New Zealand - Autumn Nations Series Preview
All Blacks looking to close out the year as the #1 in World Rugby!
Preview
The All Blacks come into the tail end of the season in typically hot form. They’ve won 4 of their last 5 games and are very likely to make light work of Italy this weekend. Whilst the 2019 RWC showed that there was a generational shift occurring in NZ Rugby, 2021 has been the year of the young crop bursting onto the season, with many players showing that they are candidates to be All Black Stalwarts.
The squad boasts a number of sub-10 cap players that are likely to be en-route towards 50+ caps by the end of their careers. The likes of Asafo Aumua (4 caps), Hoskins Sotutu (10 caps), and Samisoni Taukei’aho (7 caps) in the forwards, as well as Will Jordan (9 caps), Quinn Tupaea (4 caps) and Braydon Ennor (2 caps) shows just how much young talent the All Blacks still need to establish. Alongside these emerging youngsters who already are starting to look like test veterans, the squad boasts a leadership headlined by the 100 club members Beauden Barrett and Sam Whitelock.
New Zealand face Italy, Ireland and France for the 2021 Autumn Nations Series. They’ve already convincingly put away both the USA, and even more emphatically, Wales. However, whilst they will certainly do the same to Italy, Ireland and France pose concrete threats which should not be underestimated. Ireland have had the rub of the green in some past Autumn fixtures against the ABs, and they will be looking to notch another significant scalp. Their club rugby teams have been dominating the URC and Europe this season and the fact that their test combinations are often working together in club rugby makes them a real threat despite only having played a few games since their disappointing Six Nations campaign.
France, unlike Ireland, do not boast the fortune of most of their players playing for a handful of clubs, but they have been in far better form this year and are in ascendency. They will definitely target the All Blacks and will be happy with nothing less than a win. The French side has merged their flamboyant playing style, ‘joue’ young talent with one of the most water-tight defences in world rugby right now. They also blooded an incredible young crop this summer in their tour to Australia, showing off the abundance of depth their international side can call upon at the minute.
The All Blacks have already shown that their playing style will be as relentless, fast-paced and skillful as always. However, one aspect that they will be focusing on and testing themselves in the Northern Hempisphere will be their physicality. I have not seen a defensive masterclass by the All Blacks in quite some time and I’d expect that, especially against France, Ian Foster will be looking to make a statement performance and close out the year with a three game win streak. The All Blacks have such an incredibly high standard that these critiques might sound dumbfounded, but it is the All Blacks constant critique of themselves that has got them to the pinnacle of this sport, and as other countries are chomping at the bit to topple them, the ABs must keep improving.
Prediction: W / W / L
New Zealand
Squad (Position/ Club / Caps*)
Forwards
Asafo Aumua (Hurricanes / Hooker/ 4)
Ethan Blackadder (Crusaders / Back-row / 7)
George Bower (Crusaders / Prop / 8)
Sam Cane (Chiefs/ Back-row / 74)
Dane Coles (Hurricanes / Hooker / 76)
Ethan de Groot (Highlanders / Prop / 2)
Shannon Frizell (Highlanders / Back-row / 15)
Akira Ioane (Blues / Back-row / 10)
Luke Jacobson (Chiefs / Back-row /10)
Nepo Laulala (Blues / Prop / 37)
Tyrel Lomax (Hurricane / Prop / 10)
Josh Lord (Chiefs / Lock / Uncapped)
Joe Moody (Crusaders / Prop / 54)
Dalton Papalii (Blues /Back-row / 9)
Brodie Retallick (Chiefs / Lock / 89)
Ardie Savea (Hurricanes /Back-row / 56)
Hoskins Sotutu (Blues / Back-row / 8)
Angus Ta’avao (Chiefs / Prop / 19)
Samisoni Taukei’aho (Chiefs / Hooker / 7)
Codie Taylor (Crusaders / Hooker / 64)
Karl Tu’inukuafe (Blues / Prop / 23)
Ofa Tuungafasi (Blues / Prop / 42)
Tupou Vaa’i (Chiefs / Lock / 7)
Sam Whitelock (Crusaders / Lock / 127)
Backs
Beauden Barrett (Blues / Fly-half / 98)
Jordie Barrett (Hurricanes / Full-back / 32)
George Bridge (Crusaders / Wing / 16)
Finlay Christie (Blues / Scrum-half / 3)
Braydon Ennor (Crusaders / Wing-Centre / 2)
David Havili (Crusaders / Full-back-Centre / 11)
Rieko Ioane (Blues / Wing-Centre / 44)
Will Jordan (Crusaders / Full-back / 9)
Anton Lienert-Brown (Chiefs / Centre / 53)
Damian McKenzie (Chiefs / Fly-half - Full-back / 37)
Richie Mo’unga (Crusaders / Fly-half / 27)
TJ Perenara (Hurricanes / Scrum-half / 75)
Sevu Reece (Crusaders / Wing / 14)
Quinn Tupaea (Chiefs / Centre / 4)
Brad Weber (Chiefs / Scrum-half / 14)
*Caps as of 2nd October 2021