All Blacks wing options

Tangitau had been tried, his play demands it. So he gets to start at 14 (not sure if he can play 11?)

Jordan, despite his deficiencies, is probably the best running back we have. His try scoring and try assist rate is insane. He’s at either wing or fullback.

The biggest question mark is who’s at 15/11 and 23.

There is only one real realistic new option at 15 and that’s Harkin if Jordan is on the wing. We do not need Dmac the epileptic ferret at 15. That would be a disaster.

Caleb Clarke hasn’t been in great form and the power winger has somewhat fallen out of fashion (with the exception of Ethan Hooker) so not sure he demands a spot but is there a sensible alternative if Jordan is at 15?

Jordie Barrett seems like the logical choice at 23.

So,
11: Jordan/Clarke
14. Tangitau
15: Harkin/Jordan

23: J Barrett

@jimmyb I would go Clarke 11, Tangitau 14 and Jordan 15 with Leicester in 23 jersey to cover wing.

@jimmyb said in All Blacks wing options:

@Bones I swear I’ve seen George Bridge catch a high-ball…

..in a cocktail bar maybe..

I would pick Fehi at 11. Give him a taste of being an AB, and if he turns out to be as good at test level as he is at Super, next year might sort itself out too.

@Rugbyman said in All Blacks wing options:

but if you have a wet game in Cape Town and we have been exposed under the high ball in test 1 I think he should come into consideration

In a wet game in Fiji this year Moorby was the worst player on the field and hugely error prone

@KiwiMurph everyone can have 1 bad game. For the rest of the season he has pretty much been error-free like a Ben smith/Cory Jane type player. I am not saying I would start him ahead of Tangitau but with Narawa barely playing this season I would rank him as the number 2 14 in the squad.

I've just had a bit of fun getting AI to probe through Sir Graham Henry's comments in recent years about current NZ rugby players.

The top three recipients for his praise, according to Chat GTP, have been Ardie Savea, Will Jordan and Cam Roigard.

@sparky at least it'sdnot Beauden Barrett

@Frank so should Reiko he will be there.

@Crazy-Horse said in All Blacks wing options:

I would pick Fehi at 11. Give him a taste of being an AB, and if he turns out to be as good at test level as he is at Super, next year might sort itself out too.

I don't reckon. His play undoubtedly deserves it, but when you have guys like Clarke and Jordan who are world class, why should they miss out? And Tangitau who is amazing - but raw and has a bit to learn, surely it's better to give him that time in the jersey?
Maybe in the squad to give him a taste of what he's missing, but I don't see the point really. Giving LF game time there with specific targets on improving his defensive positioning and ball security would have more value, or even a Tupaea/Proctor/Lennox to increase our injury cover options and ability to have a 6-2 bench.
Unless there's a way out of the Newcastle deal of course, that would change things entirely.

@Rugbyman said in All Blacks wing options:

@KiwiMurph everyone can have 1 bad game. For the rest of the season he has pretty much been error-free like a Ben smith/Cory Jane type player. I am not saying I would start him ahead of Tangitau but with Narawa barely playing this season I would rank him as the number 2 14 in the squad.

Will Jordan is a pretty decent 14 too....

@Old-Alleynians said in All Blacks wing options:

@DurryMexted

Who has the big boot amongst them- in SA we need to exit into their half - we can't just rely on 9 and 10 to do that.

Yeah thats the big issue - Clarke and Jordan can thump it but not sure you can call it tactical

@george33 said in All Blacks wing options:

@Frank so should Reiko he will be there.

88 caps for the Allblacks and people still cant spell his first name correctly.

I do think Moorby will be in the discussions purely on the basis that he is the 2nd highest try scorer in the comp. He might be selected in the squad on that basis and because he covers fullback.

He has made more carries than any other player.

Back three carries:
100 Josh Moorby
92 Fehi Fineanganofo
88 Jacob Ratumaitavuki Kneepkens
78 Leroy Carter
76 Caleb Clarke
76 Will Jordan
76 Callum Harkin
72 Caleb Tangitau

Clean Breaks Per Carry
0.25 Caleb Tangitau
0.23 Kyren Taumoefolau
0.21 Fehi Fineanganofo
0.17 Will Jordan
0.17 Caleb Clarke
0.13 Josh Moorby
0.1 Leroy Carter
0.05 Jacob Ratumaitavuki Kneepkens

So the Canes use their back 3 to attack a lot more than the other teams.

