All Blacks named to play Springboks

All Blacks named to play Springboks

The All Blacks selectors have named a strong team to play South Africa in the Investec Rugby Championship Freedom Cup Test at Eden Park, Auckland, this Saturday, 14 September 2013, with the starting XV featuring the return of several regular starters: prop Owen Franks in his 50th Test, Liam Messam at blindside flanker and midfielder Ma'a Nonu.

In other changes, Sam Cane starts at openside flanker replacing injured All Blacks captain Richie McCaw and Dane Coles starts at hooker, with 105-Test veteran Keven Mealamu to provide impact from the bench. With Franks starting, prop Charlie Faumuina moves to the bench, Steven Luatua is also in the reserves covering lock and loose forward along with injury replacement flanker Matt Todd who will cover openside flanker.

Number eight Kieran Read will captain the team in his 55th Test.

The team is (Test caps in brackets):

Starting XV:

1. Tony Woodcock (101)
2. Dane Coles (8)
3. Owen Franks (49)
4. Brodie Retallick (17)
5. Samuel Whitelock (44)
6. Liam Messam (23)
7. Sam Cane (9)
8. Kieran Read - captain (54)
9. Aaron Smith (18)
10. Daniel Carter (96)
11. Julian Savea (14)
12. Ma'a Nonu (81)
13. Conrad Smith (72)
14. Ben Smith (18)
15. Israel Dagg (31)

Reserves:

16. Keven Mealamu (105)
17. Wyatt Crockett (16)
18. Charlie Faumuina (10)
19. Steven Luatua (4)
20. Matt Todd (1)
21. Tawera Kerr-Barlow (7)
22. Beauden Barrett (10)
23. Charles Piutau (3)

All Blacks Head Coach Steve Hansen said: "The Test match is shaping up to be a massive occasion with the two top-ranked sides in the world coming together for what will be a special night for both teams, as well as our fans. Both teams are in good form and will bring their respective strengths to the contest.

"We have a massive amount of respect for South Africa and have prepared accordingly. The physical challenge will be huge - as it always is - and the team that executes their game with the greatest effectiveness, clarity and intensity will be the one that comes out on top. The whole All Blacks group is looking forward to this challenge as it will give us a great indication of what level our game is at.

"In selecting the team, there were some tough decisions to be made, none more so than between Liam and Steven. But in the end we have gone for Liam's extra experience and physicality and we also know that Steven will enter the contest at some stage."

Meanwhile, the following players have been made available to play for their ITM Cup provinces if required for Week 5 of the competition: Ben Franks, Francis Saili, Frank Halai and Luke Whitelock.

very happy with this team in all areas except hooker.

we should have started with andrew hore and had kev on the bench IMO. nothing wrong with coles, but we need the best of the best for this Boks team.
i do like hansens faith in coles though and im sure the hurricane powered hooker wont let us down.

good to see messam back in the action, he knows just how well luatua has been preforming, so hes going to have that extra bit of motivation to lay down the law and say this is my jersey punk.
were going to need that agroness against the BBB (Boks beffy backrow, lolz)

also happy to see the return of JDV, IMO nonu will be the equaliser to the Boks best back, i also wouldnt have a problem if crotty was marking JDV, but im glad nonu is back on attack making trouble, like an assain, kicking ass on the double, lolz,,,,,,,but legally, o_O

good luck to read and the boys, lets show these Boks why the All Blacks are on top of the food chain, :o)

fact - dinosaurs became extinct after playing the All Blacks at rugby, grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr O_O

GO THE MIGHTY MIGHTY ALL BLACKS!!!

 My mouth as watering at the battle of N.8, Duane is in hot form and Read is too! The combination of Louw and Vermualen is looking good also! 

@mikey,

disagree on both nonu and messam.

luatuas been real good no doubt, but having both cane and luatua on at the same time is just way too inexperinced for my liking. messam and read the stabilizers with cane to slot in nicely.
i think luatua is the better attacker between him and messam, but that dosent mean messam cant attack, i dont think any Bok loosie comes close to what messam can do ball in hand, the closest thing is spies back in 2009.
messam did have a slow season, but he was back to to his outstanding 2012 form the last month and  half before his injury, and if hes half as good as he was before being sidelined, then were going to be just fine, :o)

not sure what matches u watched with nonu, but hes been in the top 5 All Blacks every test hes played in, and thats no easy feat considering some of the performances the team as a whole have put on in 2013.

All Blacks by 11, but will be happy with any win, :o)

Thank goodness Cole and Messam are starting.......both are pretty ordinary and it will be less of an AB side without the very impressive Luatau starting.......what a stupid selection.

Luatua is on the bench as cover for lock and loose forward . A good strategy by Hansen there.

 So with two loosies ready to be injected into the game at some stage the Boks fitness will be sorely tested  in the second half,

Messam as former Maori AB captain will lead the haka i'm picking and his leadership skills from co-captaining the Chiefs will also benefit our pack in the absence of King Ritchie.

