Cortez Ratima (left) and Finlay Christie at All Blacks training. Photo / Getty Images
Cortez Ratima (left) and Finlay Christie at All Blacks training. Photo / Getty Images
Halfbacks are fast becoming central figures in unlocking world rugby’s best defences. And while passing speed remains integral to this quest, another highly desired asset is expediting the All Blacks’ changing of the guard at nine.
Christie’s exit, as an established incumbent with 23 tests, shines a spotlight on the halfbacks and, specifically, the traits the All Blacks require from their nines.
Playing with pace from the base has long been the All Blacks’ modus operandi. Aaron Smith set the standard for 11 years and until Cam Roigard returns from injury later this year, the search for his replacement remains highly contestable.
Cortez Ratima’s decisive performances against England, where he injected notable speed, swiftly promoted him through the All Blacks pecking order – seemingly from third- to first-choice selection.
Noah Hotham’s debut against Fiji in San Diego forced the All Blacks to fast-track his elevation to effectively push Christie out of the squad.
Noah Hotham made his debut off the bench against Fiji. Photo / Photosport
And while the All Blacks have retained TJ Perenara’s experience for the Rugby Championship, Roigard, Ratima and Hotham seem set to contest the nine jersey for many years to come.
Speed to the base. Accuracy of pass. Variety with their kicking game. These aspects the All Blacks demand from their halfbacks.
The trait that All Blacks squad: The trait selectors want in their halfbacks, though, is whether they pose a genuine running threat.
From the world’s premier nine in France’s Antoine Dupont to England’s Alex Mitchell and Australia’s Tate McDermott, halfbacks who snipe around the ruck are golden assets in the modern game.
While a halfback’s core role is to distribute to the first receiver as quickly and accurately as possible, the ability to carry the ball in two hands, to step, accelerate and pop an offload can totally reshape the opposition’s defensive mindset.
Without that running threat, forward defenders clock off the halfback and target attackers waiting to receive the ball. One or two decisive snipes from the base is enough to reshape that mindset, to cast doubt that forces defenders to switch focus and hold the space to buy playmakers hugely valuable seconds on the ball.
This point of difference is partly why the All Blacks overlooked Christie. Roigard, Ratima and Hotham all pose lethal running threats while Perenara, as a big body, brings a combative presence, particularly close to the line, as his status as Super Rugby’s all-time leading try-scorer attests.
“All 10s in world rugby love running nines,” All Blacks assistant coach Scott Hansen said. “It looks like the 10 is about to receive the pass then all of a sudden the nine runs. What that does to the defence is totally different around the need to acknowledge threats. That’s instinctive in Noah’s game. You’ve got Cortez who can do it also.
“Then you’ve got to add the balance around how they control, their game management, and how they use the ball in the air through contestable kicks. We continue to grow that.
“Noah is not a halfback you need to tell to run. He’s a halfback who finds it on instinct. They’re the uncoachable bits he’s got in his game. He’s earned the opportunity. Watch the game against Fiji and where he changed our point of attack.
“The conversations we’ve had with Finlay is to go back to Tasman, continue to work on his game with high energy and to continue to be instinctive around his attacking game. We’ve connected with him, given him some work-ons.
“We’re really excited about the nines we have in the country.”
While the All Blacks won’t rush Roigard’s return, he is well on his way to establishing his presence among the world’s best running halfbacks, which leaves Christie with a difficult path to regain his place.
“The medical reports have been really positive around how he’s tracking. We’ve had Cam within the environment, he’s getting to understand our game. The key thing for him being a young man is getting right at the right time. We’ll do what’s best for him,” Hansen said.
“Cam has a lot of rugby in front of him so we’ve got to manage this really well. We know the phenomenal influence he had on Super Rugby earlier in the rounds so we’ve got to look after him and make sure when he comes back he’s confident and comfortable.”
Roigard offers one example that the evolution of the All Blacks’ distribution experts is intrinsically tied to their running threats.
