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All Blacks boost bench experience in latest team naming

LOWER HUTT, NEW ZEALAND - JULY 12: Brodie Retallick looks on during a New Zealand All Blacks training session at Hutt Recreation Ground on July 12, 2022 in Lower Hutt, New Zealand. (Photo by Hagen Hopkins/Getty Images)

All Blacks coach Ian Foster isn’t budging on his vision for the All Blacks squad, as is confirmed by this weeks team naming.

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Again, the All Blacks named the same starting 15 from their previous two tests – games which despite continuity in selection, produced very different results.

The bench sees Brodie Retallick make his return from injury, after a strong recovery from a broken cheekbone suffered in the Irish series.

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Also returning from injury is Beauden Barrett, who was rested last week after experiencing neck soreness. The All Black veteran comes in for his Blues team-mate Stephen Perofeta, who managed only 50 seconds of game time in his All Black debut in Christchurch.

Also on the bench, Dalton Papali’i and Dane Coles come in for Akira Ioane and Codie Taylor. Both players who struggled to deliver any positive impact off the bench last week, with Taylor having his worst performance in the black jersey, making a crucial line-out error in the games final moments and securing the win for Argentina.

The All Blacks coach last week asked New Zealand for patience, emphasising the teams “rebuilding” status. The comments amplified anticipation for the team naming this week, with pundits interpreting a rebuild as an opportunity for new players to get their shot at the black jersey.

Instead, the consistency in selection suggests that the building of combinations and cohesion within the team is the focus within the camp.

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All Blacks team for Argentina:

  1. Ethan De Groot
  2. Samisoni Taukei’aho
  3. Tyrel Lomax
  4. Sam Whitelock
  5. Scott Barrett
  6. Shannon Frizell
  7. Sam Cane
  8. Ardie Savea
  9. Aaron Smith
  10. Richie Mo’unga
  11. Caleb Clarke
  12. David Havili
  13. Rieko Ioane
  14. Will Jordan
  15. Jordie Barrett
    Reserves
  16. Dane Coles
  17. George Bower
  18. Fletcher Newell
  19. Brodie Retallick
  20. Dalton Papali’i
  21. Finlay Christie
  22. Beauden Barrett
  23. Quinn Tupaea
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Comments

4 Comments
B
Brett 929 days ago

3 sevens in the team again it doesn’t work

B
Brett 929 days ago

Foster is in denial about cane he’s not good enough for test rugby period. His refusal to give younger players a go must be having a negative impact within the team knowing your only there to hold the tackle bags. I’m an smith fan but he has become 1 dimensional under foster. Blaming akira and other subs for the last 15 minutes last week is ridiculous it’s hard to have an impact when the so called experience hooker can’t hit his jumpers oh and you basically don’t get much time on the field to make a difference

G
Greg 930 days ago

This ex Chiefs coach was never going to be brave enough to sack his Chiefs captain for a home game in Hamilton! A pity, because that last glorious 10 minutes or so at Ellis Park, full of impassioned leadership and accuracy, was all achieved while Cane was off the field. Foster's stubbornness in persevering with his first and worst selection - his skipper - could be seen as honourable...As long as Foster stays honourable and resigns if they don't win well on Saturday.

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MS 1 hour ago
Why Blair Kinghorn should be nailed on as the Lions starting 15

I can see arguments for both Kinghorn, and Keenan starting for the Lions. But I’m less convinced by some of the claims (clearly partisan) supporters are using to argue the merits of one over the other.


For example, a number of Ireland supporters have suggested Kinghorn is ‘defensively weak’. That’s patently false - or at least on the evidence of this 6N, he’s certainly no weaker there than Keenan is, who is presumably the comparative standard they’re using. Keenan was both shrugged off in contact, and beaten on the edge for pace, a number of times during this competition.


Equally, Scotland supporters arguing Kinghorn is the more capable ‘rugby player’ seem to have overlooked the (frankly sizeable) body of evidence demonstrating that Keenan is an excellent ball in hand distributor and decision maker. So that doesn’t hold up under scrutiny either.


I don’t think there’s all that much to choose between them, and either would be a strong choice. I think it would be really interesting from a pure rugby perspective to see Keenan playing a ‘Scotland-esque’ style of high tempo attacking rugby. Either coming into the line more routinely as first receiver, or being swung as a pendulum and getting the ball on the edge against a stretched defence.


That’s assuming Andy Farrell goes that route, of course. He may well just opt for his Ireland system instead, and populate it with the likes of Henshaw, Ringrose, Lowe and Keenan. I’m sure that would win the series. Quite what effect it might have on a Lions audience who were expecting something other than ‘Ireland on tour, but wearing red’ would remain to be seen.


As for the debate at FB, the only ‘eye test’ difference I feel exists is in the pace of rugby Kinghorn (Toulouse? Scotland?) tends to play. His passing/offload game feels crisper and higher tempo than Keenan’s - and as we saw in Paris, his pace and eye for a gap from deep are superior.


But again, that will only prove a decisive factor if Andy Farrell wants to play that way. If all he wants from his FB is to sit deep, field high balls, and mop up then there’s little between these two equally excellent players.

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