Thats just the forwards but i have no idea how the Boks will cope with our backs??

Who have they got Habana ?

Well he's past it being on the wrong side of 30. That's Bok fans logic btw and geriatric is the word they bandy around alot.

Not sure who else there is?

Morne Steyn  perhaps? Who's often guilty of aimless kicking which plays right into the hands of the best attacking team in world rugby. Should we be dreading the guy with the locks?

I also see the Boks are paying $3.80 for a win on the basis of their 16 game winning streak and their demolition of a woeful Australian side which made a very average SA team look very good.

A fool and his money are soon parted as they say...which begs the question how did the fool and his money get together in the first place?

But the Boks will have to play out of their skin with very bad performances from the ABs to have any chance.

With confidence running high in the Bok camp and question marks on leadership with Mc Caw and Cruden not playing this is the Boks best chance yet, 
 

Ominous signs though as we haven't heard a pip squeak out of our resident motor mouse Brother Bueno.

It's like his radio signal has cut out after he's driven under a bridge. What's that bridge made out of i wonder - fear?

Maybe he's frustrated with the bi polar Bok fans around here - at least half the time. ;)

Thou shalt avoid high places and sharp objects when on either extreme of the
mood spectrum may be good advice come Saturday...

Dunno ...... I think Hansen has left some openings here.

Coles - 100% agree with Sas that Hore should have started. Much better at the breakdown which is going to be key.

Cane - a "lightweight" (relatively speaking) in the mold of Hooper and we saw how ineffective he was last week against the bigger SA loosies. If the game stays tight, a major downgrade from McCaw. 

Messam - not sure what Saff is on about him being average because on form he is awesome (almost single-handedly willed the Chiefs to victory in the Super Rugby final) but I do agree with him that you probably shouldn't pull a player playing as well as Luatua is for someone who is bound to be a little rusty? Wikipedia has Messam at 6'3" / 238 and Luatua at 6'4" / 240 but Luatua sure plays like he is 20 pounds heavier and four inches taller than Messam with the same agility and workrate.

Nonu - no brainer for him to be in the team - JDV would have abused Saili (note Stormers/Blues game earlier this year). But I agree with Clevermike that Nonu is a legitimate card threat - especially with Frenchie reffing. He's got one of the quickest triggers in the game. I know its not really part of his game, but I think with a little chatter and some hard running JDV could easily coax Nonu into dropping his shoulder again.

But these points are a little like pointing out the mole on Cindy Crawford's face and missing the big picture. This team is full of class and experience and the Boks will have to play better than they did against the Wallabies to win. No loose balls hitting the turf or unprotected at the back of the ruck, minimal handling errors. 

What probably impressed me most about the match last week was the last 20 minutes. Not talking about the obvious scoring but the fact that the overall fitness of the squad and the way the players managed their own energy levels seems to be at another level of understanding. Bok teams historically are guilty of being gassed in the last 20, usually because of over-exertion early in the game trying to force things. Last week there was a maturity and patience in the pressure that they were exerting on the Wallabies almost with the understanding that they were going to break and when conventional wisdom suggested that the Boks were going to follow the same pattern of late game tiredness they were able to step it up a notch and the Aussies were the ones that were flagging. That ability is a hallmark of AB rugby and happy to see us following suit.

The two greatest rugby nations going head-to-head in a venue none more fitting than Eden Park. Pretty stinking awesome. 

Steiny, loving the over-confidence....me thinks the lady doth protest too much! 

 Messam was exceptional last year against the Boks in South Africa, the strongest ball carrier by far. 

He does sometimes do a Spies and dissapears, but he is dangerous when he gets involved.

 @nj That's what it's all about is'nt?  Talking up your team. You don't seem to be able to for some reason. But a good chihuahua impersonation all the same yapping at my heels like that.

A lot is being made of how big the Bok forwards are but the bigger they are the harder they fall as the saying goes.... They may also tire faster, be less mobile and size does'nt always equate with intelligence.

Unless the backs can do something with the ball attained by the forwards then you've only got half a team.

The best the boks can hope for is a wet track and a sympathetic ref.

i agree with comments that messam can go missing, but thats a part of his game hes really cleaned up, hence hansens logical fatih in selecting messam over luatua.

luatuas form has been insane, but the looseforward trio needs the balance to be tipped slightly in favour of experience and with cane in the frame as good as he is, two newbies like cane and luatua at the same time is not AB kosha.

i do like how luatua and matt todd are on the bench, thier injection into the game is going to be key, cos IMO the Boks will be a little more tired this time round and having fresh fast workaholic legs like luatua and todd come on when/if they do could reap some serious rewards.

@oimatey,
that was the most impressive thing about the Boks last week too, the last 20mins where there was no sign of fatigue, but leading as they were with all that momentum is always better then concentrated red bull.
the way the wallys were acting after 30mins, u would think that it was them that travelled to OZ from SA and not the other way around.

