[ad_1]
Ian Foster has rewarded Super Rugby Aotearoa form by naming the All Blacks first team of his tenure as coach of the New Zealand national team.
Asafo Aumua, Alex Hodgman, Quinten Strange, Tupou Vaa’i, Cullen Grace, Akira Ioane, Hoskins Sotutu, Caleb Clarke and Will Jordan have been called up to be part of Foster’s 35-man squad and could make test debuts against Australia later this year.
Aumua and Ioane were included in the All Blacks’ tour of the Northern Hemisphere in 2017 and faced the Barbarians and a French XV, but have yet to play a test match.
Coaches and players spoke to the media after the South beat the North in the single replay match played in Wellington, New Zealand on September 5.
Aumua joins Codie Taylor and Dane Coles as prostitutes on the team, and Aumua, 23, is comfortably the youngest of the trio. Take Liam Coltman’s place at last year’s World Cup in Japan.
Hodgman, Karl Tu’inukuafe and Tyrel Lomax are the other big movers in the front row with players like Angus Ta’avao and South Island representative George Bower surpassing the team. Joe Moody, Nepo Laulala, and Ofa Tu’ungafasi are seasoned picks included.
The unavailability of the Blues leader, Hodgman, to the North-South party evidently did not harm their cause.
With Brodie Retallick overseas, Scott Barrett recovering from surgery and promising Pari Pari Parkinson also out with injury, Foster and his fellow coaches have had to dig deeper into New Zealand’s blocks. The inclusion of Strange highlights the selectors’ faith in the youngster, given that he spent much of the season on the sidelines. Vaa’i, 20, has been a solid performer for the Chiefs during Super Rugby Aotearoa and is a name that was probably not on the radar earlier in the year.
Sam Whitelock and Patrick Tuipulotu, the captains in last night’s game, will forge a formidable second-row combination on the national team.
Loose forwards were always going to be hotly contested with Sam Cane, Lachlan Boshier, Du’Plessis Kirifi and Luke Jacobson, all absent from the inter-island game. Unsurprisingly, Captain Cane has been selected alongside fellow World Cup travelers Ardie Savea and Shannon Frizell, while Hoskins Sotutu has been perhaps the most impressive striker in an outstanding Blues group this season. Grace’s selection comes despite the Timaru-born underdog spending much of the season injured.
Ioane, after seemingly carrying the world on his shoulders in past seasons, has relaxed this year and is rewarded for his flexibility on the loose. Dalton Papalii also earns the selection as the team’s third wide winger.
In the back, Brad Weber has battled the attention of Finlay Christie and the talented youngsters who come through the ranks to retain third-running back. His performance in the North vs. South game was a step up from what we’ve seen of him on the Chiefs this season and may well have convinced Foster not to go for a younger option.
Josh Ioane missed out on the national team despite a strong showing for the south, providing the cross shot that beat the south the game in the closing seconds of the inter-island encounter. Richie Mo’unga and Beauden Barrett are the only 10 on the team, but Damian McKenzie was tasked with running the cutter for the North in the fourth quarter and will likely be seen as a useful option on the team.
Anyone interested in another two North vs South matches to figure this out? #Nortevsur #All the black people https://t.co/kRuMiBII14
– RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) September 5, 2020
Ngani Laumape’s injury means midfield picks are relatively straightforward with Jack Goodhue, Anton Lienert-Brown, Braydon Ennor and danger Rieko Ioane grabbing spots. Although Ennor was removed from the field early in last night’s match, he has evidently been declared fit for the upcoming international ‘season’.
Caleb Clarke and Will Jordan are the big winners at the back, after exceptional seasons for the Blues and Crusaders respectively.
All Blacks Squad
Forward:
Alex Hodgman, Nepo Laulala, Joe Moody, Karl Tu’inukuafe, Tyrel Lomax, Ofa Tu’ungafasi, Dane Coles, Codie Taylor, Asafo Aumua, Patrick Tuipulotu, Sam Whitelock, Tupou Vaa’i, Quinten Strange, Sam Cane, Cullegn Grace , Ardie Savea, Hoskins Sotutu, Akira Ioane, Dalton Papalii, Shannon Frizell.
Backs:
Aaron Smith, TJ Perenara, Brad Weber, Richie Mo’unga, Beauden Barrett, Jack Goodhue, Anton Lienert-Brown, Rieko Ioane, Braydon Ennor, Jordie Barrett, Sevu Reece, Caleb Clarke, George Bridge, Will Jordan, Damian McKenzie.
Recommended
More news 
Mailing list
Sign up for our mailing list to receive a weekly overview of the wider world of rugby.
Register now
[ad_2]
