Rugby: The contenders to win an All Blacks call-up when Ian Foster announces a planned oversized Rugby Championship team

By Alex McLeod of RugbyPass.com

Less than a fortnight has passed since Ian Foster named his first All Blacks team, but the New Zealand head coach already plans to add 10 to 11 more players to his 35-man team for the Rugby Championship.

The quarantine restrictions upon their arrival in Australia for the tournament would leave potential injury replacements in limbo if requested during November and December, prompting Foster to announce today that nearly a dozen players will travel with their original team.

As a result, we have reviewed a large number of players in line for a possible retirement from an All Blacks team that could include up to 46 men.

Liam Coltman (Otago)

Lineout inaccuracies have been the root of Liam Coltman’s disappearance from World Cup hooker to back the Highlanders’ rake in a matter of months.

Still, the eight-test veteran has plenty of experience to offer, and would be a suitable fourth-string hooker to support Codie Taylor, Dance Coles and Asafo Aumua.

Highlanders co-captain Ash Dixon was impressive enough to keep Coltman on the bench this year, but at 32, he has no sights set on getting his first test cap, although the Blues, Kurt Eklund, might have a long shot of getting it. beating Coltman in the punch.

Angus Ta’avao (Auckland)

Featured by Foster as one of two players, along with Coltman as the more unfortunate to miss the initial 35-man squad, the Australian Rugby Championship host rights act as a gift-wrapped opportunity for Angus Ta ‘ avao won a retreat.

Dropped from the national team after making just three appearances since returning from a six-month quadriceps injury, it appears the 14-test mainstay has the experience and versatility to be a solid backup option for players like Ofa Tu’ungafasi. , Nepo. Laulala and Joe Moody on the other side of the ditch.

Manaaki Selby-Rickit (Southland)

With Brodie Retallick (sabbatical) and Scott Barrett (toe injury) unavailable for the remainder of the year, Foster was forced to name two uncapped locks to accompany Patrick Tuipulotu and Sam Whitelock.

By naming standout stars Quinten Strange and Tupou Vaa’i, Foster delivered a few surprises by leaving without injured couple Pari Pari Parkinson and Josh Dickson.

However, the Highlanders ‘blocking partners, whose individual qualities made them worthy contenders for the All Blacks’ early calls, could be usurped in the race for an international debut by their franchise teammate Manaaki Selby-Rickit.

Starring from the South Island bench in this month’s North vs. South clash, Selby-Rickit proved he has the raw athleticism to flourish in the future, and it wouldn’t be unfathomable to see the South Korean join Strange and Vaa’i as a result. weather. -Term development projects.

Scott Scrafton (Auckland)

Selby-Rickit’s biggest threat to an All Blacks call-up would apparently be Auckland veteran Scott Scrafton.

In a move that would be indicative of how rare New Zealand locks stocks are, the 27-year-old can top the hierarchy behind Tuipulotu, Whitelock, Strange and Vaa’i through his comparative wealth of experience that he can flex. about Selby- Rickit.

Scrafton’s six years of provincial rugby and five seasons of Super Rugby could be what Foster wants to have at his disposal in Australia, and that could make the second 2-meter rower one of the most unlikely All Blacks picks since. that Brett Cameron played Japan two years ago.

Lachlan Boshier (Taranaki)

Wallabies boss Dave Rennie has made no secret that his former Chiefs star Lachlan Boshier was denied the All Blacks selection as he lost to teammates Sam Cane, Ardie Savea and Dalton Papalii.

However, his rich streak of form at this year’s Super Rugby could well be rewarded as it is believed that as many as two loose forwards will be added to the Rugby Championship team on tour.

If two other loose forwards are chosen, one of those players would be assumed to play the role of seeker or thief, and given how well he has played for the Chiefs, it would be tough to remove Boshier from an extended team.

