Razor’s Watch: Key All Black injured as old and new faces stand out in Super Rugby Pacific

Split-with-David-Havili-Crusaders-Cortez-Ratima-Chiefs-and-Patrick-Tuipulotu-Blues

We are back with another edition of Razor’s Watch after a thrilling Round 11 in Super Rugby Pacific that included wins for all New Zealand sides except the Crusaders.

This week’s selection round-up sees both new and old faces featuring while there are some big names in the casualty ward which may prove to be a concern for All Blacks head coach Scott Robertson.

Hurricanes trio

The Wellington men continue riding the summit of the table with another brilliant win over the Waratahs last weekend. Unsurprisingly full-back Ruben Love was on song yet again as he made good metres with ball in hand and beat five defenders on the day. The ‘Canes star looks dangerous every time he gets the ball and plays a massive role in transitional attack. His consistency is making him more and more of a Test prospect.

Number eight Brayden Iose is another player who embodies consistency as he put in yet another banging shift for the Hurricanes which included a try and six players beaten. Unfortunately for the star, there are plenty of options for the All Blacks back-row but Iose is doing everything he can to throw his name in the mix.

Developing back-row Peter Lakai had a good outing again and showed off how powerful his rugby brain is with a few key touches on both attack and defence. He looks to have just about all the ingredients required to become a superstar. That will take some time but Lakai has been a key element to the Hurricanes’ success thus far.

Brilliant Blues

Last week’s Razor Watch had a big mention for Patrick Tuipulotu and the veteran underlined his stature with another solid outing. The big Blue offers tremendous value to the Auckland side by constantly carrying the ball, commanding the line-out and offering calm leadership. With the form he is in and the aura he gives off Tuipulotu could well be a gold nugget for Robertson’s All Blacks.

Outside of Tuipulotu’s influence, both wings Caleb Clarke and Mark Tele’a have shown great form again. One would think the pair would be crucial for the first series of the Robertson era against England so it is promising from an All Blacks perspective to see the wingers in good fettle.

Critical Chiefs

Seemingly one of the most important players for the All Blacks in 2024, Damian McKenzie, had yet another good game and underlined his status as the leading 10 in the country but will likely have to sit out Round 12 due to concussion. DMac’s influence is extremely impressive and the rise of scrum-half Cortez Ratima has certainly added to that.

Ratima bagged a hat-trick of assists and throws himself well into the All Blacks selection picture, particularly with the departure of Aaron Smith and long-term injury to Cam Roigard. His partnership with McKenzie and try-threat nature certainly makes him a prospect.

After his heartbreaking injury before the Rugby World Cup Emoni Narawa has returned with vengeance and is playing some lethal rugby. He always seems to be on the scoreboard and no doubt he will be involved in the All Blacks picture.

Sevu ‘strike-rate’ Reece

The all-time leading try-scorer for the Crusaders has an incredible strike-rate and he continued that yet again despite his side losing. Many attributes can be coached but some players just have that innate prolific ability to always be in the right place at the right time and Reece is one of those players.

He will be desperate to return to the black jersey after also missing the World Cup to injury and there is no doubt he will be on Robertson’s list.

David Havili position change

It is always tough to comprehensively analyse a fly-half’s influence behind a retreating pack but Havili’s move to fly-half for the Crusaders showed some promise and is certainly worth trying again.

Whether or not this will have an influence in the All Blacks set-up is yet to truly be seen but having a ball-playing centre who is a fly-half option is never a bad thing to have.

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Injury ward

Crusaders skipper Scott Barrett is a massive blow as he left the field after just 13 minutes with a back issue which is made even more concerning when considering it was just his second game back from injury. Further details and timelines are yet to be confirmed but his presence for the Crusaders and All Blacks is imperative.

Chief Samipeni Finau has been in some outside form despite the criticism received for some of his borderline tackles, and was possibly tracking for a starting spot for the All Blacks, but unfortunately left the field last weekend clutching his left arm. There is no indication as to the severity of the injury with the team feeling positive but it is less than ideal timing. Only time will tell whether he will recover in time for the Test season.

Elsewhere, Blues centre and experienced All Black Rieko Ioane suffered a nasty-looking concussion at the weekend but should recover within a couple of weeks.