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It wasn’t a good week for the New Zealand teams. I think you’d struggle to find another weekend where two South African teams both won in New Zealand. That being said, there were some good individual performances from NZ players.
Hookers
Dane Coles (Hurricanes) â€" Likely
Coles was quiet against the Crusaders, and suffered what looked like a potentially long term injury. Post-game scans show that it is not as bad as first thought, which is good for Coles and the Hurricanes. His place in the All Blacks could come under threat in the future with Hika Elliot performing well.
Ben Funnell (Crusaders) â€" Very Unlikely
Todd Blackadder doesn’t seem to have faith in Funnell, as yet, only giving the young hooker ten minutes against the Hurricanes. Though Funnell is a promising player for the future, it is looking like 2013 may be a year too early.
Hika Elliot (Chiefs) â€" Even
After a very average performance last week, Elliot had a strong performance off the bench in Cape Town this weekend. He was robust with the ball on attack, carrying well, and sometimes taking two or three players to bring him down. These are the kinds of performances Elliot needs to deliver week after week.
The other hooker to offer a sound performance this week was Motu Matu’u (Hurricanes) who also suffered a small injury. Depending on how Coles progresses, Matu’u may find himself starting next week. In the meantime Jason Rutledge has been called into the Hurricanes squad. Rhys Marshall (Chiefs) could find himself on the plane to South Africa if Mahonri Schwalger has not recovered from a minor injury. Quentin Macdonald (Blues) failed to impress in his first start of the season.
Props
Ben Franks (Hurricanes) â€" Even
Franks probably has the upper hand over Crockett at the moment for the extra loose head spot. Scrums were quite even in the Hurricanes/Crusaders match, and Ben matched younger brother Owen in all areas of play.
Wyatt Crockett (Crusaders) â€" Even
Crockett was solid on defence against the Hurricanes, making all his nine attempted tackles. He was penalised a couple of times, something which many of the Crusaders were guilty of. Questions remain over his scrimmaging technique, which referees tend to not look upon favourably.
Ben Afeaki (Chiefs) â€" Likely
Afeaki continues to impress for the Chiefs. He carried the ball with vigour and made a huge number of tackles for a prop (12 in all). If his form continues he will be a shoe in for the June squad, as neither Owen Franks nor Charlie Faumuina are demanding the starting tight head jersey.
Locks
As Anthony Boric (Blues) continues to work towards playing for the main squad in the coming weeks, Dominic Bird (Crusaders) had his first start and played like a seasoned pro. He is definitely a player for the future. Luke Romano should be back within a couple of weeks so it’s unlikely his squad place will be threatened.
Loose Forwards
Brad Shields (Hurricanes) â€" Even
Shields did his chances a world of good on Friday, putting in his best performance to date. He was physical on attack, making the most metres on attack of any forward on the pitch, and also tackled well. Ironically, as soon as Shields starts playing in the correct position Luatua is moved back to the base of the scrum…
Matt Todd (Crusaders) â€" Unlikely
Todd offered some strong defensive mongrel on Friday but his chances are probably fading at the moment. This is partially due to the fact that he is stuck between being a Liam Gill-like fetcher, and a more physical carrier such as Richie McCaw or Sam Cane. It would be a surprise to see Todd picked ahead of Luke Braid, and the chances of either being picked are probably slim as it is.
Luke Braid (Blues) â€" Even
Braid continues to impress in all facets of the game, and is also a solid leader when the team needs it. The extra physicality and adaptability of Braid means he will likely continue to remain ahead of Todd in the pecking order.
Steven Luatua (Blues) â€" Likely
Naturally as soon as one blindside flanker is moved from the back of the scrum to his correct position, another one is moved from the blindside to the number 8 role. Steven Luatua was not as commanding against the Bulls as he has been in the previous two games but was still one of the better Blues on display.
Mention should be made of John Hardie (Highlanders) who was one of the few players from his team to fire a shot. It is unlikely he will head off both Braid and Todd, however, to be the second favourite open side flanker behind Cane.
Halfbacks
TJ Perenara (Hurricanes) â€" Even
Perenara is slowly finding his mojo, though still is not up to the high standards he set himself last year. He will have to play incredibly well if he is to displace Kerr-Barlow in the All Blacks squad, unless there is a surprise casualty.
