It's abundantly clear that Leicester Fainga’anuku has quickly become one of the most versatile and important players in head coach Scott Robertson’s backline – and he is poised to play a key role again for the All Blacks against England.
Adaptability has been a key theme for Robertson this year. He wants players thriving in more than one position and Fainga’anuku, moved from centre to left wing to cover for the injured Caleb Clarke this week, has that and more.
Fainga’anuku’s offloading game has been a revelation for the All Blacks over the past fortnight and it is one they cannot now do without.
Damian McKenzie got all the plaudits for his sensational try in the left corner against Scotland last weekend but it was Fainga’anuku’s ability to hold the defence, stand in the tackle and put McKenzie away that created the opportunity.
Likewise, it was Fainga’anuku’s offload against Ireland that sent Will Jordan away on the run leading to an Ardie Savea try a phase later.
The 26-year-old started on the left wing against the Wallabies in Perth, and played a huge role off the bench at centre against Ireland in the wake of Jordie Barrett’s injury before shining in the No.13 jersey against Scotland.
He will likely be given a roaming brief by Robertson as the All Blacks attempt to crack what will be a well-connected defence at Twickenham on Sunday morning NZT.
In explaining his selections to media in London this morning, it was suggested to Robertson that Fainga’anuku had played extremely well at centre for the past 12 months for Toulon – inferring it was a risk to move him to cover for Clarke.
Robertson quickly responded: “Did you see the second Bledisloe Cup match? Yeah, he was pretty handy on the left wing. He has power and a left foot kick and he’s playing good footy, so it’s his spot.”
Billy Proctor moves from the bench to the No.13 jersey alongside Quinn Tupaea at second-five, the Hurricanes player starting his eighth Test of the year at centre.
In a twist, Anton Lienert-Brown, who has started only one Test this year – the third Test against France in July – and played only a few minutes off the bench against Argentina in Cordoba before being yellow carded for an unintentional head clash in a tackle, has been selected as midfield cover.
Lienert-Brown, clearly under-employed this year, will likely be overjoyed by his change of fortunes, with Rieko Ioane, used off the bench against the Wallabies in Perth early last month but not since, potentially wondering what he has done wrong.
By way of explanation, Robertson said Lienert-Brown could cover both midfield positions and wing. However, Ioane could also claim to have those abilities.
Meanwhile, Simon Parker returns from a week off to start at blindside flanker, with Wallace Sititi named on the bench.
Parker’s profile appears to fit what the All Blacks will be aiming to do in the opening quarter against England – effectively blunting their attack and defence through relentless physicality – which leaves Sititi potentially playing with more freedom in the final quarter.
“[Parker's] a big body, he’s physical,” Robertson said. “And Wallace will come on… whatever the style of game is he can add to it.”
Skipper Scott Barrett returns to the No.4 jersey after missing the Scotland victory with a cut right leg.
“The Barretts… they’ve got good skin,” Robertson said. “It was remarkable once you saw the cut. They’ve got good healing powers.
“We’re pleased – he’s definitely enthusiastic. We’ve had to pull him back a bit. It’s great.”
For the All Blacks, who haven't lost to England at Twickenham since 2012 and anywhere against them since 2019, a near 80-minute performance against the No.4 team in the world is critical.
The world's second-best team cannot lose their grip on the Test to the extent they did against the Springboks in Wellington in September or even against Scotland last weekend. Attempting to get it back in front of a partisan crowd of 82,000 is one of the tougher challenges in the game.
“We’ve done a bit of work on it this week but we’re aware of how to get the momentum back,” Robertson said.
He added: “We’ve covered off what Twickenham is like, just like we did with Murrayfield and Soldier Field. The occasion lifts you. There is value in playing at home.
“We play the majority of our games away as we know. If it’s not a flight to Australia, it’s a 12-hour flight, so we get used to travelling and that side of the game.”
For super-sub McKenzie, the challenge is one to look forward to. “We love playing there – the atmosphere is amazing and we’ve had some tight battles with England in the past,” he said.
All Blacks team to play England at Twickenham:
1. Ethan de Groot, 2. Codie Taylor, 3. Fletcher Newell, 4. Scott Barrett (c), 5. Fabian Holland, 6. Simon Parker, 7. Ardie Savea, 8. Peter Lakai, 9. Cam Roigard, 10. Beauden Barrett, 11. Leicester Fainga’anuku, 12. Quinn Tupaea, 13. Billy Proctor, 14. Leroy Carter, 15. Will Jordan.
Reserves: 16. Samisoni Taukei’aho, 17. Tamaiti Williams, 18. Pasilio Tosi, 19. Josh Lord, 20. Wallace Sititi, 21. Cortez Ratima, 22. Anton Lienert-Brown, 23. Damian McKenzie.
Unavailable for selection: Caleb Clarke (concussion), Luke Jacobson (concussion), Samipeni Finau (family illness), Jordie Barrett (high ankle sprain).
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