Pita Gus Sowakula of the Chiefs was one of the many new All Blacks named this week. Photo / Photosport
Pita Gus Sowakula of the Chiefs was one of the many new All Blacks named this week. Photo / Photosport
OPINION:
Super Rugby has long been a seductress that can't quite be fully trusted to paint the truest picture of how the country's best players might perform at test level.
It's high impact and high collision, and goodness knows there have been enough rolling mauls this year to portray SuperRugby as a competition defined by its muscularity and physical grunt.
But the rough and tumble witnessed these past few months from Perth to Dunedin and all points in between will be distinctly different in flavour to the rough and tumble of the All Blacks' three test series against Ireland.
Obviously, some elements of rugby are universal, no matter the level and that's why someone such as Leicester Fainga'anuku has been called up by the All Blacks, as has Chiefs loose forward Gus Sowakula.
These two bring ball carrying power and defensive crunch and the All Blacks will always be interested in those qualities.
Leicester Fainga'anuku of the Crusaders in action. Photo / Photosport
But test rugby, particularly against an opponent such as Ireland, demands a wider spread of physical endeavour and, most importantly, it will require the All Blacks to produce first and foremost a dominant set-piece.
The scrum will be battle ground number this July, closely followed by the lineout and then the tackled ball area.
This is the triumvirate the All Blacks have to get right because this is where the outcome of any given test is decided and why Blues prop Karl Tu'inukuafe has been retained despite announcing that he will be joining Montpellier later this year.
The All Blacks want his scrummaging prowess. He may not get around the park overly well, doesn't do a great line in pass and catch, but he'll potentially get himself under a good Irish front-row and cause them a few headaches at the scrum.
And perhaps the whole key to understanding this All Blacks season lies in the make-up of the six props that have been picked.
Nepo Laulala is another who hasn't shown any great ability as a ball carrier but has become one of the best scrummaging tight-heads in the world game.
At the other end of the spectrum are Angus Ta'avao and George Bower, who don't rate as brilliant scrummagers in the same class, but do offer plenty with ball in hand.
With Ofa Tuungafasi and new cap Aidan Ross perhaps fitting the bill of being genuine hybrids who have a capacity to both scrum well and carry and tackle, the All Blacks have given themselves a range of abilities.
Blues prop Ofa Tuungafasi. Photo / Photosport
The key to the Irish series is knowing how to mix and match these front-row selections specifically and in the forwards generally to ensure they always have on the field the right balance between set-piece proficiency and ball-playing mobility.
If there is a lesson to be taken from last year, it is that the All Blacks didn't always get that balance right and were occasionally exposed as not having ball carriers on occasion while against the Boks, their set-piece was broken in the second half of both tests when they didn't have enough scrummaging grunt to bring off the bench.
Balance will be everything as the All Blacks can't expect to beat Ireland by loading the pack with mobile ball runners or by leaning too heavily on those whose expertise doesn't stretch much beyond the set-piece.
That balance will be just as important when it comes to selecting the backs as what often gets forgotten after months of Super Rugby is that pass and catch is only half the story.
Kick and catch is probably the more important skill-set to get right in the test arena and that's largely why All Blacks head coach Ian Foster was keen to reiterate that Jordie Barrett, despite playing a handful of games for the Hurricanes at second-five, has been picked at fullback.
Super Rugby has been a running fest but come the Irish series, the All Blacks backs, first and foremost, have to get their kicking game right: both in terms of attack and defence and that's why it is likely Barrett and Will Jordan will be accommodated in the back three as both have led the way this year with their accuracy and bravery under the high ball.
And it's also why David Havili, who struggled for form at the tail end of last year and who hasn't had a vintage campaign with the Crusaders, may be the preferred option at second-five.
The All Blacks want a 12 with a strategic kicking game to play against Ireland, because again, they feel that will be the balance they need to win the series.
It will be a mix of astute tactical kicking, sharp pass and catch, powerful ball-carrying and out and out pace that will undo Ireland and so the squad the All Blacks have picked is one they hope will give them the breadth of qualities they need to strike the right balance come game day.