Tawera Kerr-Barlow (Chiefs) â€" Likely
Kerr-Barlow was immense against the Stormers, and even though he spent ten minutes in the bin for continual infringing from the Chiefs he was easily one of the best backs on the park. His defence is rock solid and he continues to make solid decisions at the base of the ruck. Whatever happens come June, NZ will be well represented at halfback.
First Five
Baden Kerr (Blues) had a solid if not spectacular starting debut for the Blues â€" it was unusual for him to be removed from the fold for the last ten minutes of the match. Lima Sopoaga (Highlanders) had a hard time against the Cheetahs [naturally I had just selected him in my fantasy team], gifting them two tries, while his teammate Colin Slade was handy from the bench and should be the premier first five for his team for the remainder of the competition â€" which is quite an achievement considering how little rugby he has played lately. Gareth Anscombe (Chiefs) continues to impress at fullback.
Centre
Tim Bateman (Hurricanes) â€" Unlikely
Bateman is almost too similar player to Conrad Smith to stand out in the Hurricanes, he would be a better fit down at the Highlanders or Crusaders where they could use a safe distributor to complement their raw power in the midfield. His chances of gaining selection into the All Blacks decreases as each week passes.
Robbie Fruean (Crusaders) â€" Unlikey
Fruean continues to be pulled from the field without offering great performances. Though he has always looked to have the potential to shine on the world stage, I think it’s fair to say his chances of doing so for the All Blacks are now slim to none.
Andrew Horrell (Chiefs) â€" Even
It is great to see Horrell back from injury, and had a very strong cameo off the bench for the Chiefs. His distributive play and hard running means he can play at either inside or outside centre with any type of player partnering him. Though he will probably not displace Francis Saili in June, there could be a spot on the end of year tour for him, with Conrad Smith, Tamati Ellison and Richard Kahui all unlikely to feature.
Francis Saili (Blues) â€" Likely
Saili continues to stand out in the Blues backline (which isn’t an easy thing to do). Like Horrell, he possesses a smart rugby mind and a lot of physical power, and is still only 22. His ability to offload in the tackle should also not be overlooked.
Of the other centres that played in the weekend, Ryan Crotty (Crusaders) was the stand out of the lot, scoring a great individual try. Charlie Ngatai (Chiefs) was also good value for money in his first start for the franchise, scoring a double due to running great lines on attack, and defending resolutely.
Outisde Backs
Andre Taylor (Hurricanes) â€" Unlikely
Taylor has yet to hit second gear, and has been disappointing in the first few weeks. With at least three other great fullbacks playing, Taylor will have to pull something out of the hat in order to grab a spot.
Johnny McNicholl (Crusaders) â€" Unlikely
Finally McNicholl got a start for the Crusaders and played like he’s been around for years. His skillset is diverse and he has a habit of popping up in the right place at the right time. He is probably another year away from selection, but no one can question his potential.
Tim Nanai-Williams (Chiefs) â€" Even
What remains Nanai-Williams’ strongest aspect is his versatility. Being able to fit in on the wing and at fullback (plus centre, at a stretch) means he has great utility value. That being said, he will need to be shifted into one of his primary positions in order to win one of the much contested spots.
Charles Piutau (Blues) â€" Likely
Piutau gets better each week â€" there’s not much else to say. If he keeps this up he will be a certainty for the squad.
The best other outside back on display in the weekend (excluding the prodigious Julian Savea) was Kade Poki (Highlanders) who notched a hat trick against the Cheetahs.
Probable June Squad:
Hookers â€" A Hore, K Mealamu, D Coles
Props â€" T Woodcock, O Franks, C Faumuina, B Franks, B Afeaki
Locks â€" S Whitelock, B Retalick, L Romano, A Williams
Loose Forwards â€" K Read, S Cane, V Vito, L Messam, S Luatua
Halfbacks â€" P Weepu, A Smith, T Kerr-Barlow
First Fives â€" D Carter, A Cruden, B Barrett
Centres â€" C Smith, M Nonu, F Saili
Outside Backs â€" I Dagg, J Savea, C Piutau, H Gear
Utility Backs â€" B Smith, R Kahui
In: B Franks
Out: W Crockett
Blues - 7
Chiefs - 7
Hurricanes - 6
Crusaders - 6
Highlanders - 6
Hookers
Dane Coles (Hurricanes) â€" Likely
Coles was quiet against the Crusaders, and suffered what looked like a potentially long term injury. Post-game scans show that it is not as bad as first thought, which is good for Coles and the Hurricanes. His place in the All Blacks could come under threat in the future with Hika Elliot performing well.