 Hi Sasuke san. One thing that has me puzzled, why would Hansen pick Charles Piutau as a reserve? Is this a sign that he thinks ABs can handle the Boks so he can affored to keep integrating players (Piutau only has 3 test to his credit). Is the fact that he  in starting Coles over Hoare saying the same thing.

To the Boks supporters, what a difference a week makes. Only last week most SA posters were doom and gloom with only Beeno, Mozart & a few others supporting the coach & team. Kiwi's were asked to help prop the dispirited Bok fans. Brother Beeno sent out a humanitarian plea & some of us came to his aid (well sort of, lol). He then of course turned on us,and must have had heart attack as he realised he could have finally been  right about something

 he hasn't been heard of since, lol

Well, look at you all now, lol  Top of the world again!  Fact is we don't know if the game against Oz was a one-off brilliant game where everything went right for Boks & wrong of Oz or if you guys are the real deal. This game will go a long way to answering that.

ABs by 7

I’m pleased that you’re happy with this side, Sas. If we beat you there will be no excuses forth coming ... right?

Though it be a good side, bringing guys back directly into the starting 15 is a mistake as far as I'm concerned. It weakens your side for at least 20 - 30 minutes till they find their feet. That means we have an opportunity to put you under a lot of pressure and perhaps even get a bit of lead going into the 2nd half.  

That would be like a shot in the arm for us.

To be quite honest, Hansen has surprised me with his selection. Luatua is smoking hot at the moment … no way I would have benched him for someone who hasn’t seen game time the last few weeks. That's another mistake in my opinion.

Nonu’s return is a given. I would have done the same.Saili needs a lot more exposure.

Cane is a forced replacement. No choice there. Personally I would have brought Todd in instead. I rate him the next best opensider in New Zealand. Cane plays in spurts. He does awesome things for twenty minutes and then disappears.

Coles is an interesting choice but why bring him into the starting 15? I would rather have played him from the bench if at all.

Either way … the line has been drawn in the sand ... your confident ... I think we have an excellent shot at upsetting you guys this weekend ... even with chumps like Kirchner. 

Can't wait ... best of luck to you and your boys. 

Hope the weather plays along.

Gooooooooooo Bokkkkke!!!

@mr win,

wassup bro, :o)

check out the article regarding hore and coles and the hookers role in general, we get to see what hansens train of thought is regarding this area, real interesting read and just a teeny bit sad.

my view on piutau is he is the official All Blacks backline 8th man. meaning he is the incumbent back bench player, lolz.
the only time he hasnt been was when ranger was on the bench in the first two tests against france and when nonu had the injury scare so crotty was called in to cover the centers, while barret who was also on the bench at the time could cover fullback.

i have to be honest and say i love piutau, but he hasnt had the necessary gametime yet to really stamp his authority. we all know what he can do, but a big test like the Boks and an untimely early injury to one of our outside backs could see him get a case of the awkwards.

dont think we will see him unless we can either afford it or injury rears it ugly head, but theres still enough core stability with in the backline that will help placate any fears we have,

@cleancut,

"I’m pleased that you’re happy with this side, Sas. If we beat you there will be no excuses forth coming ... right?
Though it be a good side, bringing guys back directly into the starting 15 is a mistake as far as I'm concerned. It weakens your side for at least 20 - 30 minutes till they find their feet. That means we have an opportunity to put you under a lot of pressure and perhaps even get a bit of lead going into the 2nd half."
100% correct, no excuses on game day, this team can beat the in form Boks and beat them good, -_o

ur comment about it being a mistake to bring in guys back directly into the starting 15 is valid.
what im hoping will offset that is messam knows exactly how well luatuas been playing, so if he wants to be the No6 for the remaining two games, he better step up straight away and put on a performance that collins and kaino would be proud of, something that im hoping and am betting on will happen.

good luck to ur Boks too, game is going to be epic. i just hope u can presuade ur countrymen to not blame the ref if u guys lose, but ur not Jesus so maybe ill just leave the miracles to him, lolz, :oP

A few have commented about our reserves and questioned Hansens rationale.

Looks to me like a practical approach with Piutau and Luatua on the bench Hansen has quite a few positions covered lock and loosie with Luatua and wing and fullback with Piutau .

Beauden Barret also plays fullback and standoff.

Seems pretty sound logic having quality players that can play multiple positions doesn't it?

I am not part of the "cheating ref brigade" ... I leave that to fools like Beano.

Playing the ref is part of the game. Adapting to his interpretation is all part of the professional era.

Bokke by 4.

agree with stieny and papamoa reagarding the bench and messam.
still would have liked to have seen a 6 lutua, 7 messam, 8 read backrow combo, to me thats fast and furious compared to the Boks furious, lolz.

@cleancut,
i want implying that u are part of the blame the ref brigrade, only suggesting that maybe u could help enlighten a few of ur own, :o)
i can count on one had the number of saffas who dont play the "it was the refs fault" card and u are definitely one of them.