Tackle Percentage
85% Leroy Carter
83% Caleb Clarke
83% Kyren Taumoefolau
82% Will Jordan
79% Caleb Tangitau
76% Josh Moorby
72% Fehi Fineanganofo
70% Jacob Ratumaitavuki Kneepkens

@brodean I don't see it eh, good player but we have better starting options at wing and fullback, and would be better off using a development slot for a Taumoefolau or maybe even Hutchinson.

@reprobate said in All Blacks wing options:

@brodean I don't see it eh, good player but we have better starting options at wing and fullback, and would be better off using a development slot for a Taumoefolau or maybe even Hutchinson.

I agree. I think he's benefited by being on the end of the Canes backline but I still think the selectors will talk about him.

Taumoefolau is not eligible until October.

If Tangitau is out long term (fingers crossed somehow he isnt) I wonder if Jordan to 14 really picks up steam

@KiwiMurph said in All Blacks wing options:

If Tangitau is out long term (fingers crossed somehow he isnt) I wonder if Jordan to 14 really picks up steam

Which in turn really makes the end of the season interesting for Sullivan/Harkin (and maybe even Hutchinson).

@KiwiMurph Personally I would like Jordan at 15 which is his favoured position. Then look for the best 14 which may change if Tangitau is out and Narawa can't find some fitness and form. Perhaps they look at Fehi on the right wing or Moorby as a solid Ben Smith type player.

@Rugbyman said in All Blacks wing options:

Personally I would like Jordan at 15 which is his favoured position.

I'm more interested in the best position for the ABs not his favoured position.

@KiwiMurph who is a better 15 than Jordan in NZ? there is no one and I would argue he is more influential there than on the wing, just look at his impact at the Saders.

Tangitau's injury is a real shame but Rennie still has a fairly reasonable to stable pick from, including: Jordan (if not at fullback), Clarke, Fainga'anuku, Narawa, Carter and Ioane. Throw in some potential cover from someone like Love or Tupaea and you're still well enough stocked.

I don't see the value in picking Fineanganofo this year if he's heading overseas. There are enough decent wingers hanging about.

@Rugbyman Jordan has always looked better on the wing for the All Blacks than at fullback.

@Mr-Fish has he been given a fair run at 15? He
kept getting moved between 14 and 15 over the last 3 years. Against Boks at Eden Park Narawa got injured and then he was moved to 14 for those 2 games.

Hopefully if we field Jordan at fullback we can change the schedule so we just play the reds, Highlanders, force, etc.

@Rugbyman said in All Blacks wing options:

@Mr-Fish has he been given a fair run at 15? He
kept getting moved between 14 and 15 over the last 3 years. Against Boks at Eden Park Narawa got injured and then he was moved to 14 for those 2 games.

10 starts last year - there's not a lot of outside backs who get more opportunities to stamp a claim in a position than that.

It's probably more the fact that even prior to getting a run at fullback, people saw his linking play and kicking game as potentially two key weaknesses when shifting from wing to fullback, and he did nothing in those matches at 15 to counter that perception.

@Mr-Fish AI tells me he was the preferred 15 in 2023. I don't recall that but sounds pretty legit. You don't get much better chance than that.

@Bones said in All Blacks wing options:

@Mr-Fish AI tells me he was the preferred 15 in 2023. I don't recall that but sounds pretty legit. You don't get much better chance than that.

AI has got it wrong (shock horror).

He had one game at fullback for the All Blacks in 2023 but seven games there in 2024 (completely forgot Razor had two years at the helm so didn't even consider 2024 before).

@Mr-Fish so we're talking at least 17 starts? Yeah that's enough at fullback, you should be figuring it out by then in the backs.

@Rugbyman said in All Blacks wing options:

@KiwiMurph who is a better 15 than Jordan in NZ? there is no one and I would argue he is more influential there than on the wing, just look at his impact at the Saders.

He's more influential for the Saders at 15. He's more influential for the ABs at 14.

Would be interesting to see how many tests Jordan started at 15 but finished at 14 over the last couple of years.
Felt like every time Dmac would come off the bench he would go to 15 with Jordan moving to 14 with BB staying on to stink up the 10 jersey.

Constantly moving positions half way through the games can’t help things.