The inclusion of halfback Noah Hotham in the All Blacks’ Rugby Championship squad at the expense of Finlay Christie is a signal towards a more attacking mindset under head coach Scott Robertson and, it could be argued, is a major break from the Ian Foster era.
Hotham, Cortez Ratima and TJ Perenara are the halfback options for the next campaign, which starts with a Test against Argentina in Wellington on August 10.
The first two, with one Test cap and two Test caps respectively, have made the squad due to their running games, with incumbent Perenara’s major strength the experience his 81 caps provide.
“We want to create competition in the group and when we do that we create depth also. It’s the opportunity... to see more of Noah in the environment,” assistant coach Scott Hansen said today.
“The conversation we’ve had with Finlay is to go back to Tasman, continue to work on his game, [show] high energy and continue to be instinctive around his attacking game.”
“Attacking” is the key word here. Both Hotham, who impressed off the reserves bench against Fiji in San Diego, and Ratima, who did well in that Test before leaving with a head injury and excelled off the bench on debut against England at Eden Park, possess something that Christie and even Perenara do not.
And that is an instinctive and consistently dangerous running game that puts tacklers in two minds – crucial when combating a rush defence which was so effective for England during the All Blacks’ tight series victory this month.
Cam Roigard, out with a long-term knee injury, is perhaps the best in the country in terms of his running game and threat near the line.
Despite those qualities, he wasn’t used by Foster and company for the World Cup final in Paris last year – Aaron Smith and Christie were preferred, the latter for his defensive ability – but it’s clear that Robertson and halfback specialist Hansen see things differently.
One wonders, too, whether the pugnacious and dangerous Roigard might have changed the game for the All Blacks in that tightest of finals, won 12-11 by South Africa.
Meanwhile, Hotham, Hansen said, “gave us a point of difference”.
“He’s not a halfback you need to tell to run. He’s a halfback who finds it through instinct and they’re the un-coachable bits he’s got in his game. He’s earned the opportunity. Against Fiji … he changed the point of attack.”
Hansen added: “All 10s in world rugby love nines … [when] they look at the nine and they think they’re about to receive the pass and all of a sudden the nine runs. What that does to the defence is totally different around the need to acknowledge threats. It’s instinctive in Noah’s game. You’ve got Cortez who can do it, also.
“What that does for your attack is we’ve got new spaces to look at.”
None of the current crop of halfbacks can replicate the passing game of Smith, now retired from Tests and playing in Japan.
What Hotham, Cortez and Roigard (likely to rejoin the squad for the end-of-year tour) can do, however, is light up the attack in different and more direct ways.
“We’re lucky to have nines able to do that,” Hansen said.
The major test will be incorporating those instincts into an overall game management strategy which includes effective kicking.
Perenara, who injured his left knee in the first Test against England, will likely play for Wellington at the weekend as he continues his comeback.
Hansen, who confirmed Highlanders halfback Folau Fakatava was still on his radar, was unable to provide a time frame for the return of Roigard, saying: “Cam’s got a lot of rugby in front of him so we’ve got to manage this really well for him. We know … his influence on Super Rugby [for the Hurricanes] in the early rounds was phenomenal so we’ve got to look after the kid to make sure when he comes back he’s comfortable and confident.”
Skipper and lock Scott Barrett, who recently had surgery on a broken finger suffered against Fiji, is also working his way back on an unknown timeline. Barrett must be a big doubt for the first Pumas Test.
“We’ll do everything we can as fast as we can to have him back and available,” Hansen said.
The other player let go from the squad is Chiefs wing Emoni Narawa, the selectors including Will Jordan, finally back from a shoulder problem, and the uncapped Ruben Love instead.
Hansen said the 23-year-old Love, a fullback who had a standout season at the Hurricanes, impressed while training with the All Blacks this month.
He confirmed Jordan had been selected in the 36-player squad as a specialist fullback who had the ability to play on the right wing.
Asked about Jordan’s readiness to play Test rugby, Hansen said: “He is a player who can come out and play Test match footy straight away. We know that about Will.”
The other experienced player returning from injury is former skipper Sam Cane, who is fit again after back surgery four months ago.
Hansen hinted that the recalled Jordan and Cane could be included for the first Pumas Test.
Asked about the selection philosophy for that match, he said: “There will be players rewarded through their past experiences and most recent ones around putting the All Black jersey back on. As selectors we have met and discussed what our squad make-up looks like.”
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