Ben Funnell (Crusaders) â€" Very Unlikely
Todd Blackadder doesn’t seem to have faith in Funnell, as yet, only giving the young hooker ten minutes against the Hurricanes. Though Funnell is a promising player for the future, it is looking like 2013 may be a year too early.
Hika Elliot (Chiefs) â€" Even
After a very average performance last week, Elliot had a strong performance off the bench in Cape Town this weekend. He was robust with the ball on attack, carrying well, and sometimes taking two or three players to bring him down. These are the kinds of performances Elliot needs to deliver week after week.
The other hooker to offer a sound performance this week was Motu Matu’u (Hurricanes) who also suffered a small injury. Depending on how Coles progresses, Matu’u may find himself starting next week. In the meantime Jason Rutledge has been called into the Hurricanes squad. Rhys Marshall (Chiefs) could find himself on the plane to South Africa if Mahonri Schwalger has not recovered from a minor injury. Quentin Macdonald (Blues) failed to impress in his first start of the season.
Props
Ben Franks (Hurricanes) â€" Even
Franks probably has the upper hand over Crockett at the moment for the extra loose head spot. Scrums were quite even in the Hurricanes/Crusaders match, and Ben matched younger brother Owen in all areas of play.
Wyatt Crockett (Crusaders) â€" Even
Crockett was solid on defence against the Hurricanes, making all his nine attempted tackles. He was penalised a couple of times, something which many of the Crusaders were guilty of. Questions remain over his scrimmaging technique, which referees tend to not look upon favourably.
Ben Afeaki (Chiefs) â€" Likely
Afeaki continues to impress for the Chiefs. He carried the ball with vigour and made a huge number of tackles for a prop (12 in all). If his form continues he will be a shoe in for the June squad, as neither Owen Franks nor Charlie Faumuina are demanding the starting tight head jersey.
Locks
As Anthony Boric (Blues) continues to work towards playing for the main squad in the coming weeks, Dominic Bird (Crusaders) had his first start and played like a seasoned pro. He is definitely a player for the future. Luke Romano should be back within a couple of weeks so it’s unlikely his squad place will be threatened.
Loose Forwards
Brad Shields (Hurricanes) â€" Even
Shields did his chances a world of good on Friday, putting in his best performance to date. He was physical on attack, making the most metres on attack of any forward on the pitch, and also tackled well. Ironically, as soon as Shields starts playing in the correct position Luatua is moved back to the base of the scrum…
Matt Todd (Crusaders) â€" Unlikely
Todd offered some strong defensive mongrel on Friday but his chances are probably fading at the moment. This is partially due to the fact that he is stuck between being a Liam Gill-like fetcher, and a more physical carrier such as Richie McCaw or Sam Cane. It would be a surprise to see Todd picked ahead of Luke Braid, and the chances of either being picked are probably slim as it is.
Luke Braid (Blues) â€" Even
Braid continues to impress in all facets of the game, and is also a solid leader when the team needs it. The extra physicality and adaptability of Braid means he will likely continue to remain ahead of Todd in the pecking order.
Steven Luatua (Blues) â€" Likely
Naturally as soon as one blindside flanker is moved from the back of the scrum to his correct position, another one is moved from the blindside to the number 8 role. Steven Luatua was not as commanding against the Bulls as he has been in the previous two games but was still one of the better Blues on display.
Mention should be made of John Hardie (Highlanders) who was one of the few players from his team to fire a shot. It is unlikely he will head off both Braid and Todd, however, to be the second favourite open side flanker behind Cane.
Halfbacks
TJ Perenara (Hurricanes) â€" Even
Perenara is slowly finding his mojo, though still is not up to the high standards he set himself last year. He will have to play incredibly well if he is to displace Kerr-Barlow in the All Blacks squad, unless there is a surprise casualty.
