If you thought Scott Robertson’s toughest decision as All Blacks head coach would be around tactics, think again. From the outside looking in, picking a squad for the Rugby Championship is a battle in itself.
For years, New Zealand has been spoiled for choice in the back row. Now? It’s a brutal game of musical chairs. As Sky Sport’s Tony Johnson told Martin Devlin on the DSPN, the competition for spots has never been fiercer.
Simon Parker – the towering Chiefs and Northland loose forward – is the freshest face in the group of six, seven and eight options. Johnson believes Parker would have been selected for the recent three-test series win over France, had he not been injured.
Johnson did show sympathy towards Crusaders and Otago number eight Christian Lio-Willie, who debuted in the French series and seemingly did nothing wrong, but has missed out on selection this time around.
“He’s had the experience of playing with the All Blacks. He’ll grow from that.
”The fact that they've named Tupou Vaa'i as a lock to me says they were struggling to figure out who else they could leave out, because I would've thought that maybe they might've taken one more lock.”
There are 11 locks and loose forwards for the Rugby Championship, two more than the total group for the French series. And again, like those three matches, Tupou Vaa’i is most certainly going to be used as a blindside flanker at least once (his form demands such).
A huge focus for the All Black coaching group – that was mentioned by Robertson even before he had coached his first test in 2024 – is the desire to build versatility. Vaa’i and Parker fit that mould, as does Peter Lakai, who has returned from a knee injury that he suffered in Super Rugby Pacific.
The 22-year-old Lakai debuted for the All Blacks on last year’s northern tour, and he for some time has felt a starter in waiting.
“The best thing about him [Lakai] is that he can play six, seven, or eight… he’s one of those players that you talk about sometimes, where it doesn't really matter what the number on the jersey is.
“It’s the same as you've got to have a prop who can play both sides of the scrum. You've got to have a lock who can probably slot in at six if need be, or a loose forward who can slot in at lock.
“Look what happened to the Lions, they lost both of their starting locks in the last test against Australia. Versatility is still important.”
Another area in need of deep examination – for a less positive reason – is the front row. The All Blacks can certainly get by with Ethan de Groot and Fletcher Newell as their starters, and Ollie Norris and Pasilio Tosi off the bench. But concerns around injuries to Tamaiti Williams and Tyrel Lomax grow, with the Springboks just around the corner.
Johnson is worried about Lomax’s status in particular.
“Hand injuries that have had surgery, you’re never quite sure about how long they’re going to take to fix… if everything goes well, then they will be able to go into that test [against South Africa at Eden Park] with Lomax and Tamaiti Williams, probably starting.
“But Fletcher Newell has been fantastic this year. His scrummaging has gone to new heights, so I wouldn’t be pressing any panic buttons.”
One thing that’s clear is the All Blacks’ depth is on another level. When players like Ethan Blackadder, Dalton Papali’i, and Christian Lio-Willie miss out, you know the talent pool is overflowing.
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