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What Scott Robertson made of Billy Proctor's All Blacks debut
By Ned Lester
Six aspiring New Zealand talents took the field for the first time in an All Blacks jersey on Friday night in sunny San Diego, and strong performances across the board have left the Kiwi coaches with some decisions to make.
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In particular, midfielder Billy Proctor took to the international arena like a duck to water, making his impact felt on both sides of the ball against a physical Fijian side.
Proctor was promoted to the starting unit for the contest as usual starting No. 13 Rieko Ioane was rested following a busy month that included a Super Rugby Pacific final as well as big minutes in the two Tests against England.
Along with winger Caleb Clarke, the 25-year-old Proctor’s performance was one of the biggest talking points to come from the contest in regards to future selections.
“Billy had some great touches, he had some really good moments,” Scott Robertson reflected following the Test.
“He was welcomed, wasn’t he? Got a couple of shoulders on him to welcome him to Test football. He took a couple of opportunities, I’m really pleased for him.”
The following day, the coach expanded on those thoughts a little more, sharing his thoughts on Clarke’s outing as well.
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“Both of them were great defensively and with ball in hand for the majority of the match.
“Billy’s got a great ability to hit the ball, got great running lines, he’s a quality defender and he sets up his outsides beautifully. He had a great debut.
“Then, Caleb’s a great finisher, isn’t he? He knows his way over the line, has great aerial skills and just getting better defensively all the time.”
A 36-man squad for The Rugby Championship will be named on Sunday, providing the opportunity for four more players to enter the environment.
That may well mean more competition for the likes of Proctor and Clarke given New Zealand’s endless depth in the backline stocks.
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However, with such strong outings in the California heat, it would appear the only way for Proctor and Clarke to go is up.
Meanwhile, in the forwards, captain Scott Barrett offered his thoughts on the performances of the debutants in the pack.
“It was great for those guys to step in and get their opportunity, all six of them. For Billy, starting, and the rest of them running on, they certainly had an impact on the game.
“Pasilio (Tosi) got his shoulders through the line, Sam Darry won a nice turnover and (George) Bell getting the dot after a couple of nice touches.”
A few names in the ‘top’ side there purely on reputation and cap numbers, Ioane being top of that underperforming pile.
The sooner some of the new blood is brought through the better. 13 would be a good place to start.
“and he sets up his outsides beautifully…”..being the most basic skill that Ioane cannot master.