Five All Black Selection Headaches That Could Be Eased In The North v South Match

The North v South match is steeped in history and the latest edition of the eagerly-anticipated match could serve to ease a number selection headaches for New All Black coach Ian Foster. 

Foster's first year as the All Blacks head coach has been stalled due to the global pandemic and with Steve Hansen's former assistant having signed just a two-year deal as the new boss, he will need to hit the ground sprinting.

The revival of the North v South match provides the perfect opportunity for Foster to get a number of answers that Super Rugby Aotearoa wasn't able to provide.  

With the expectation of a few injuries, the match on Saturday effectively pits the best 46 players in New Zeland against one another. 

We take a look at the selection headaches that could be eased in the 80 minutes on Saturday.

The Third Hooker

During Steve Hansen's run into and during the 2019 Rugby World Cup, the All Blacks had two clear runners for the All Black #2 jersey with Dane Coles and Codie Taylor comfortably ahead of the pack even with Coles' struggle with injuries between the 2015 and 2019 tournaments. 

That is unlikely to change during the first few tests under Ian Foster with both players enjoying fine Super Rugby Aotearoa seasons, however, there is a question mark to who will be next in line. Nathan Harris spent a large portion of the time between the two World Cups as the backup rake before injury struck and ended his World Cup hopes and he is still yet to recover fully while Liam Coltman earned his place on the plane to Japan in his place.

Asafo Aumua also had a strong Super Rugby Aotearoa campaign and will go right up against arguably the form hooker in New Zealand in Codie Taylor on Saturday. Taylor made 67 successful lineout throws during Super Rugby Aotearoa - the most of any player - as well as making 64/71 tackles, 52 carries and nine clean breaks. If Aumua is able to produce once again, he could be back in the All Blacks squad once again and could be there to stay. The 23-year-old still has a bright future ahead of him but the task of breaking back into the squad won't be an easy one with Liam Coltman and Ash Dixon in excellent form during Super Rugby Aotearoa and won't want to miss out on their chance to stake a claim from the bench. 

The Next Lock

With Brodie Retallick on a sabbatical away from the All Blacks this year and Scott Barrett unlikely to make a return in 2020, Ian Foster has just two locks from the All Blacks 2019 Rugby World Cup squad to pick from for the test matches later this year. Luckily for Foster, both Patrick Tuipulotu and Sam Whitelock have enjoyed a great run of form with the former also showing off his leadership capabilities for the Blues this year. Both men will be leading their respective Island this weekend with the rookies around them looking to stake a claim.

During Super Rugby Aotearoa, no player stole more lineouts than Tuipulotu (3) while he also made 61/67 tackles, five offloads and beat five defenders, as well as winning two turnovers while James Blackwell (173) was the only lock to better Sam Whitelocks' 164 rucks hit with the Hurricane playing a game more than the Crusader.

On the South Island side, Mitchell Dunshee locks in with Sam Whitelock, the Crusaders' youngster having impressed over the past few seasons in Christchurch. Son of former All Black Hud Selby-Ricket, Manaaki could also force his way into the conversation with a big impact from the bench having flown somewhat under the radar at the Highlanders. 

On the North Island side, Chiefs' rookie Tupou Vaa'i has impressed in his first season of Super Rugby and could earn a call up to the All Blacks if he produces the kind of performances he did during the Aotearoa season. Vaa'i is the youngest player that will take the pitch on Saturday. Finally, Scott Scrafton could also make a claim from the bench. The 27-year-old had a solid season in the engine room for the Hurricanes and could be another who benefits from the two front line All Black absentees. 

Who Joins Sam Cane In The Back Row?

Having already named his captain, Ian Foster will be looking to confirm the makeup of his back row this weekend with Sam Cane absent due to injury. Cane is likely to be fit for the All Blacks by the time Foster gets his tenure underway but it is still unclear who will join Cane in the All Black back row. 

Ardie Savea was the form back-rower in New Zealand last year and looked to be getting back to his best during Super Rugby Aotearoa after missing the early parts of the year due to injury. He is likely to seal a spot in the back row with Sam Cane but it will all depend on whether Foster can find the man that compliments the pair - Savea could once again find himself being used as an impact player.

There are a number of candidates, starting with the South Island's Shannon Frizell who was in the sensational form right through the Super Rugby Aotearoa season. Another big game from the blindside could see Savea at no.8, Cane at openside and Frizell completing the back row. Frizell's 98 tackles during Super Rugby Aotearoa were the second-most of any player while he also beat 12 defenders, won five turnovers, scored four tries and won more lineouts than any other back rower.

Sticking with the South, young Crusaders' flanker Tom Christie also enjoyed a good start to the 2020 season with the former New Zealand u20s captain tipped for higher honours. During the regular 2020 Super Rugby season, Christie topped the tackle count with a massive 106 tackles averaging 17.7 per game missing just three tackles and winning a turnover a game.

Switch to the North, where the back row debate becomes even more interesting. Akira Ioane was displaying career-best form for the Blues and could finally crack the All Black squad having made the switch to the blindside of the scrum. His no.8 partner, Hoskins Sotutu, was the talk of the early stage of the competition and will certainly earn a test cap this year. During Super Rugby Aotearoa, Sotutu was the only player to average more than 10 carries and more than 10 tackles per game (10 carries, 10.5 tackles).

Foster may have backed himself into a corner by selecting Sam Cane to lead the All Blacks with even the two reserve flankers this week Dalton Papali'i (North) and Dillon Hunt (South) display test quality performances. Hunt topped the tackle count in the competition with 100 tackles with Frizell just two behind his fellow Highlander while Hunt also won 10 turnovers beating Lachlan Boshier by one.

Barret or Mo'unga?

Last month, Ian Foster said that it is is a ‘two-horse race’ between Beauden Barrett and Richie Mo’unga for the All Blacks No 10 jersey this season and the North v South clash provides the perfect platform for the pair to face off.

Mo'unga finished as the top point scorer in Super Rugby Aotearoa with a tally of 99 as he scored three tries and made four try assists, as well as beating 35 defenders - the second-most of any player. 

The form of the fullbacks, Damian McKenzie and Jordie Barrett could mean that the either Barrett or Mo'unga could find a seat on the bench for the first test of 2020. 

Although the clash on Saturday may not provide a definitive answer, it may just edge the one playmaker ahead of the other.

Who is ready for the next step up?

Foster ran the backline under Steve Hansen and will have a keen eye on the quicker men this weekend. The big question a number of the players will be looking to answer is 'is he ready to make the step up?'.

This question applies to a number of players including the South's Caleb Clarke and Peter Umaga-Jensen. Clarke had an incredible season for the Blues after he was drafted back into the squad following the cancellation of the sevens season while Peter Umaga-Jensen leapt at his opportunity to shine for the Hurricanes. 

Having scored 24 tries in 29 tests since 2016, Rieko Ioane will be out to answer a slightly different question as he looks to prove that the can make it as a test outside centre. He will have a tough task with Braydon Ennor looking to cement a more permanent role with the All Blacks having earned his debut against Argentina last year. 

Finally, Will Jordan will also be out with a point to prove after a stellar Super Rugby and Super Rugby Aotearoa season. The 22-year-old produced stand out games against all of the NZ Super Rugby franchises and will look to extend that run and claim his first test cap. 

During Super Rugby Aotearoa Jordan scored more tries (6), gained more metres (724), made more clean breaks (15) and beat more defenders (39) than any other player.

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