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Assembling an All Blacks 'B' team

Patrick Tuipulotu. Photo / Getty Images

To tie a player’s eligibility to one nation, he has to represent that country in either their national team or their elected second team.

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In New Zealand’s case, it’s been a number of years now since their designated second team actually played a game at all. The Junior All Blacks’ most recent fixture was played way back in 2009, in the Pacific Nations Cup, a tournament which used to include the likes of the JABS, the Maori All Blacks (never at the same time) and Australia A (Australia’s second designated team).

Since 2009, the Maori All Blacks have had numerous matches, playing at least a few games every season. For whatever reason, however, the New Zealand Rugby Union has decided that the JABs are a team no longer worth maintaining with but also have not indicated that they’d like to change their second designated team – all this resulting in no NZ players having their eligibility captured by NZ unless they’ve represented the All Blacks.

Were the team to be reassembled today, the talent on offer would be incredible – offering New Zealand a chance to give international exposure to the many players who have not quite managed to force their way into the top squad.

2018 proposed Junior All Blacks squad

Props – Michael Alaalatoa, Dan Lienert-Brown, Nepo Laulala, Tyrel Lomax

Laulala, who performed so well for the All Blacks last year, spent most of the Super Rugby season on the sideline, but should be match fit in the near future. Lienert-Brown has made all the right moves in the last year and has a soft pair of hands for a prop – injuries to a number of other possible All Black props means he’s the next cab off the ranks. Michael Alaalatoa has been faced with the mighty task of backing up Owen Franks at the Crusaders but is progressing well and could be worth a shot in the future.

Highlander Lomax is an interesting case – he has been earmarked for big things and was swiped from Australia, but his debut season for the men from Dunedin wasn’t especially impressive. Still, he certainly has the pedigree and raw potential needed to be an international prop.

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Hookers – Ricky Riccitelli, Ash Dixon

Riccitelli deputised particularly well for the Hurricanes in Coles’ absence and, whilst his lineout accuracy wasn’t always up to scratch, his open field play was everything we’ve come to expect from the new breed of hookers. Dixon is an experienced hand who would manage fine in the All Blacks jersey if called upon today. It’s assumed that Liam Coltman will be selected in the main squad.

Locks – Patrick Tuipulotu, Luke Romano, Jackson Hemopo, Thomas Franklin

The second-row selections are men who have all spent time in the All Blacks set up before, with Franklin being the only one to have not earned an international cup. Hemopo’s rise to fame has been meteoric, whereas the other three have been grafting away for a number of years. You can expect to see a number of these players suiting up for the All Blacks throughout the year when injuries inevitably strike.

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Loose Forwards – Dillon Hunt, Jordan Taufua, Gareth Evans, Lachlan Boshier, Luke Jacobson, Akira Ioane

With Matt Todd’s future up in the air due to his impending season in Japan, there’s room for a third openside flanker to press their case for national honours. Evans has been playing superbly for the Hurricanes this year (though primarily at 6 or 8) and Boshier has gone from strength to strength with the Chiefs, while Hunt has already spent time in the extended All Blacks squad.

Taufua and Ioane are both power players who have been in and out of All Blacks squads in recent times but it’s Jacobson who could see a quick rise in the near future after an impressive debut season for the Chiefs.

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Halfbacks – Brad Weber, Bryn Hall

Weber has been one of the form halfbacks in the competition and many would like to see him return to the All Blacks squad for the Rugby Championship – though it’s likely his Chiefs backup Te Toiroa Tahuriorangi will continue to hold him out of the squad. Hall has had a breakout season for the Crusaders and will be enjoying the move he made from the Blues a couple of years ago.

First Fives – Stephen Perofeta, Bryn Gatland, Tiaan Falcon

Perofeta’s designation as “the next big thing” ensures that he’d be tasked with guiding the backline around – but his ability to cover midfield and fullback means there’s space for two more specialists. Gatland may never make it to the next level, but he’s a relatively safe pair of hands in an experienced backline. Falcon showed some good touches in the few games he had for the Chiefs early in the year and was a standout for the NZ U20 team in recent years.

Centres – Matt Proctor, Rob Thompson, Richard Buckman

Proctor, described by Chris Boyd as the best defensive centre in Super Rugby, had to sit out the latter stages of 2018’s Super Rugby competition, but the Hurricane’s stats while he was on the field seem to back up Boyd’s claims. Thompson came of age in the Highlanders backline this year, showing a great range of skills (including a number of deft kicks) and could push for higher honours in the years to come. Thompson’s teammate, Richard Buckman, has trained with the All Blacks previously and could offer a reliable stop-gap option if needed. Outside of these three, there were few non-All Black midfielders that stood out this year.

