Razor Watch: Scott Robertson’s second All Blacks debut, selection debates and predicted line-up to face England
Split with All Blacks Dalton Papali'i, Damian McKenzie and Scott Robertson.
For the first time in Razor Watch’s history, the weekly feature takes place on Test week with much to discuss ahead of the All Blacks’ clash with England including a predicted line-up at the end.
Test debut
This time it is not a reference to a player as such but rather head coach Scott ‘Razor’ Robertson who, unlike many All Blacks coaches that were encouraged to gain experience abroad first, gets his Test debut at the helm of the famous side.
It is a massive moment for one of the statistically best coaches the game has ever seen at club level. Now everyone is waiting with bated breath to see how he goes at the highest echelon of the game.
He has the temperament, he has the ethos and quite frankly there is an air of inevitability about the coach and only time will tell how he handles the pressure.
Balancing the back-row
Considering it is Razor’s first Test and also taking into account the quality of an ever-improving England side under Steve Borthwick, one would think the All Blacks boss will opt for the more secure selections, meaning the team for the most part should select itself.
That, of course, is not the case for all the units on the field with the back-row being one of the codes he needs to crack. The tricky part about it is how much talent there is in this area.
Ardie Savea is a sure selection, probably at number eight as it is unlikely Robertson will throw Wallace Sititi straight into the mix against England. That means someone needs to take Sam Cane’s openside spot and Dalton Papali’i is well poised to do that with his Test experience and leadership a big bonus. One feels the Blues man’s time has finally come.
The biggest question mark is blindside with Samipeni Finau the obvious selection on form. However, Ethan Blackadder is a quality player and Razor knows him so well from his Crusaders days. It will be interesting to see where he goes with this but in our minds we see Finau getting the nod initially. Blackadder off the bench is a massive bonus considering he can play across the back-row and if the All Blacks opt for a 6-2 split he is gold dust. The powerful thing here is that whichever way it goes it will be a very strong back-row.
Who for half-backs?
The bigger debate is the half-backs. At nine there is the departure of Aaron Smith and injury to Cam Roigard to navigate. Fortunately, for Razor, the return of TJ Perenara has been special and he adds so much in terms of leadership and experience, making him the obvious option to start.
Cortez Ratima has been electric and on form is right up there challenging Perenara. He also has the added bonus of his combination with Damian McKenzie which could be a factor. Still, we doubt he will start in Razor’s first game in charge but he may have done enough to pip Finlay Christie to the bench despite the latter’s experience. Perhaps if the Blues man didn’t have an injury-disrupted season he could have even pushed to start.
Scott Robertson likens Cortez Ratima to former All Blacks star and addresses lock depth ahead of England series
What happens at nine could be influenced by who wears the fly-half shirt. It’s a straight shoot-out between Damian McKenzie and Beauden Barrett. There is no denying that McKenzie has been sensational for the Chiefs and many feel his time is now and we agree. The lack of full-back depth suggests that one of these players has to be 15 and we think it will be Barrett. It is such a luxury because on the one hand, there is a genius playmaker who is desperate to play fly-half and on the other, there is an all-time great in either position. Whatever way it happens the pair have to both be on the field and run the attack in tandem because, with respect to Stephen Perofeta, that is objectively the best way forward.
Bench split
While Robertson has hinted at a forward-heavy bench split we are not sure it’s viable to play a 6-2 or 7-1, mainly because of the lack of locks in the squad. Robertson could put Tupou Vaa’i, Blackadder and Sititi on the bench with the idea of Finau moving into the second-row at some point in the match, but the question is will that have more impact than someone like Anton Lienert-Brown?
In the same breath, it might be worth getting Finau some Test match experience in the locks considering how thin the squad is there. One injury or suspension could spell trouble for Robertson.
Predicted line-up
Razor Watch’s predicted line-up is almost exactly as suggested by Planet Rugby editor Adam Kyriacou, with the only change being Ratima being preferred to Christie on the bench.
Predicted All Blacks: 15 Beauden Barrett, 14 Sevu Reece, 13 Rieko Ioane, 12 Jordie Barrett, 11 Mark Tele’a, 10 Damian McKenzie, 9 TJ Perenara, 8 Ardie Savea, 7 Dalton Papali’i, 6 Samipeni Finau, 5 Patrick Tuipulotu, 4 Scott Barrett (C), 3 Tyrel Lomax, 2 Codie Taylor, 1 Ethan de Groot
Replacements: 16 Asafo Aumua, 17 Ofa Tu’ungafasi, 18 Tamaiti Williams, 19 Tupou Vaa’i, 20 Ethan Blackadder, 21 Cortez Ratima, 22 Anton Lienert-Brown, 23 Emoni Narawa