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FORUM / RUGBY /  Sopoaga's selection at No10 is seismic shock; by Wynne Gray; NZ Herald

Sopoaga's selection at No10 is seismic shock; by Wynne Gray; NZ Herald

Started by Just_win10 REPLIES305 VIEWS· 24 Jul 2015, 22:16
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JW
Just_win
Captain18,570 posts
JW
Just_winCaptain18,570 posts
24 Jul 2015, 22:16
#1
24 Jul 2015, 22:16#1

Lima Sopoaga's elevation to debut tomorrow against the Boks is the greatest All Black shock since the start of professional rugby.

Especially in such an influential role as first five-eighths. A start from the bench was always likely but the decision to pick him in the No10 jersey was an astonishing jolt.

Promotions since 1996 for Richie McCaw, Sam Harding, James Ryan, Isaia Toeava, Aaron Smith and Tom Taylor were bold starting choices and there have been left-field substitutes such as Campbell Johnstone.

But the decision to start Sopoaga is massive when it arrives just three tests out from the World Cup, against the Springboks at Ellis Park.

It's a huge vote of confidence in the young five-eighths, another reminder from the All Black selectors about their continual search for an edge and an in-your-face nudge for everyone in the squad about competition for World Cup spots.

You can think Bob Burgess against the Lions in 1971, Nicky Allen against Wales in 1980 or Andrew Mehrtens' rise to duty in 1995 as brave and exciting five-eighths selections in the amateur era.

Since the players banked wages for their work, the investment in first five-eighths has been more predictable although crises meant Luke McAlister starting against the 2005 Lions and Tom Taylor against the Wallabies in 2013.

Tomorrow's test is not in that emergency category, or at least it did not appear to be even with Daniel Carter resting his match legs back in New Zealand.

Maybe there is a tremor about the mix of 31 players for the World Cup squad. The backline is the mother of all selection headaches, even with Aaron Cruden and Waisake Naholo decommissioned because of injury.

We haven't seen anything of Cory Jane, Nehe Milner-Skudder or Tawera Kerr-Barlow in the black jersey either this season as injury has interrupted their ambition.

Three halfbacks will go, it's a matter of deciding which of Kerr-Barlow, Andy Ellis or Brad Weber joins Aaron Smith and TJ Perenara.

That's a small issue compared to trimming the rest of the backline. The options would scrabble Nigel Richards' gifts for unlocking puzzles.

There are going to be some very unlucky high-quality players who miss out when the squad is revealed late next month and with three tests left and rehab routes through the ITM Cup as well, there may yet be more injuries to impact those selections.

Sopoaga has a massive chance tomorrow to influence the men who matter and take another step in a season of continuing delivery.

JW
Just_win
Captain18,570 posts
JW
Just_winCaptain18,570 posts
24 Jul 2015, 22:20
#2
24 Jul 2015, 22:20#2
 Hanson has guts you have to give him credit. So far he has been right, we will see how Sopaga does this weekend.
AB
ABasquefan
Pro2,549 posts
AB
ABasquefanPro2,549 posts
24 Jul 2015, 22:51
#3
24 Jul 2015, 22:51#3
 yeah, he's been right so far but I doubt very much that this is the correct move. There are going to be a lot more easier games to give Sapoaga gametime, the second bledisloe game against the aussies, Namibia, Georgia and even Tonga in the WC are better oportunities to start him.
IMO it's very risky, even for the player, to give Sapoaga his first cap starting against the boks at Ellis Park. A very tough game and too much responsability (even if he could handle it in the SR finals).
The only reason to start him could be that the coaching staff is thinking in Sapoaga as the incunbent 10 from now on but I don't think this is the case. And if Sapoaga is going to be the back-up or the backup's back up, it would have more sense to play him from the bench the next 2 matches of the RC and then give him all the gametime needed in the matches mentioned above.
I would have started Barret or Slade, probably this last one coz he was in great form while Barret didn't show too much in the last games he played.
BR
Brycy
Pro4,671 posts
BR
BrycyPro4,671 posts
24 Jul 2015, 23:52
#4
24 Jul 2015, 23:52#4

 ...Who knows? If the Hurricanes had beaten the Highlanders in the Super XV final we may have been looking at a different scenario here.

...But Barret has worn the 22 jersey for some time now with great effect. Makes sense selecting him there given he can cover so many positions in case of injury and makes a great impact player when legs are starting to tire a bit - they won't catch him.

Sopoaga can also gain far greater confidence beating SA tomorrow than some easy beat minnow nation at the RWC providing we kick the yarpies butts that is.


 Another major factor is keeping existing halves playing together i.e the Smith /Sopoaga combo has been successful all this year, they know each others games backwards so makes perfect sense from that perspective.

 One could also argue Sopoaga has a better kicking record this year than Barret with 38 Conversions and 31 penalties... Barret 17 and 24....Carter 23 and 22

CL
clevermike
Coach57,555 posts
CL
clevermikeCoach57,555 posts
25 Jul 2015, 00:37
#5
25 Jul 2015, 00:37#5
 There seems to be a problem arising in the AB backline that is going to become more pertinent in future.  For years the reign of Carter as their no 10 has been indisputable - he was the man the rest were just stand-ins.   
None of the rest was of comparable value.   Both Cruden and Barrett are brittle and under pressure situation is not the strongest flyhalfs in AB history.   Cruden in last years Wellington test went to pieces (not the first time it happened) and Barrett in defense is really questionable.
Slade is solid - but definitely not of star quality.  So why not Sopoaga?  I do rate him higher than either of the other three named.   
That is where the AB's will have a problem with the imminent departure of Carter from the scene.  I think that none of the players mentioned are really as good as Carter was in his hay-day.  However, over the last three years it became evident that Carter has become injury-prone and from a New Zealand perspective it can only be hoped that he lasts through the WC.   
Out wider - Nonu and Conrad Smith will also be gone after the WC and New Zealand will have to start developing a new mid-field combination.  There are players available - but the numbers do not necessarily represents quality and I do not think that they are of the same quality as the two mentioned.   SBW is the one most frequently mentioned - but will money become his main concern?   It has happened in the past and will likely happen in future.   He has the best-off-load in the game - but has been brittle in other respects.  I think Fekitoa is the best outside center available - but is he as good as Smith was at his prime?
That is perhaps the core of the comment of Hansen about the very young SA center combination tomorrow.   He knows that New Zealand next year will ha ve to start looking elsewhere and it may not be as easy as some might think.  
           
