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| Piri trusted despite questionable fashion sense |
In all seriousness though, Weepu has been a class player in the past for the All Blacks and almost single handedly carried them to the final in last year's World Cup after Dan Carter got struck down. 'Keep Calm, Piri's On' was the phrase being bandied about at the time. It appears us fickle fans have short memories. Hansen and co have made no secret of the fact that they believe the All Blacks environment can overturn any lack in fitness or form too, as we saw with Nonu and Jane in 2011. Weepu has lost the 10kgs supposedly required since the start of the season, so they are half way there.
Andy Ellis should contact his agent
I will query one thing though. How the hell is Andy Ellis not in the squad? If I were him, I would be devastated and possibly question my domestic future. He's been the form halfback in New Zealand this year, dominated Aaron Smith last week in the Super 15 and has proven experience at international level too. Supposedly Hansen has said that Weepu's kicking ability off the tee gave him the 'edge', especially if there were a bout of injuries.
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| Ellis the unluckiest of them all |
You live and die by your decisions, so it's Hansen's prerogative to pick or omit whomever he wants. It does seem a little like he's just making up reasons rather than being honest though. If he doesn't favour Ellis, he should just say. It would save Ellis busting a gut trying to get an international call-up when he could be earning a pretty penny in Europe or Japan.
Will Weepu's Maori influence help him mentor Smith?
One thing which did come to my mind was whether the selectors took into consideration the possible edge Weepu could have in the 'mentor role' over say... Ellis. Clearly Aaron Smith has been earmarked as the All Blacks long-term half-back. He has a range of passing that New Zealand hasn't seen since the days of Graeme Bachop, but he is a rookie at this level nonetheless. He will need help.
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| Smith and Weepu have similar backgrounds |
All in all though, I can't argue too much with the squad. People might have their preferences but it looks like a balanced blend of experience and youth overall and hopefully that added exhuberance will prevent the All Blacks from suffering the usual post-World Cup hangover. Bring on Ireland!
2012 New Zealand squad:
(New Caps in Blue)
Hookers: Andrew Hore, Keven Mealamu.
Props: Wyatt Crockett, Ben Franks, Owen Franks, Ben Tameifuna, Tony Woodcock.
Locks: Brodie Retallick, Luke Romano, Samuel Whitelock, Ali Williams.
Loose forwards: Sam Cane, Richie McCaw (C), Kieran Read, Adam Thomson , Victor Vito.
Scrum-halves: Aaron Smith, Piri Weepu.
Fly-halves: Daniel Carter, Aaron Cruden, Beauden Barrett.
Centres: Tamati Ellison, Ma'a Nonu, Conrad Smith, Sonny Bill Williams.
Outside backs: Israel Dagg, Hosea Gear, Zac Guildford, Ben Smith, Julian Savea.
What do you make of the All Blacks squad to take on Ireland?
Were the selections of Weepu and Williams justified?
Ahahahaha great post. 'Piri trusted despite questionable fashion sense'. Liked that.
ReplyDeleteNot sure everyone will get the Whitecastle link though!
Ellis has since come out to the media over here saying he was shocked by the decision. Seems he will be looking abroad now as you suggested.
Yep. Not surprised at all.
DeleteWe'll have to wait and see whether Hansen was right....
No t huge Ellis fan .. he lives behind a great pack, and his little Riverdance before he clears the ball worries me ... I always have this notion we get mugged for the ball at the base of a ruk when he plays AB 9.
ReplyDeleteI think the 'Squad' is good too. Actually, Nonu may well be lucky to get game time, but he needs a rest. SBW might step up eh?
To be fair evetone has their favourites. I don't think Ellis has the quickest delivery and he has a bit of a shuffle going on, but he's smart with his use of the ball which I think is important at test level. His tactical kicking is astute too.
DeleteAs for Weepu, I think he's a class player...it does worry me though that his fitness levels aren't really there at the moment. Last year he was great starting off matches and then just seemed to fade. i particularly remember him getting skinned by Genia/ Ione around the ruck on one occasion.
As far as I understand Nonu is likely to be given a bit of a rest during this series. Williams whould start alongside Smith with perhaps Nonu or Ellison on the bench. I imagine Nonu will be challenging for a starting spot come Rugby Championship time though.
Good call on the Weepu mentor role. That's definitely the way it looks.
ReplyDeleteSmith has been selected to start against Ireland, so I wouldn't expect Weepu to play a huge role anyway. He'll just use his experience to change the tempo of the game (if needed) when he comes on.
I know people have mentioned that Smith was anonymous for the Highlanders against the Crusaders when he played behind a dominated pack but realistically, when is the All Black pack ever dominated?
He should get a relatively good ride behind that pack and his passing game will give that extra 1 or 2 seconds to Carter, SBW etc which could reap huge dividends.
I don't think it matters hugely that Smith was outplayed against Ellis, seeing as smith is regarded as the long-term option. I just think it's one reason why Ellis could have a grievance. Did weepu really deserve a place, and is he really a long-term option anyway? Ellis arguably could still make the next World Cup!
DeleteI don't see why the AB selectors couldn't just pick three scrum-halves as per usual.
As for your name....TJ Perenara looks like an outrageous talent. He's young though and a bit like his Hurricanes team mate Beauden Barrett, sometimes the game can lose shape when he's at 9. He will be an All Black though. He's got the skill set (as the selectors would say).
You've got an outstanding blog going on here.
ReplyDeleteAs for the whole halfback debate, i'm not sure how important it is that Weepu was selected over Ellis. Eliis may go overseas but it's not like NZ don't have a few cracking options down the line. TJ Perenara of the Huricanes and Tawera Kerr Barlow of the Chiefs will undoubtedly be challenging in the future.
Aaron Smith seems like the man for the moment though. How impressive did he look behind that All Black pack? Nice to see ball going to hand from the half back too. Carter used to have to deal with a lot of sh*t when Cowan was the preferred option. Carter may have lost a touch of pace, but Smith's delivery gives him that extra half second anyway.