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'Listen, come to our team': All Black hopeful told to move to bolster selection chance
By Ben Smith
The All Blacks midfield is a hotly contested positional group but one candidate continues to impress in Super Rugby Pacific as a potential World Cup bolter.
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Moana Pasifika centre Levi Aumua has been in devastating form and brings size and power unlike any other midfielder in New Zealand.
His damaging running was on show against the Crusaders in Christchurch in round seven where he bulldozed through multiple players to score two tries in the 38-21 loss.
Ahead of the first home game in Samoa against the Reds, Aumua had clocked the most running metres of any centre in the competition with 564, and the third most defenders beaten of any player with 37.
Only All Black winger Mark Telea and teammate Timoci Tavatavanawai have beaten more players in Aumua this season, while Moana Pasifika’s No 13 has logged an impressive eight line breaks.
New Zealand broadcast personality Hamish McKay believed that Aumua does not receive enough attention for his performances in a side that is near the bottom of the ladder.
“About bloody time! Levi Aumua is a game breaker,” he wrote on his social page after Aumua made the back page of the NZ Herald.
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“We won’t win a Rugby World Cup with steady Eddie’s.”
Former Welsh international Gordon Simpson explained on SENZ’s The Rugby Run radio show that it was in Aumua’s best interests to leave Moana Pasifika for another New Zealand team in order to gain All Black selection.
The 28-year-old was previously with the Blues in 2019 and made four appearances but was stuck behind All Black duo Sonny Bill Williams and Ma’a Nonu.
“Aumua … if you put him in a Crusaders backline or a Blues backline, how much more devastating and how much more ball would he get and how much more explosive?” Simpson told SENZ’s The Rugby Run.
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“You put him in one of those teams and you’ve got the sort of teams next year possibly looking at him.
“They would be saying, ‘Listen, come to our team, we’ll make you an offer,’ or however it works.
“It just builds his profile and yeah, then you start looking at higher honours.”
Aumua is eligible for multiple nations including Samoa, Fiji and New Zealand but was picked last year in the All Blacks XV.
His selection for the All Blacks XV caused a stir as the Moana Pasifika team was floated as a pathway for Pacific nations to develop international players.
Former All Black midfielder and Moana Pasifika coach Aaron Mauger said at the time that they would support Aumua’s ambitions, and added that all three nations should be chasing him.
“All our boys are on their own journey,” said Mauger last year.
“We’re really proud of Levi, we’re really proud of who he’s become as a man and that’s transferred onto the field.
“We support all of our boys with their aspirations. Levi’s decided that route – just for now.
“That doesn’t mean to say he’s not going to be available for Samoa or [Fiji] down the track.
“If I was those coaches, I’d be going hard to get Levi in my team for the World Cup.”
Agree with the article. New Zealander Levi Aumua - needs to think of his own future and in order to get more time playing for his country he should ditch underperforming Moana Pacifica for one of the other franchises.
Just the guy for the All Blacks. Ione back to the left. Stevenson at 15. Would make the future exciting.
What Folly it was to let Ngani LauMape go - now we are reaping the reward of that dumb decision.