Tawera Kerr-Barlow (Chiefs) â€" Likely
Kerr-Barlow was immense against the Stormers, and even though he spent ten minutes in the bin for continual infringing from the Chiefs he was easily one of the best backs on the park. His defence is rock solid and he continues to make solid decisions at the base of the ruck. Whatever happens come June, NZ will be well represented at halfback.
First Five
Baden Kerr (Blues) had a solid if not spectacular starting debut for the Blues â€" it was unusual for him to be removed from the fold for the last ten minutes of the match. Lima Sopoaga (Highlanders) had a hard time against the Cheetahs [naturally I had just selected him in my fantasy team], gifting them two tries, while his teammate Colin Slade was handy from the bench and should be the premier first five for his team for the remainder of the competition â€" which is quite an achievement considering how little rugby he has played lately. Gareth Anscombe (Chiefs) continues to impress at fullback.
Centre
Tim Bateman (Hurricanes) â€" Unlikely
Bateman is almost too similar player to Conrad Smith to stand out in the Hurricanes, he would be a better fit down at the Highlanders or Crusaders where they could use a safe distributor to complement their raw power in the midfield. His chances of gaining selection into the All Blacks decreases as each week passes.
Robbie Fruean (Crusaders) â€" Unlikey
Fruean continues to be pulled from the field without offering great performances. Though he has always looked to have the potential to shine on the world stage, I think it’s fair to say his chances of doing so for the All Blacks are now slim to none.
Andrew Horrell (Chiefs) â€" Even
It is great to see Horrell back from injury, and had a very strong cameo off the bench for the Chiefs. His distributive play and hard running means he can play at either inside or outside centre with any type of player partnering him. Though he will probably not displace Francis Saili in June, there could be a spot on the end of year tour for him, with Conrad Smith, Tamati Ellison and Richard Kahui all unlikely to feature.
Francis Saili (Blues) â€" Likely
Saili continues to stand out in the Blues backline (which isn’t an easy thing to do). Like Horrell, he possesses a smart rugby mind and a lot of physical power, and is still only 22. His ability to offload in the tackle should also not be overlooked.
Of the other centres that played in the weekend, Ryan Crotty (Crusaders) was the stand out of the lot, scoring a great individual try. Charlie Ngatai (Chiefs) was also good value for money in his first start for the franchise, scoring a double due to running great lines on attack, and defending resolutely.
Outisde Backs
Andre Taylor (Hurricanes) â€" Unlikely
Taylor has yet to hit second gear, and has been disappointing in the first few weeks. With at least three other great fullbacks playing, Taylor will have to pull something out of the hat in order to grab a spot.
Johnny McNicholl (Crusaders) â€" Unlikely
Finally McNicholl got a start for the Crusaders and played like he’s been around for years. His skillset is diverse and he has a habit of popping up in the right place at the right time. He is probably another year away from selection, but no one can question his potential.
Tim Nanai-Williams (Chiefs) â€" Even
What remains Nanai-Williams’ strongest aspect is his versatility. Being able to fit in on the wing and at fullback (plus centre, at a stretch) means he has great utility value. That being said, he will need to be shifted into one of his primary positions in order to win one of the much contested spots.
Charles Piutau (Blues) â€" Likely
Piutau gets better each week â€" there’s not much else to say. If he keeps this up he will be a certainty for the squad.
The best other outside back on display in the weekend (excluding the prodigious Julian Savea) was Kade Poki (Highlanders) who notched a hat trick against the Cheetahs.
Probable June Squad:
Hookers â€" A Hore, K Mealamu, D Coles
Props â€" T Woodcock, O Franks, C Faumuina, B Franks, B Afeaki
Locks â€" S Whitelock, B Retalick, L Romano, A Williams
Loose Forwards â€" K Read, S Cane, V Vito, L Messam, S Luatua
Halfbacks â€" P Weepu, A Smith, T Kerr-Barlow
First Fives â€" D Carter, A Cruden, B Barrett
Centres â€" C Smith, M Nonu, F Saili
Outside Backs â€" I Dagg, J Savea, C Piutau, H Gear
Utility Backs â€" B Smith, R Kahui
In: B Franks
Out: W Crockett
Blues - 7
Chiefs - 7
Hurricanes - 6
Crusaders - 6
Highlanders - 6
