THE THEORY that the All Blacks are often at their most vulnerable in their first Test of the year has been underlined by history. The problem is an injury depleted and weary Ireland are not at optimum level to avail of this theory, and furthermore the All Blacks are as mindful of this as anyone.
Hence, while much will be made of the presence of seven new caps in the 30-man squad which new head coach Steve Hansen unveiled yesterday for the forthcoming three-Test series against Ireland, when push comes to shove many of the old familiar faces are liable to line up for the hosts at next Saturday Eden Park; their first outing since being coronated as world champions there last October.
The seven uncapped players including three from the Chiefs’ pack – prop Ben Tameifuna, the 20-year-old openside earmarked as Richie McCaw’s understudy and long-term replacement Sam Cane and lock Brodie Retallick – which has helped propel them to first place in the Super 15 table.
The uncapped Crusaders lock Luke Romano is also named, as is the Highlanders scrumhalf Aaron Smith, and the Hurricanes duo of Beauden Barrett and Julian Savea. The latter, a free-scoring, 20-year-old Lomuesque left-winger at 1.92m and 107kgs, looks likely to start, as might 20-year-old team-mate Retallick, an athletic, big tackling 6’ 9” lock with a huge engine. But otherwise the starting line-up will draw heavily from the World Cup-winning squad, all the more so with McCaw and Dan Carter now back in harness.
Indeed, the latter duo are amongst 10 players picked from a Crusaders team who are moving ominously into gear; their 51-18 win over the Highlanders lifting them into fourth in the standings.
The 31-year-old McCaw (103 caps) will captain the side, with Carter (85 caps) his vice-captain, and they are amongst nine players with more than 50 caps. Despite seven new caps, the 16 forwards and 14 backs boast a combined total of 879 Test appearances.
Although Keven Muliaina has been named, he is unlikely to make the first Test. The All Blacks have also lost Brad Thorn, John Afoa and Stephen Donald overseas while Isaia Toeava, Colin Slade, Jerome Kaino, Anthony Boric are injured, as are Cory Jane and Richard Kahui.
Other stalwarts like Piri Weepu, Ali Williams and Ma’a Nonu have been struggling in a malfunctioning Auckland Blues outfit now at the foot of the standings, but have been included in the belief they can rediscover their mojo in the All Blacks environment.
Nonu is likely to miss out to the in-form Sonny Bill Williams, who has been a star turn for the Chiefs. It remains to be seen whether Hansen draws on Williams’s track record at Test level while the inclusion of Weepu, who clearly has interesting refuelling habits, is perhaps the most contentious.
With the inclusion of Smith, it means the in-form Crusaders scrumhalf Sandy Ellis misses out.
“We see Aaron Smith as similar to a guy called Graeme Bachop, a great passing halfback,” explained Hansen yesterday. “He brings something we haven’t had for a wee while. Then we wanted to keep some experience so it came down to either Piri or Andy and we just felt Piri’s added ability to goalkick and play first-five if we got a double injury in the course of a game as we got in the [World Cup] quarter-final in 2007, they’re advantages.
“Piri is also the incumbent number one All Blacks halfback who played extremely well at the World Cup. And without him I think we may have struggled to achieve what we achieved, especially losing Dan and Colin Slade during the quarter-final period . . . We acknowledge, and he would acknowledge also, he probably hasn’t been in the greatest form. We set him some strong targets at the camps and he’s met those and he’s now in better condition than he was in the World Cup. He’s very highly motivated and that gives us the confidence that we’ll get the Piri Weepu that we know and we all love in the past.”
The All Blacks only came together yesterday on foot of a round of Super 15 matches, which for the first time will now go into a hiatus before resuming in July. They will improve as the series progresses but Hansen, as well as the players will also be acutely conscious no All Blacks team has ever lost to Ireland before.
All Blacks squad
FORWARDS: Andrew Hore (62 caps), Keven Mealamu (92); props: Wyatt Crockett (6), Ben Franks (15), Owen Franks (31), Ben Tameifuna (0), Tony Woodcock (83); Brodie Retallick (0), Luke Romano (0), Sam Whitelock (25), Ali Williams (73); Sam Cane (0), Richie McCaw (capt) (103), Kieran Read (36), Adam Thomson (24), Victor Vito (13);
Backs: Aaron Smith (0), Piri Weepu (56), Beauden Barrett (0), Dan Carter (85), Aaron Cruden (9); Tamati Ellison (1), Ma’a Nonu (66), Conrad Smith (55), Sonny Bill Williams (14); Israel Dagg (12), Hosea Gear (8), Zac Guildford (8), Ben Smith (2), Julian Savea (0).
Hooker Hika Elliot (2) has been included as injury cover.