AB
ABasquefan
Pro2,549 posts
AB
ABasquefanPro2,549 posts
25 Jul 2015, 01:40
#6
25 Jul 2015, 01:40#6
 @mike,

"There seems to be a problem arising in the B backline that is going to become more pertinent in future."

you are mixing up your wishes with the reality.
Cruden, Barret and Slade are there and very probaly Sapoaga. They are not as good as Carter, as you said (who is?) but they are better than any SA flyhalf and from the rst of the world only Foley, S xton and Ford (if he continues with his 6N form) could reach their level.

Since the last WC the AB have played 44 matches and Carter started just 18 of them, his gradual substitution is already undergoing and no effect has been noticed in the AB winning trajectory
CL
clevermike
Coach57,555 posts
CL
clevermikeCoach57,555 posts
25 Jul 2015, 02:18
#7
25 Jul 2015, 02:18#7
 ABF
The impression that the four flyhalfs mentioned are better than any SA flyhalfs is what the NZ supporter wish is the case.   I have seen both Cruden and Barrett going to pieces under pressure and I rate Slade higher than those two.  Pollard is in fact just starting his career and he is already in most respects a better flyhalf than those two.
Since the last WC SA was in serious trouble using in the main the desperately poor Morne Steyn as flyhalf.  He is not even the normal starting flyhalf of Stade Francais so what can be expected from the Springbok backline.   It is not wise to look in this case at past history.  The AB's had very experienced and top scrummies and centers to help their flyhalfs - but the top centers are leaving together with Carter and they are also losing the great loosie McCaw in the process - even though in the last two years he was not on par with his previous performances as well.
I think that looking at the future the AB's have some serious team rebuilding to do.  There are some really exciting prospects coming through - Milner-Skudder and Fekitoa are two of those - but the future may be mo re difficult than most NZ supporters would like to imagine.        
BO
bobbok...
Captain10,129 posts
BO
bobbok...Captain10,129 posts
25 Jul 2015, 02:49
#8
25 Jul 2015, 02:49#8
 Sopoaga's a coolheaded kid playing outside his provincial mate who's clearly the numero uno scrumhalf in world rugby . Hope I'm wrong, but I think that the young fella will go ok .
BO
bobbok...
Captain10,129 posts
BO
bobbok...Captain10,129 posts
25 Jul 2015, 03:15
#9
25 Jul 2015, 03:15#9
Oumaaik I'm far more worried about SA's future  .......the mass exodus of not only our senior players but many of our younger brigade, coupled with inept management & increasing political interference portrays a depressing outlook .

Hell, if I still lived in Cape Town I'd be reluctant heading off to Newlands to watch a Stormers team playing without their Bokke & talented laaities . Far too unappealing .
AB
ABasquefan
Pro2,549 posts
AB
ABasquefanPro2,549 posts
25 Jul 2015, 03:46
#10
25 Jul 2015, 03:46#10
 @mike,

" I have seen both Cruden and Barrett going to pieces under pressure"

WTF does this mean ? they had a bad game, you call it "going to pieces under pressure" and then they are useless for the rest of their careers?
Cruden started 20 of the last 44 AB matches, winning all of them including some against the boks and being outstanding in more than one. Cruden has also guided the chiefs to 2 SR titles.
Pollard? don't make me laugh, what has he done?
Appart from a good game agaist the AB, nothing.
In his first SR season he started 4 matches and was very average, in the 2014 RC, except the mentioned game against the AB he was very average "going to pieces under pressure" in the first match against the argies, this SR season he's been very average, against that World XV joke team he was horrendous and very average in the loss against the aussies.
Cruden, Barret or Slade are far better than him at this moment.
CL
clevermike
Coach57,555 posts
CL
clevermikeCoach57,555 posts
25 Jul 2015, 06:53
#11
25 Jul 2015, 06:53#11
 blobbok
What you wrote is very true.  I look at the newspapers and feel that if I am younger I would definitely have left SA by now.  The issue is wider than just rugby.  It is the scandals stemming from corruption on every level in Government.  
Just think about the Nkandla scandal, the Prasa scandal and the maladministration in Eskom, virtually all local authorities outside of the Western Cape and the central and provincial governments as well.  It is destroying our currency at a massive pace and that adds to rugby players leaving the country.
It has reached the stage where the poor gets zero out of Government and even though there are constant service protests - they still support a Government that has lost all credibility.   To off-set that loss of credibility it is always easy for the Government to use racism to score points.   In sport it means that quotas must apply irrespective of competence.  I think that race-based selections are a curse and is affecting every sports team in SA - irrespective of what sport we are talking of.   My own point of view is merit should be a basis for player selection - not race.
One wonders where SA will be in ten years time - the way things are going we will soon enough be on the same level as Zimbabwe with a destroyed economy.  After being the second strongest economy in Africa in 1980 - Zimbabwe today is the second weakest economy in the world with 90% unemployment and with 75% of its people starving.  All through looting, oppression and maladministration.  Are we going the same way ? 
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