A few seasons back Taylor was in dire form and it wasn't until injuries struck that Taukei'aho was finally given a run in South Africa, where he excelled. Taylor's form is nowhere near as bad now but I still think the one-two punch of Taukei'aho and Aumua is difficult to resist. We saw against Ireland how big an impact Aumua made by coming onto the field early in the match. But hard to see Rennie changing up the formula too much in South Africa, given Taylor started all three matches in July. Maybe if Taukei'aho has a stormer against the club sides and mans up in the scrum he'll be trusted to start in the Tests?
Bit surprising that Lomax was the first-choice tighthead in July, but only because he's spent so little time on the pitch this year. Newell and Tosi seem like a better combination but Lomax was by no means terrible and, as with the hooker situation, Lomax and Newell are probably the better scrummaging combo so Rennie may stick with them for the upcoming tour. De Groot is in career-best form - his carrying and support game have gone up a notch this year - and Numia didn't struggle in either of his two appearances so those two are locked in on the loosehead side of the scrum.
We're blessed with riches in the second row. As with the props, no one let themselves down in July but think Darry/Tuipulotu may be the best pairing. If we're running with a lock on the bench, however, then I think starting Lord with Tuipulotu is the better option with Darry adding impact later in the game. Holland also comes back into the frame (though not sure he should be playing the Tests at this stage). Barnes and Ryan will have their selection work cut out for them when Barrett returns from injury too.
Think Vaa'i is the best option on the blindside flank against South Africa and the other bigger packs (Ireland and England come to mind). I also like the balance he brings to the backrow. Savea will start at No 8 and then seems like Jacobson has done enough to wear 7. Not sure who out of Lakai and Segner rides the pine and hard to see where Parker fits into things. Against the bigger teams maybe he should be the bench loosie, as the closest thing to a like-for-like replacement for Vaa'i? But clearly Rennie didn't favour him in July.
Halfback situation remains troubling. Roigard is clearly the first choice and should be playing as much as possible in every match. Ratima had some ok moments in July but wasn't properly tested while Preston didn't feature at all. They'll presumably both get starts in the opening four games of the South Africa tour. Wonder if Rennie is on the phone to some of the offshore options trying to convince them to get back to NZ ASAP. Smith or Kerr-Barlow would be great additions ahead of the World Cup.
The Love-McKenzie axis worked a charm in July. Long may it continue. Love has played a fairly understated game but mixed it up with a few excellent touches - very Carter-esque. That's the type of play we need from the 10.
Similarly, the Barrett-Tupaea axis looks to be the way forward in the midfield, though Tupaea is still going to have a few defensive lapses at centre. The problem then becomes who the back-up No 12 is, because I don't love Lienert-Brown in that role. Feels like Rennie is comfortable having him there, however. Would've been quite interesting to see what would have happened if Barrett had been ruled out of the match - would ALB have gone to 12 and Tupaea remained at 13 to continue his development there? Barrett has been a bit of a revolution this year, though he probably overplayed his hand a little bit against Ireland.
Looking forward to seeing more of Fineanganofo in Africa but Jordan, Moorby and Clarke (and even Carter) all played well in July. We definitely looked worse later in the game when McKenzie moved to 10 but I think that was potentially more a product of not being able to inject him from fullback. Really hoping Hutchinson makes the trip to Africa and gets a few runs on the board because he offers a similar threat from fullback and would allow Love/McKenzie to make way when needed. Can then take a horses for courses approach with the wings.
All in all, a very positive July. A few big questions remains around the back-up halfback, blindside flanker and midfield but there appears to be some clear buy-in to Rennie and co from the players. Plenty of reason for NZ fans to feel optimistic.
Rennie has an incredible record against South Africa opposition - can't wait to see how this group goes on their tour.