Tom Sanders (Canterbury)

Who fills the alternate forward role as an enforcer-type player is more debatable, but there was a lot of praise for Tom Sanders’ efforts for the South Island a couple of weeks ago.

Playing at No. 8 but equally skilled on the blind side flanker, the Cantabrian was a handful for the North, prompting some experts to predict it as an outside shot to make Foster’s 35-man cut.

That fell through, but with nearly a dozen other players on the team, it would be hard to imagine Sanders not coming into consideration.

Marino Mikaele-Tu’u (Hawke’s Bay)

Marino Mikaele-Tu’u, more prominent than Sanders this year, was unfortunate enough to have missed the North squad considering how well he did in Super Rugby.

One of the most improved players in the competition this year, the 23-year-old was a sensation at the back of the scrum for the Highlanders, dominating in various attacking stats across the board.

Mikaele-Tu’u’s powerful ball carrier has made his transition to fill Luke Whitelock’s boots much smoother than most would have anticipated, and for that reason, the Hawke’s Bay product should be close to pressuring. to Sanders for inclusion in the expanded team.

Finlay Christie (Tasmania)

After years on the fringes of New Zealand’s Super Rugby teams, Finlay Christie finally enjoyed a great campaign with the Blues following his off-season trade from the Hurricanes.

Riding the resurgent wave of the Auckland franchise, the Scottish-born rider was rewarded for his contribution to the Blues finale in the Super Rugby Aotearoa runner-up by winning North v South honors with South Island.

Being named alongside All Blacks starters Aaron Smith, TJ Perenara and Brad Weber in the game day squads is indicative of Christie’s position in the New Zealand media pecking order, and he would have to be among the top. candidates to support that trio if necessary.

Bay of Plenty

Christie’s biggest obstacle to winning the international team is the three-round All Black Te Toiroa Tahuriorangi.

Since his shock call to the national squad two years ago, the new Bay of Plenty recruit has struggled to outmaneuver Weber in the Chiefs environment, with limited playing time preventing him from building a case for retirement.

Yet it is that international experience that may make Tahuriorangi more favorable to the All Blacks selectors than Christie in what is shaping up to be a Selby-Rickit v Scrafton-type selection predicament at blocking.

Josh Ioane (Otago)

Aside from Boshier, Highlanders playmaker Josh Ioane can be considered the most unfortunate player to miss the national team a couple of weeks ago, contrary to what Foster said about Ta’avao and Coltman.

Being played out of position at the beginning of the year and having a nagging injury throughout Super Rugby Aotearoa hampered the 24-year-old’s chances of increasing his testing limit, but a spectacular finish to the season from No. 10 catapulted him from back in the conversation.

Throw in your precise cross kick to set Will Jordan’s game-winning attempt for the South into the mix, and you feel like it’s only a matter of time, if not a few weeks, before Ioane returns to the All Blacks.

Peter Umaga-Jensen (Wellington)

A breakout campaign for the Hurricanes and a broken forearm held by his franchise teammate Ngani Laumape has paved the way for Peter Umaga-Jensen to emerge from the precipice of the All Blacks selection.

Kicking off the season as a future star for the future, the 22-year-old midfielder got to the plate sooner than many thought, impressing with a balance of orderly distribution and devastating ball transport.

His form resulted in a North vs. South call-up, and while that was not enough to force his way to the national team in the first round, few can demand a selection based on form as Umaga-Jensen does.

Mark Telea (Tasmania)

Speaking of breakout campaigns, Tasmanian sprinter Mark Telea can’t be far from joining the All Blacks as backs following his stellar debut season with the Blues.

Emerging many times on the right wing as part of an electric Blues bottom line, Telea was one of Super Rugby’s best rookies, and his inclusion in the North team is a clue that the All Blacks selectors have noted your efforts therefore. far.

Although he did not take the field in that match, his feats of scoring attempts could be enough to guarantee a spot on the national field.

This article first appeared on RugbyPass.com and has been republished with permission.