Anton Lienert-Brown is determined to make the most of a rare starting opportunity at centre for the All Blacks against Argentina, saying: "I’m very aware that the midfield is highly competitive".
Lienert-Brown has dislodged Rieko Ioane for the No.13 jersey and will start in Wellington on Saturday night alongside Jordie Barrett in the midfield.
It is a selection that highlights the more ruthless selection policies under the Scott Robertson regime compared with the Ian Foster reign.
Foster was wary of changing too much too soon – he was reluctant to select young props Tamaiti Williams and Fletcher Newell until forced to by injury, for example – but Robertson signalled his intent by leaving halfback Finlay Christie out of the Rugby Championship squad and has continued by dropping Ioane to the reserves bench.
It is a case of rewarding form but Lienert-Brown will bring a different cutting edge to the All Blacks’ attack and, after three Tests this year – two wins over England and one over Fiji – that is the main area of improvement Robertson and company are seeking.
“Obviously when you’re in this team you want to be pushing for a starting spot,” Lienert-Brown said. “To get that this weekend, I think it’s a massive opportunity. I’m very aware that the midfield is highly competitive. I know the quality of the five players that sit in there. I’m really looking forward to this weekend.
“There’s a lot of respect in that group. I think there’s a mutual understanding that there is a lot of quality and that at any given time someone can do a job in that jersey.”
Robertson said his line-up, which includes the return of Will Jordan via the reserves bench, with Ethan Blackadder in at blindside flanker and Tupou Vaa’i and Sam Darry in the second row, was “the best team for this Test match against Argentina.
“We had a conversation with Rieko. It’s a competitive position. We’ve got two or three players we can now pick. It’s a performance-based sport. Everyone has areas they can work on and we’ve gone with Anton.”
Asked whether Robertson was impressed with Lienert-Brown’s performance against Fiji in San Diego when he started at second-five inside Test debutant Billy Proctor, Robertson replied, “very, because that’s why we picked him".
“He’s been in great form all year on both sides of the ball. He’s a good leader in our group so we’re pleased for Anton.
“I’ve always mentioned that my job is to create depth in this All Blacks team so guys can step in. To get great depth you need great competition and to get great competition you need to train hard and take opportunities when they’re given. It is a competitive market at the moment in the team and the guys are stepping up to it.”
Robertson and his fellow coaches will likely want to see Lienert-Brown doing the fundamentals well; and that includes distributing the ball effectively – a recent black mark against Ioane who still occasionally struggles to let go of the instincts which made him one of the best left wings in the world between the 2015 and 2019 World Cups.
“In the first two Test matches we created a lot of opportunities early but didn’t execute,” Robertson said in a summary of what he would like to see on Saturday. “It got into an arm wrestle and the games got close. That’s been a focus.”
Potentially helping with that will be Jordan, one of the best strike weapons in the game, who is returning from a shoulder injury for his first Test since last year’s World Cup final.
He will clearly have to bide his team before he claims a starting spot and it may not be fullback in the short term given Beauden Barrett’s form there last month.
Jordan prepared for the Test with a pre-season game for Tasman in Christchurch recently, Robertson saying: “I saw a great try, a trademark try and his anticipation off the ball. He’s in good nick, he’s fit and ready to go. Obviously, Beauden has been exceptional so to have Will Jordan coming off the bench to make an impact is special isn’t it?”
The Pumas, well beaten by the All Blacks in last year’s World Cup semifinal, have been building under new coach Felipe Contepomi.
The Springboks are looming but Robertson left his audience in no doubt as to how seriously his side were taking Argentina.
“You don’t get to the final four of the World Cup without having a serious Test team,” he said.
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