I guess week 1 was really NZ v Japan last week, but somehow I don’t think that really counts.
Ran out of puff at the end of the NPC so haven’t been posting much, but lets have a thread to discuss this weekend’s matches.
No lie, I had barely any interest in these upcoming games, and then I saw the team list for the All Blacks XV vs Munster and Devan Flanders picked at 8 (after missing out on the squad and only getting called up because Lio-Willie has been called into the ABs proper.
Then I was reading reddit /r/rugbyunion (stopped posting, but occasionally check it out to see what the mouth breathers are banging on about ;) ) and someone asking where Brayden Iose was and that the ABs XV didn’t have a proper 8.
Which is a bit silly given Flanders is an 8 for Hawkes Bay, swapped with Iose a couple of times for the Hurricanes, and really only plays blindside because he’s good enough to be in the team so they fit him in somewhere. I rate him hugely - massive human, always thought he was talented as a player but then watched him warming up at a Magpies game at McLean Park and this giant lad was covering so much ground with pace and power.
He’s got the size and physical attributes to be a great international 6/8, just needs time free from injury playing to build form at Super rugby level. You can’t teach size and pace.
All Blacks XV v Munster, 2 November 5.30PM (GMT) / 3 November 6.30AM (NZDT), Thomond Park, Limerick, Ireland
All Blacks XV match-day 23:
- George Bower* (Crusaders / Otago)
- Brodie McAlister (Crusaders / Canterbury)
- George Dyer (Chiefs / Waikato)
- Isaia Walker-Leawere (Hurricanes / Hawke’s Bay)
- Fabian Holland (Highlanders / Otago)
- Oliver Haig (Highlanders / Otago)
- Du’Plessis Kirifi - Captain (Hurricanes / Wellington)
- Devan Flanders (Hurricanes / Hawke’s Bay)
- Finlay Christie* (Blues / Tasman)
- Harry Plummer - Vice-Captain* (Blues / Auckland)
- Kini Naholo (Hurricanes / Taranaki)
- Quinn Tupaea* (Chiefs / Waikato)
- AJ Lam (Blues / Auckland)
- Chay Fihaki (Crusaders / Canterbury)
- Shaun Stevenson* (Chiefs / North Harbour)
- Bradley Slater (Chiefs / Taranaki)
- Xavier Numia (Hurricanes / Wellington)
- Marcel Renata (Blues / Auckland)
- Naitoa Ah Kuoi (Chiefs / Bay of Plenty)
- Corey Kellow (Crusaders / Canterbury)
- Noah Hotham* (Crusaders / Tasman)
- Josh Jacomb (Chiefs / Taranaki)
- Ruben Love* (Hurricanes / Wellington)
*denotes capped All Blacks player
A few uncapped here, are they awarding caps for taking on Munster? With Ireland not playing this weekend, Munster will be after a scalp!
It’s just a first class equivalent cap I think, not a full All Blacks cap - when the ABs XV replaced the Junior All Blacks as our second team there was much consternation that it might count against eligibility, but (at least back in 2020) it didn’t. Given the cynics though Hoskins Sotutu was withdrawing to protect his coming eligibility for other nations maybe that changed - or maybe they just don’t know what they’re talking about.
Of the uncapped players, the ones to watch are the two starting locks, especially Fabian Holland, Kirifi & Flanders (Haig is a bit more of a journeyman but is still a prospect). AJ Lam was a revelation for the Blues moving into the midfield (he wasn’t pushing Telea or Clarke off their wings) and on the bench, Numia was very close to an ABs call-up and Ah Kuoi is almost the perfect bench lock/6 who’s had a great NPC.
