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There’s nothing to be gained by playing Damian McKenzie against Japan
Does that mean Damian McKenzie’s a dirttracker now?
I know Harry Plummer’s not a fully-fledged member of the All Blacks squad to play Japan, but I’d have started him at 10 against the Brave Blossoms. The guy’s been carted around for the bulk of the international season and we’re still none the wiser about whether he’s any good.
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So, the fact it’s McKenzie who’s the starting first five-eighth for Saturday’s clash in Yokohama does suggest to me he’s no longer the primary playmaker in New Zealand’s best XV.
We saw Beauden Barrett picked at 10, with reasonable success, in the recent win over Australia and can now only presume he’ll be given the same responsibility when the team meets England on November 3.
Like I alluded to, there’s nothing to be gained by playing McKenzie against Japan. All Blacks coach Scott Robertson has seen all there is to see of McKenzie at test level.
But he knows next to nothing about Plummer, Ruben Love (who’s in the reserves this week) or even Stephen Perofeta who, let’s remember, is a first five-eighth by trade.
Is McKenzie an insurance policy against defeat to Japan? Surely not. I mean the All Blacks have to be too good to be worrying about that.
Equally, what would it matter if Saturday’s game ended in another defeat. We’ve become so accustomed to those over the last few years that another one wouldn’t suddenly cause New Zealand Rugby’s empire to crumble.
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It’s not like it’s not falling down in a few places already.
As I look at this 23, the least interesting player to watch this week is undoubtedly McKenzie.
Centre Billy Proctor appears to be making huge strides, Cam Roigard’s back at halfback, Wallace Sititi gets a start at No.8, Samipeni Finau’s at 6 and Peter Lakai will hopefully get a few good minutes off the bench.
These are guys with the potential to force their way into the All Blacks’ top side and I’ll be intrigued to see what they make of the opportunity.
As an aside, I read – as if it were news – that Robertson has made mass changes to this game. Sorry, am I meant to be surprised that the All Blacks’ second XV is getting a run against one of the two second-class opponents included on the itinerary?
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I thought that was the point – if we overlook the obvious reason of money – of Japan and Italy being on the schedule.
If the bulk of this Saturday’s team gets named to play England, then that’ll be news. In the meantime, you’ll have to forgive me for not being bowled over by the revelation that the 23 to meet Japan differs from the one that beat Australia.
You don’t say.
No, if there’s news out of this team naming, it’s that McKenzie’s days as the designated first five-eighth appear to be numbered – if not over – and that, as a result, we’ve likely seen the last of Will Jordan languishing on the wing.
That’s good news in my book.
Famous last words - we now know that DMac is behind BB as the ABs #10
Japan will be the perfect opportunity to play Roigard and DMac - together, at last :)
Hamish Bidwell is wrong there is plenty to benefit from playing DMac vs Japan. Firstly it means Beauden leaves early for the UK with Ratima and will be first choice 1st 5, which is so long overdue its stupid. DMac is a fine footy player but Beauden is a better 1st 5 plain and simple. He is flawed but it was obvious in the last game how the backline ran better with him at 10. So DMac will hopefully be warming the pine in the big games. Everyone I know who has played the game to reasonable levels all agree on this issue.
BB's just a bit of an old cripple these days, probably too much getting in and out of plans to be included in the route through Japan.
Hope you're right about Dmac,we need change if locks go well Barrett could be 6,if Proctor go's well Reiko back to wing and we know Cam will go well 😉
Barrett at 6 again! He is no 6 just as Jordie is no 12 at international level! Both in leadership but both have better players waiting to replace them. Robertson's biggest mistake so far.
Nothing to be gained from giving him and Roigard some game time together before the tougher matches?
No, nothing at all. Don't be stupid.
Exactly that’s why they doing it. McKenzie will start vs England barring injury…it is just a rubbish article
Don't know how Perofeta is a first five by trade when he plays almost exclusively at fullback for Taranaki and the blues. That said he'll probably spend sometime there in the second half assuming they bring on Love for McKenzie. I still think McKenzie will start at first five versus England, he hasn't played in a while and has never partnered Roigard at half back. Perhaps the plan is to help get Roigard up to speed so he can contribute off the bench versus Engalnd instead of Perenara? That I'd like to see
Because he's yet another 10 whose been shunted back to fullback. NZ is full of them, so now there's depth a plenty at 15, and we're not sure where we're heading with 10s.
Ratima and B. Barrett will be the starting 9 & 10 with Roigard and McKenzie on the bench.
He was injury cover for a few weeks, that's not the majority of the international season.
Since when was getting your project player more minutes under his belt, and resting your experienced First-Five Eight a waste of time?
Damn you are hard to impress, Hamish. Or you don’t know what ‘languishing’ means.
Languishing means ‘failing to make progress or succeed’.
Will Jordan has scored 31 tries in 31 tests.
How was he ‘languishing’ on the wing?
Very strange attitude. Don’t you want your team to win?
And when they lose, aren’t you supposed to want them to improve so they don’t lose again?
They weren't when Japan were under Joseph. The All Blacks also started with the top first five along with the captain then.
Chose one. You can't be happy that you've seen enough this year to know McKenzie is their best 10 and also suggest Barrett has taken that position with a reasonable outing against Australia.
Thanks for keeping the article short.
While were on the topic how many of the XV squad made the 23? Didn't see it highlighted.
None, as expected. Though, I imagine this question is rhetorical.
In regards to Stephen Perofeta:
At NPC level with Taranaki, in the 2023 playoffs and Championship Final, Coach Neil Barnes preferred to start Josh Jacombs at 10 with Perofeta at fullback.
At Super Rugby Pacific level, in 2024 playoffs and Championships Final, Coach Vern Cotter preferred to start Plummer at 10 with Perofeta at fullback.
It’s not surprising that at All Black level, Razor sees Perofeta strictly as a fullback, when his NPC and SRP coaches do not trust him at 10.
Yet, when he toured with the All Blacks XV under Leon McDonald he was the starting 10. I highly doubt Razor exclusively sees him as Fullback, he's just his third choice Fly-Half.
I don't think you can construe that. We'll see Perofeta quite early at 10 once Dmac has put Japan away I reckon.
Those circumstances are clearly what was best for the team, though I wouldn't rate him as a 10 as highly, no.
I don’t need to see Harry Plummer play a test to know he is an average Super Rugby Pacific 10 or 12 with limited athletic ability and a pretty average kicking game. These qualities do not make good test 10s. He was injury cover for Perofeta- nothing more.
Plummer is actually a very good general now at ten and has plenty of years ahead. The first five doesn't need to be amazingly athletic, of course it helps but it's more important they can guide their team around the field.
Plummer is not even selected. Can we have some serious journalism?