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Chapter 1: What are the highlights of Dave Rennie's All Blacks squad announcement?
Coming to you from rugby's greatest fortress, New Zealand's national stadium, Eden Park, is the Aotearoa Rugby Park. Kia ora and welcome to the Aotearoa Rugby Pod all-black squad announcement special. We have four new caps within this squad. Xavier Numier, Josh Morby, Fihi Finiano-Nofo and also Anton Cegna. As well as a bunch of fairly seasoned campaigners. It looks like a good squad, Jep.
And if you look through it, you know that to play for a Dave Rennie side, you're going to have to be, and I love this word, robust. And they've all played high minutes throughout Super Rugby. He said he was going to pick on form. Some guys might have got there on the balance of a bit of experience, but if you go through all their minutes, most of them are over...
I suppose about 850 to the newcomers, they're all over 1,000. So the irony is that they've played a lot of minutes, they've shown they're robust in a pretty challenging comp, and they've got rewarded for it.
Some superb performances this year, particularly from the Hurricanes, which we touched on in yesterday's episode, and that appears to be being rewarded.
Well, so it should have been. Look, I think I really enjoy Xavier Niemeyer. He's very deserving of it. I think he's been plying his trade for a long time and probably has been overlooked a little bit in terms of it.
Well, he would have been packed, I reckon, two years ago, but he did that Achilles.
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Chapter 2: Who are the new caps selected for the All Blacks squad?
Yeah, so I think he's just a great reward for a guy that's just been plying his trade for a long time, almost a centurion for the Hurricanes. And look, I think he had one of his best performances on the weekend. I know more, so the set piece is going to be important on the international level, but...
jesus what he can do with ball and hand jumper like in terms of like what they really likes to do and that attacking brand of footy um yeah he's definitely one that is i think a deserving along with fihi and um josh morby as well well i think all of these people who've made it the new guys we knew were gonna probably be there the most interesting selection here has got to be kyle preston brenna
Talk us through what this guy brings, considering he has played very little rugby in comparison to Noah Hotham for the Crusaders.
To Jip's point, I think most of the players in the team have played 800 minutes or more. Kyle Preston's played 250 minutes for the whole year. Do you know what I mean? I think there's a specific skill set that I think that they're wanting to have with Kyle Preston. I think he's probably the best kicking nine in the country and he can kick off both feet and he's very good to support his lines.
And when he was given the opportunity when Noah wasn't there, he played very well to then be able to play his first cap last year. So I just think it's a specific skill set when it comes to the kicking game that I think that's why Kyle Preston has been selected.
When you compare him to the kicking games of other halves around, what makes him better?
The fact that you can kick off both feet. Let's not underestimate how hard that is and how good that is in terms of being able to exit off both sides of the park, which is really good to have as a nine and what Kyle does really well. But it's his execution. The box kick game is a big part of the game in international rugby and it's not going anywhere. They did it at Corbett.
You're going to have to be able to have a kicking game when it comes to the contestables. And I think his ability that he has shown also that he can close out games. You know that Cam Rory guard is going to be your number one probably.
And then can you have a guy that can come on that does that role, which he does at the Crusaders very well, coming on winning a championship last year, being able to be that closer and being able to, I guess, have a really good skill set, I think, when it comes to that kicking game.
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Chapter 3: What factors influenced the selection of Kyle Preston as a halfback?
I think that's a big part. I don't think you can expect...
these days like any front row going past 60 minutes it's just not realistic I think you'd be doing your team a disservice the longer you leave front rowers out there you've got to be able to back your full 23 to be able to get the punch to finish test matches already yeah obviously that's a Corby relationship the other Corby relationship here is Anton Leonard Brown he's in the team having not played Super Rugby um what's he been like in the Japanese League he's been playing well
Yeah, he's been playing really well. I think in the early part of the year, I think it was a bit of a transition coming over to what the style was, but he was at his world-class best, especially in the back end of the season when Kobe really needed him. Actually, all of them that were over there, they stood up and played really well in the final series.
But yeah, I think, look, Anton had a pretty outstanding year, I'm not going to lie. In Japan, very influential and the reason why Kobe actually ended up getting that title along with Brady Rotelic being world-class and Artie Sevilla playing really well. So, And I think also as well with Anton, he can play both positions as well.
You talk about versatility when it comes to the loose forwards, but Anton's played 12 and 13 for multiple seasons in the all-black environment. And he can cover wing as well. So I just think, you know, sometimes when you've got, I think, Billy, Jordy and Quinn, pretty deserving, I think, to be in the squad.
And I think with what Anton has bringing, having a bit of experience, if there is a few injuries, he's been there and done it a lot of the time in the black jersey.
Yeah, I think he's obviously probably in competition with Timoti Tavatava-Nawai. And I just think like you look at Anton's sort of profile as a player, there's high demands on the midfield, I suppose, from a lane capacity point of view.
you know big in the kicking and midfielders normally have to join the back three because the more numbers you can get in that back three that helps you counter attack so you've really got to have the lung capacity and you know he's an extremely good guy can push up on the kick chase can get back and play in that backfield and I just think man midfield is just the hardest position in international rugby these days and having that experience with a short runway to a world cup
You don't have to think. He's put himself in there through performance, but also through experience.
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Chapter 4: How does the squad balance experience and youth for the upcoming season?
The hard thing is, you know, geez, Lomax has held us in such good stead. But I still think he probably needs a few more runs on the board minutes-wise before. I just thought it was Fletcher Newell's best season.
And I think what Dave Rennie has shown with the Chiefs and even with the Wallabies, he likes to chop and change. Do you know what I mean? So I'll just be interested to see that the language that we've heard from them is they're going to be picking on form. Are they actually going to be picking on form from what the Hurricanes, guys, as an example?
I actually think the hook is as easy as I made that sound just then. Because I'm just thinking about Al Moua. Yeah. He's been outstanding, mate. God. I just didn't really think that through. You caught me on the hop there.
While you think about that, like, you've got to find the balance as well. Do you know what I mean? As a coach and a selector, like, of course you want to be able to base it all on form, but at the same time, you want to have the experience of guys that you know what you need to get out of them. And you need to win. Like, the expectation for us as a Kiwi fan is we win every single test match.
Yeah, yeah, yeah. So it's a fine balancing act, which I think is a...
It's quite hard as a coach to... They all had massive years when you think about it. Like, Cody Taylor played really well. Yeah. You know, Samuelssoni probably had his best year. Yeah. He was, you know... Outstanding. I think it's been his best year. That is a hard jersey to pick. The experience, I think his throwing is definitely probably most superior at international level.
I'd say they're all even. Probably Takeo had the best stats throwing-wise in Super Rugby. But again, I just think there's... Our brains as humans are designed to sense fear first, because obviously we had to realise there's a tiger in the bush there and that's how we survive.
If we go back to evolution, but that's how we, so when we go up a level, as a hooker, I know as a hooker, your fear profile goes up and a few more nerves. I think someone like Cody probably does, his is dulled right down. And he's just probably focused on what's here and what's his line out and where the ball needs to be.
Versus when you're a little bit less experienced, you can start thinking, oh, where are they at? There's a mouth of tigers in the bush. There's a Lude the Jager in the bush that's going to steal your ball. Peter Steph the toy.
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