The All Blacks' midfield and loose forwards could be set for a shake up after the 47-5 victory over Fiji in San Diego today.
Head coach Scott Robertson rolled the dice after the successful England series and he's come up trumps ahead of the Rugby Championship, which starts for his side against Argentina in Wellington on August 10.
Anton Lienert-Brown and Billy Proctor made a compelling case in the midfield, with Luke Jacobson and Ethan Blackadder impressing on the side of the scrum.
Proctor, making his Test debut, scored a try in a commanding performance, but all of the six debutants impressed, a consistency that was a highlight in the seven-tries-to-one win.
It gives Robertson and his selectors plenty to think about, with blindside flanker Samipeni Finau and incumbent centre Rieko Ioane presumably under pressure to retain their places after failing to shine in Dunedin and Auckland recently.
Proctor, solid on attack, defence and as a distributor, was a standout, but so was Noah Hotham, the halfback on after 35 minutes following Cortez Ratima’s head injury. The pair, on debut, were confident without overplaying their hands, and that as much as anything will have impressed Robertson.
Loose forwards Luke Jacobson, left, and Ethan Blackadder make a tackle early in the Test against Fiji. (Source: Photosport)
“Billy had some great touches, he had some really great touches,” Robertson said. “He was welcomed, wasn’t he? He had a couple of shoulders on him to welcome him to Test football.
“He took a couple of opportunities, so I’m really pleased for him. And Noah coming on so early, I trust him, he backs himself. That’s the great thing about Noah. He’s an instinctive rugby player and he did that tonight.”
Hotham’s success is a doubled-edged sword, because it comes with potentially bad news for Ratima, who did initially well in front of the 33,000 crowd at the Snapdragon Stadium and scored an early try close to the line thanks to his eye for a gap.
Robertson confirmed the halfback failed a head injury assessment, “so he’ll go through the protocols for the next 10 days to two weeks”.
That means, with TJ Perenara still in doubt for the next Test due to his knee injury, another halfback will presumably be called in to cover Finlay Christie and Hotham, who are currently the two best No.9s in the country.
Skipper Scott Barrett confirmed his satisfaction with the new boys after the selectors made 11 changes to the starting line up which beat England at Eden Park last weekend to clinch the two-Test series.
“All six of them, from Billy to start and then the rest of them, they all had an impact on the game,” Barrett said. “Pasilio [Tosi], getting his shoulders to the line, Sam Darry, nice wee turnover, and Billy getting the try after a nice few touches in the game.”
Robertson said: “I was quite excited to see how that talent went and they showed why we picked them. Like I said, 32 players [in the squad], and we picked every one - seven debutants the whole series. It’s been quite intense, obviously with the travel. I’m pleased everyone has learned quickly.”
Robertson added of the All Blacks’ overall effort: “To keep them to five [points] is pretty special. We scored some great tries, we left a lot out there. I’m really proud of the efforts from the six debutants. They all stood up.”
Barrett said: “I was happy with the way we played. We talked about grinding them down but doing that smartly. We held the ball nicely but moved it away from their first few defenders who were looking forward to coming off the line and putting a shot on.”
All Blacks cut loose against Fiji but big win comes at a cost
4:45pm
He added of Fiji, ranked 10th in the world to New Zealand’s No.3, “they split us a couple of times - we were aware of that threat and didn’t quite shut them down but we’re pretty pleased to keep them to five points with the flair they have. It’s a great effort, I’m proud of that.”
Asked by an American reporter which All Blacks might be candidates for the NFL after such a performance, Robertson and Barrett agreed on two names: wing Caleb Clarke, who scored a try and should have had another but for a disallowed score (thanks to an illegal Barrett cleanout), and big prop Tamaiti Williams.
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