Scott Robertson’s All Blacks first team: tough choices ahead and who will Brent Anderson be in 2024?

THREE KEY FACTS

– by Scott Robertson future All Blacks selection may leave some top players out, especially in open spots up front and at the back.

– Brent Anderson’s exclusion from the 1987 Rugby World Cup
the team was an emotional TV moment but it will never happen again.

– Will be the return of Blues captain Patrick Tuipolutu for the Pacific Super Rugby final have any impact?

Paul Lewis is a veteran sports journalist who has written four books and covered the Rugby World Cups, America’s Cups, Olympic and Commonwealth Games and more.

OPINION

The flip side of any All Blacks selection, amid all the cheering and back-patting, is the emptiness of the unnecessary; those who almost make it, but not quite.

They always, for me, conjure up the image of one Brent Anderson, a Wairarapa-Bush bloke who had only played one Test for the All Blacks (lost to Australia 13-12) but was in contention for a place in the squad . first team for the 1987 Rugby World Cup.

Anderson played as part of the Baby Blacks – the 1986 team hastily split from youngsters and provincial stalwarts like Anderson when the senior All Blacks were banned from the rebel Cavaliers’ tour of South Africa. When he replaced the injured Gordon Macpherson, he was effectively the seventh blocking option after Andy Haden, Gary Whetton, Murray Pierce and Albert Anderson were banned and Andy Earl and Macpherson took over.

Brent Anderson was one of the contenders for the tournament brought to an Auckland venue to hear the World Cup team named, then a televised event.

Those named to the team had subdued celebrations – you didn’t want to be too big a pony on TV, but you couldn’t hide their enjoyment. When the name “Anderson” was read, it belonged to Albert Anderson of Canterbury; Brent wasn’t necessary. The camera lingered on him too long, his sadness at missing a disturbing sight, though he kept his expression as still as possible.

We shouldn’t give the wrong impression – there was no gnashing of teeth or crying into Diet Coke. The body language, the slumping of the shoulders, and the visible certainty running through his mind that all his work had been in vain was only too obvious.

It had one benefit – never before had such matters been televised, at least not with the cameras lingering on the misses.

Anderson was also selected for the 1987 tour of Japan when the beleaguered senior All Blacks were rested – but his unfortunate exposure on national TV remains a bad memory.

On Monday, when Scott Robertson names his long-awaited squad for his first season in charge, who will be the Brent Andersons of 2024? One thing is for sure – there won’t be much angst in the locks.

With Tupou Vaa’i and Scott Barrett the last two senior locks left standing and Patrick Tuipulotu making a miracle return, most predict Robertson will fill in for the Crusaders’ Quinten Strange or the Blues’ Sam Darry (both if injury strikes Tuipulotu again ) – although a few believe Hurricanes’ Isaia Walker-Leaware made a late bid for inclusion. But while the locker room is pretty bare, what about other positions where New Zealand have abundant riches – such as loose forwards and outside backs?

The All Blacks have always enjoyed world-class looses; they have been the difference in many Test matches against tough opposition; internal competition has always been intense.

Look at the contenders for what will be, depending on your point of view, five or six vacant forward spots in Robertson’s first team: Dalton Papalii, Hoskins Sotutu, Akira Ioane (Blues); Luke Jacobson, Wallace Sititi, Samipeni Finau (bosses); Duplessis Kirifi, Braden Iose, Peter Lakai (Hurricanes); Ethan Blackadder, Cullen Grace, Tom Christie (Crusaders); Billy Harmon (Highlanders). That’s 13 class contenders for what could only be five places – four once you factor in the return of Ardie Savea from Japan.

Nothing is what you would call a long shot. All could wear the black jersey with distinction. Someone very good will be excluded; more than one, come to that.

It’s the same on the outside back. The picture here is a little more blurred as the two remaining Barretts – Beauden and Jordie – can both cover full-back (as can Damian McKenzie and Stephen Perofeta if selected), so there could be a bit more emphasis on wings in the five outer spots on the back. Main competitors: Caleb Clarke, Mark Telea and AJ Lam (Blues); Emoni Narawa, Etene Nanai-Seturo, Shaun Stevenson (Chiefs); Salesi Rayasi, Kini Naholo, Ruben Love (Hurricanes); Sevu Reece, Macca Springer (Crusaders); Jona Nareki, Timoci Tavatavanawai (Highlanders).

There are 13 more – not even counting the injured Will Jordan or Beauden Barrett, fresh back from Japan and not yet established here. The six main candidates: Clarke, Telea, Narawa, Stevenson, Love and Reece. However, there is plenty of game-breaking ability in that 13. Once again, the abundant talent is about to run out of an international stage to showcase it.

For what it’s worth, here’s this column’s take on who should make the team at these positions:

Free forwards – I think they could select five props, which means there’s room for six looses in a 32 man squad: Blackadder, Finau, Savea, Papalii, Sotutu and one of Sititi or Lakai, Lakai getting the nod, because he can play in all three. free advance positions.

The back outside – if you listen to the gossip, Ruben Love is about to make the team, although my preference would be for Stevenson, who can play fullback and fullback. However, assuming Beauden Barrett is named elsewhere, the five could also be: Clarke, Telea, Narawa, Love and Stevenson.