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Brad Weber would’ve been the next-best option for the World Cup
I would like to have seen Brad Weber in the All Blacks’ Rugby World Cup squad.
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I’ve written already this week about where I think last Saturday’s Bledisloe Cup clash with Australia was won, but I overlooked one important ingredient – Aaron Smith’s voice.
Smith is still a very fine player, but I believe this greatest attribute now is organisational.
Forwards need to be told where to go and what to do and Smith never leaves them in any doubt.
The All Blacks’ comeback in Dunedin was in part due to Smith’s tutelage, as the pack immediately went forward and sapped Australia’s resolve.
The difference between the performance and attitude of the forwards Smith played behind and those of starting halfback Finlay Christie was striking.
I’m not for a minute suggesting Christie is no good. Just as I can’t ignore the promise of third-stringer Cam Roigard.
But if we’re looking for a bloke to bark at forwards in the way Smith so effectively does, then Weber would’ve been the next-best option.
Christie and Roigard are trying to find their feet as players. They don’t have the experience and command to bully big forwards yet.
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I hope a lack of voice from No.9, when Smith isn’t on the park, doesn’t hurt the team when it counts.
Beyond that, I wasn’t too hot and bothered about selections.
I’m not absolutely sold on the outside backs or loose forwards, but that’s about it.
Beauden Barrett will play fullback and Will Jordan right wing in New Zealand’s best XV. So do we really need all of Mark Telea, Leicester Fainga’anuku and Caleb Clarke to contest the No.11 jersey?
Telea is a bit more unique, but Fainga’anuku and Clarke essentially offer the same thing, with the former doing it a lot better than the latter in my opinion.
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I’d have liked a bit more versatility in the back-three, of the sort that Shaun Stevenson might have provided.
The loose forwards are okay. Ardie Savea is good, Shannon Frizell looks increasingly explosive and then? Well, I have to admit to being a little underwhelmed.
If Frizzell can continue his form, then maybe that’s not a big deal. But he’s 28 caps into his Test career and the forgettable games definitely outnumber the memorable ones.
These are minor quibbles, though.
Not because the squad as a whole is so outstanding. More because it’ll be the tight five, halfback and first five-eighth that either win or lose New Zealand the world cup.
That’s why I go back to Weber and have expressed reservations about Damian McKenzie.
We have good options in the tight five and, in Smith and Richie Mo’unga, an accomplished halves pairing. But Smith can’t be on the park all the time and if Mo’unga falls over we don’t have anyone who’s remotely a like-for-like replacement.
We can’t conjure another game-controlling first five out of thin air, but we could have given ourselves the comfortable option of Weber waiting in the wings behind Smith.
We can only play with the players we have available. We need to accept that New Zealand Rugby is at a 10 year low. We are still able to compete, apart from last weekend.
I don't think there were any players left at home that should have gone, apart from Webber over Christie. Stephenson unlucky? Maybe Moodie>
I don't think that they were going to make that much difference.
We still have to be able to win our own "Set Play"
All Blacks not being able to throw the ball into the lineout was "embarrassing" or not being able to pass and catch the ball, was disturbing.
We have seen "failing to throw the ball in on our throw" a lot in the last few years.
A captain who has the "mental capacity" to assess, understand, motivate, change tactics and lead also helps in World Cups.
Du Pont can, Kilosi can, Sexton can, Farrell can and when we won the last 2 World Cups we had Ritchie McCaw.
Accepting that we don't have the players "right now" or maybe the "right combinations"
That will change next year and we will "see a completely New Approach to "Selecting and Coaching Al Blacks"
Hopefully the current CEO will be sacked along with his board of incompetents.
When the "Club" is woefully mismanaged the Team suffers.
I think it would be a really good idea for the All Blacks to make a trip to "Lourdes" before Friday.
There is a fair bit of hole-poking going on from some critics over this squad. To be sure, it was about 95% predictable - being based on the previous 36-man squad picked earlier in the year, minus three relative rookies, and a switch around in the midfield brought about by injury. It is a squad that has served them pretty well so far.
Youd get no odds on a bet that if Smith is injured out of the tourney at the playoffs, that Weber would be straight in at starting 9. Thats the madness of all this.
Nah mate
The problem is at centre
The 1st is great but Havili?
This guy is a liability and el Brown is ok at best
Centres get injured a lot then these guys?
Christie & McKenzie played behind a forward pack going backwards in the first 45 minutes but you fail to see Christie to Dmacs pass to Stephenson to go in for the try! That was class
if something happens to mounga and smith and D-Mac was 10 for a finals game I would like to have the familiarity combo of webber. they've played together long enough that it would definitely help compared to christy -D-Mac
The other thing is he states NZ started dominating when Smith came on yet it was already back to 17-19 by that stage. Way to many articles lack real facts these days.