Finally, An All Blacks Selection Debate Worth Having

Who should wear the number 7: Cane or Savea? It’s a vintage All Blacks selection debate in the making, writes Jamie Wall.

The future-proofing of the All Blacks over the last six or so years has been a key aspect to their dominance, but it’s also made discussing who will make the team a damn sight less fun than it used to be. With the starting XV generally locked in stone and their successors signposted seasons out when they are picked for overseas tours, even the most clueless fan can generally predict who will be starting for the season.

That was, until a week and a half ago when Ardie Savea became the People’s Champion. His eye-catching impact seemingly turned the tide of the first test and yielded a try in the second, making Sam Cane look like a blue-collar grafter and nowhere near the Richie McCaw v2.0 he’s been groomed to be.

Just by getting on the field Savea had the notoriously reserved All Blacks fans chanting his name, however it’s unlikely he’ll be taking the number 7 off Cane this weekend. But it does at least allow us to indulge in the all-but-lost art of debating All Blacks selection, a tradition that harks back generations

Classic debates include:

• Sid Going vs Chris Laidlaw: Two halfbacks, one a Rhodes Scholar, the other a Mormon missionary.
• Carlos Spencer vs Andrew Mehrtens: The game-managing reliable goal kicker with a bowl cut against the ‘everything-everyone-hates-about-Auckland’ TV ad star.
• Justin Marshall vs Byron Kelleher: Marshy was more popular before he began his commentary career, while his rival for the starting spot went around driving drunk and dating porn stars.
• Reuben Thorne vs Anyone: Pretty much every province in New Zealand had someone they thought was better than the much-maligned Mr. Invisible of All Blacks rugby. Here’s probably the most interesting interview he ever did.
• Buck Shelford vs Zinzan Brooke: The granddaddy of all selection controversies. So much so that people are still calling for Buck to be reinstated to this day, despite him being 58 years old.

Even if Savea does stay on the bench, he’ll most likely keep making a case for his inclusion in each game, much like Beauden Barrett is. Which will mean Cane won’t be the 80 minute player Richie was any time soon, which may harm his long-term captaincy aspirations. If Ardie does nab his spot, however, the short term consequences will be far-reaching: Gatorade will need to reshoot their latest commercial.