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Karl Tuinukuafe of North is tackled by Codie Taylor and Samuel Whitelock of South during the North vs South rugby match at Sky Stadium on September 5, 2020 in Wellington, New Zealand. (Photo by Hagen Hopkins / Getty Images)
Will jordan raised his hand for the test selection with two attempts, including the winner of the match, in an All Blacks pseudo rehearsal played under the guise of a north Island versus South party in Wellington on Saturday.
With Covid-19 restrictions that forced the match to be played in an empty stadium, the South prevailed 38-35.
In a country obsessed with rugby and hungry for international competition due to the coronavirus pandemic, it was performance, not points, that mattered most with a 35-player All Blacks team to be named on Sunday.
The clash was played at a frenetic pace and there were 10 attempts with seven lead changes.
The duel between rival flyhalves Richie Mo’unga and Beauden Barrett was expected to lead the game, but it was Jordan, the Crusaders’ no-cap utilitarian, who made the biggest statement.
Jordan, the top try scorer in New Zealand’s Super Rugby competition this year, had a smooth first half but made his mark in the second with a 70-meter try at the three-quarter mark and time on the clock. , and North leading 35-31, held on to a Josh Ioane cross shot to seal the game for the South.
Rieko Ioane, once hailed as a wonderful winger with a phenomenal record for scoring attempts until he dropped out of the limelight last year, has reinvented himself as an outside center and also scored two well-taken attempts for himself. North.
The tone of the game was set from kickoff when north winger Caleb Clarke charged 40 yards down the south side to pave the way for Ioane’s first attempt when he followed up on a Beauden Barrett kick.
Barrett has made no secret of his preference for wearing the number 10 jersey after being placed at fullback during last year’s World Cup, but full time there was little to separate him from Mo’unga in the battle of the flyhalves.
Mo’unga paired well with south fullback Jordie Barrett, while Damian McKenzie, wearing 15 for the north, also showed he’s still in the frame.
Aside from Jordan, Clarke and rival sponsors Hoskins Sotutu for the North Island and Tom Sanders for the South, much of the game was dominated by established internationals and few surprises are expected when new All Blacks coach Ian Foster names his name. equipment.
A more difficult task would be to name a starting XV, but right now the All Blacks have no one to play with.
Testing involving a composite side of the Pacific, Australia, and the Rugby Championship are on the drawing board, but with Covid-19 travel restrictions nothing has been confirmed.
The North-South match revived what was once a major annual meeting on New Zealand’s calendar.
But after 1986, a year before the first Rugby World Cup, its importance waned and it has only been played twice since then.
South Captain Sam Whitelock said he would like to see it as a regular again.
“It’s unbelievable,” he said. “I know it would have been great for home viewers watching. It’s too bad we couldn’t have anyone here, but that’s the world.”
north
Attempts: Rieko Ioane (2), Damien McKenzie, Aaron Smith, Ash Dixon
Conversions: Damian McKenzie (5)
South
Attempts: Brad Webber, Jordie Barett, Nepo Lualala, Tyrell Lomax, Will Jordan
Conversions: Jordie Barrett (5)
Penalties: Jordie Barrett
Teams
north
15 Damian McKenzie, 14 Sevu Reece, 13 Rieko John, 12 Anton Lienert-Brown, 11 Caleb Clarke, 10 Beauden Barrett, 9 TJ Perenara, 8 Hoskins Sotutu, 7 Ardie Savea, 6 Akira John, 5 Tupou Vaa’i, 4 Patrick Tuipulotu (c), 3 Ofa Tuungafasi, 2 Asafo Aumua, 1 Karl Tu’inukuafe
Replacements: 16 Ash Dixon, 17 Ayden Johnstone, 18 Angus Ta’avao, 19 Scott Scrafton, 20 Dalton Papalii, 21 Aaron Smith, 22 Peter Umaga-Jensen, 23 Mitchell Hunt
South
15 Jordie Barrett, 14 Will Jordan, 13 Brayden Ennor, 12 Jack Goodhue, 11 George Bridge, 10 Richie Mo’unga, 9 Brad Weber, 8 Tom Sanders, 7 Tom Christie, 6 Shannon Frizell, 5 Mitchell Dunshea, 4 Samuel Whitelock ( c), 3 Nepo Laulala, 2 Codie Taylor, 1 Joe Moody
Replacements: 16 Liam Coltman, 17 George Bower, 18 Tyrel Lomax, 19 Mana Selby-Rickit, 20 Dillon Hunt, 21 Finlay Christie, 22 Josh John, 23 Leicester Earthquake