Outside Backs – Matt Duffie, Ben Lam, George Bridge, David Kaetau Havili, Solomona Alaimalo, Shaun Stevenson

As always, there is no shortage of talented, young outside backs doing the rounds in Super Rugby. Assuming Nehe Milner-Skudder’s selection in the first team, Havili, Duffie or Alaimalo would likely cover the fullback position (though, truth be told, everyone barring Lam could hold the position if need be), giving space for Lam and Bridge to run riot on the wings. Alaimalo and Bridge, in particular, must be very close to making the All Blacks and will almost certainly get a run for the team in the coming years.

Due to the sheer depth at New Zealand’s disposal, a team of up and coming All Blacks would be very competitive on the world circuit. In fact, in the JAB’s short history they have yet to taste defeat. The Maori All Blacks, by comparison, have a much tougher time in their matches due to their selection requirements – notably less than a quarter of the above selected players would be eligible to represent the Maori All Blacks.

In upcoming years, we may see the return of New Zealand’s ‘second XV’ – it would be a great spectacle to see the Junior All Blacks face off against either the Maori All Blacks or the top national team in a future invitational.

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fl 3 hours ago
The Fergus Burke test and rugby's free market

"Do you think Ntamack now is a better player than he was at 21?"


That's hard to say, but he certainly hasn't got much better. At 20 he was the top scorer in the six nations, and hasn't been since. At 20 he scored 3 tries in the six nations, and hasn't scored that many since. At 20 he was nominated for 6 nations player of the tournament, and hasn't been since. At 22 he was selected at 10 in the offical 6 nations team of the tournament, and hasn't been since. About a year or two ago a load of people started saying he was the best 10 in the world, which they hadn't previously, but my perception was that this was less because he had gotten better, and more that in 2020 his world class performances could be written off as flukes whereas by 2023 they were clearly representative of his genuine talent.


"Isn't that what your asking for from Marcus?"


Is what what I'm asking for from Marcus?


This thread began with me trying to explain that there is no reason to think that Marcus Smith will improve going forwards. Do you agree or disagree with that point?


"that the team wants/needs an older version of Dan Carter? Or are you just basing this of win ratio."


What? I literally argued that Dan Carter was at least as good when he was young as he was when he was older. And no, I'm not basing this off win ratio; I just think that England's low win ratio is partly a result of Marcus Smith being much worse than people realise.


"Of course some don't continue to develop past the age of 20. You're not really making any sort of argument unless you have new data. 26/27 is undoubtedly the peak of most positions/peole."


That is literally the argument I am making though. The fact that you agree with me doesn't invalidate my point. People in this thread were arguing that Marcus Smith would continue to improve going forwards; I argued that he might not, and that even if he does he is already not far from his peak. He will literally be 26 next month, so if you are right that 26/27 is undoubtedly the peak of most "peole", he's only got 5 more weeks of development in him!


"Hahaha, define "good"? I'd suggest to you theyre a "good" side now"


I think finishing 3rd at the world cup is good. I think beating Ireland is good. I think losing 5 consecutive matches isn't good. I define good in terms of winning games, and I think that the world rankings are a pretty good metric for quantifying whether consequential games have been won in a team's recent history. How are you defining "good"?


"Surely Ford or Farrell must have had a period of great success somewhere? What about 2015?"


I honestly don't know what you're talking about, or how it bears any relation to this conversation. Farrell probably peaked sometime around 2016 or 2017, Ford probably peaked a couple of years later, but Ford is still a better player now than Marcus Smith is.


"But my point was more the game in England. Having only recently adapted a more open game, the pioneers of that are going to find others take a while to catch up (your point about the rest of the team)."


England adapted pretty quickly to an open game in the six nations last year, and have got worse since then. If England play in the attacking style of play that is common in the premiership the players will pick it up quickly, as they are well used to it.


"So you want the rest of the team trying to halt this momentum and go back to a forward based game ala the success of the last two WCs?"


Seriously, what are you talking about? I don't want "the rest of the team trying to half this momentum", I want the rest of the team to be allowed to play the attacking rugby that comes naturally to them. You seem to have decided that because Marcus Smith has pioneered a style of rugby that works for a mid-table premiership side, the entire England national team should be forced to play it, even if it takes them years to learn it, and lose almost all their matches in the process?

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