams or Weepu will feature in the build-up to RWC 2015. However that does not automatically exclude them from consideration this year.
5 comments:
I'm not happy about the presence of SBW in the team, given how little he seems to regard the Black jersey. Let him go make obscene wads of cash somewhere else, we don't need him devaluing the tradition of the All Blacks by treating it as a marketing opportunity for Brand SBW. Plus it breaks up the Smith/Nonu dream team.
Not sure about Nonu in the dream team but I'm with you re the SBW sideshow...
playing in a winning Super15 team does NOT mean a person is up to test level in the same way that playing in a losing one does not make a person a bad player (or off form).
I'm happy it's test time and very interested on how Brodie goes .. pity the Irish are missing their best lock.
Williams is not a has been but we will know in 3 weeks aye?
I will up in Taipa Bay this weekend so hope there is sky somewhere
jabba - I have to disagree - Williams was past his use by date last year. Like a number of players before him he has not recovered from a very serious injury.
I have a concern about Vito at 6 - he tends to drift in and out of games which may ot suit the position. I will blog at No Minister tomorrow afternoon on another option there.
Weepu - no6 half back in the country. Hard to understand once again what he offers. - as I have said regularly.
9 of the starting 15 are 26 or under, meaning they should be in contention for the next world cup. Realistically we are in a rebuilding phase where a number of players will move on, and over the next 4 years we need to bring through the next set. Realistically more than half the team are that next set, even though some are already experienced players. While you might argue have we bought the correct young players through I don't think you could argue we need a wholesale replacement so the balance of older and younger players is about right.
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