CARDIFF, Wales — The ever-evolving All Blacks midfield is beginning to take shape – yet one prevailing unknown between now and next year’s Rugby World Cup is whether cross-code convert Roger Tuivasa-Sheck will survive the final cut.
This weekend, as the All Blacks embark on their first northern tour assignment in Cardiff following another unconvincing win in Tokyo, Jordie Barrett is paired with Rieko Ioane for the second time in the last three Tests.
Barrett’s first start at second-five, in the dominant victory over the Wallabies at Eden Park five weeks ago that ultimately clinched the Rugby Championship title, produced the best performance in the pivotal position since Ma’a Nonu owned the jersey for the All Blacks.
That positional switch was forced, though, after injuries struck down David Havili and Quinn Tupaea in Melbourne the previous week.
Barrett’s second start at No. 12 is purely on form, which represents a significant shift from All Blacks coach Ian Foster, who has long maintained he prefers the youngest of the three Barrett brothers at fullback.
When fit the All Blacks have, until now, steadfastly backed the Havili-Ioane combination throughout this turbulent season with a view to allowing them time to develop together.
Havili and Ioane combined in six of this year’s 10 Tests, with Havili unavailable due to injury on three of the other four occasions, while he came off the bench in Japan last week.
The Havili-Ioane combination featured prominently in two of the All Blacks best performances this year – the Ellis Park triumph that saved Foster’s tenure and the dismantling of the Pumas in Hamilton that came in response to the maiden home defeat against the same opposition in Christchurch.
Barrett’s move for Wales signals he could well evolve into the All Blacks preferred No. 12 option, with his blend of direct carries, defensive strength and distribution skill forming a compelling package.
As Ioane explained of his new enticing midfield combination: “Jordie loves the physicality and he brings those skills from fullback so it’s being able to complement each other. You saw him against Aussie. Him and I joked we might need a crowbar to get the ball off him this game. The way he plays I love his style and it suits my style as well. If you’ve got good up-front punch, it makes my job to organise and set our outsides alight a lot easier.”
Outside Barrett and Havili, the versatile and experienced Anton Lienert-Brown made his return from an extended absence after shoulder surgery in Tokyo last week and he has again been included on the bench for Wales.
After being forced to be patient, playing all of 21 minutes in two Tests off the bench since July, Tuivasa-Sheck was handed his maiden start for the All Blacks inside Braydon Ennor last week against Japan.
The former Warriors captain had six tackle breaks, six offloads and two try assists – one from a classy lineout set move. He also made seven tackles, missed two, and was busy with 16 carries for 58 metres. Those stats don’t tell the full story, though.
Japan targeted Tuivasa-Sheck defensively from the outset – a sign Jamie Joseph and Tony Brown identified the 29-year-old’s challenges coming to grips with the adjustment of defending in the front line as opposed to the backfield in league.
The other significant difference separating Barrett and Havili in particular from Tuivasa-Sheck is their ability to shape defences through their kicking game, and their inherent knowledge of union which alleviates the playmaking responsibilities on the All Blacks first-fives.
With less than a year until the World Cup time, and opportunities, are fast running out for Tuivasa-Sheck to stake his claim. He’s recently spent time on the wing for Auckland to enhance his squad versatility but after starting against Japan, he and Ennor were immediately released to the All Blacks XV for their two-match tour which starts against Ireland A in Dublin this weekend.
Unless injuries strike Ian Foster’s squad in the coming weeks Tuivasa-Sheck may struggle to force his way in for another test this year.
“It’s important for Roger and Braydon to get another hit out pretty soon to cement what they went through last week,” Foster explained the rationale behind releasing the pair to the All Blacks XV this week. “They would’ve taken some lessons from that so it’s a good chance to play again on Friday together and then come back and re-join us.”
The issue for Tuivasa-Sheck is, from a second-five standpoint, he’s ranked behind Barrett, Havili, Lienert-Brown – and that’s just the fit contenders.
Tupaea, who started the first two Tests of the year against Ireland before he suffered a lengthy ACL injury in the ugly Darcy Swain cleanout in Melbourne, and Jack Goodhue are other midfielders the All Blacks will strongly consider once they return next year.
And from a squad versatility perspective, Crusaders wing-centre Leicester Fainga’anuku presents another competitor.
The door is far from closed on Tuivasa-Sheck but to realise his World Cup dream he must seize every chance to make his mark. Even then, it may not be enough.