Brad Weber was named in the first All Blacks squad of 2019. Photo / Photosport
Brad Weber was named in the first All Blacks squad of 2019. Photo / Photosport
Brad Weber is quick to admit he's let All Blacks selection consume him since making his lone appearance in the black jersey in 2015.
He missed selection in 2016 and 2018 despite some strong play, and suffered a broken femur in 2017 that ruled him out of contention.
Not knowingif the opportunity to don the black jersey would ever come back around, the 28-year-old made a decision at the start of 2019 that changed his outlook on the game.
"This season I kind of just put it to the side," Weber says. "I thought: I could play the best rugby I'll ever play in my life and still not be selected. I was at peace with that and honestly it just freed my mind of all the clutter and allowed me to play my best rugby."
Breaking free of the shackles that driving for selection had put on him, Weber was arguably the standout halfback in all of Super Rugby as he led the Chiefs to an unlikely quarter-finals appearance.
Weber was the club's joint top try scorer, crossing the stripe five times, showed further improvement in his in-game kicking ability and made more than 100 tackles for the first time in his Super Rugby career.
Brad Weber made his lone All Blacks appearance in 2015 against Samoa. Photo / Photosport
His consistently high level of play convinced fans and media that he deserved a recall into the All Blacks squad, but it didn't think too much into it until he heard his name called out at the announcement of the first squad of the year on Tuesday night.
"It's nice that people think I deserve to be here, but at the end of the day they're not the ones that matter are they?" Weber says with a grin.
"I had no inkling (that I'd be selected). I knew I was a chance, but you can never be too sure about yourself until you hear your name called out.
"I was hopeful that I'd get the opportunity again. I was never really sure, but I certainly set myself a goal to give myself the best chance; just to play as well as I could this year and I'm pretty happy with the result.
Weber's recall comes at the expense of Chiefs teammate Te Toiroa Tahuriorangi, who will use two matches for the Māori All Blacks against Fiji this month to try make his case ahead of the World Cup.
Tahuriorangi was nailed to a bench role for the Chiefs this season as Weber's undeniable form made him the clear option in the No9 jersey. But while the pair were competing for the final halfback spot in the All Blacks squad, behind incumbents Aaron Smith and TJ Perenara, Weber says that competition didn't impact them during the season.
"Te Toiroa and I are pretty close. In terms of guys competing for the same position we get along pretty well.
"He could've dropped his lip this year not getting as many starts as he probably would have liked but respect to him. He never did, he still turned up and wanted to win and do whatever it took for the Chiefs to help us win. I've got nothing but love and respect for Te Toiroa. I know he's happy for me being here now just as I was for him last year.
"Now my real hard work begins. I've got to prove to [the selectors] that I deserve to be here and they made the right choice."
