All Blacks v Fiji: Winners and losers from Scott Robertson’s selections : Planet Rugby

After Scott Robertson’s All Blacks team announced they will play Fiji in San Diego, we pick the winners and losers.

After beating England 2-0 in the series in New Zealand, Robertson now turns his attention to the Flying Fijians, giving the new All Blacks boss a good idea of ​​his depth.

There are 11 changes to the starting line-up in total, while six players will make their Test debut for the All Blacks in what is only the 11th meeting between New Zealand and Fiji.

Without further ado, here are the winners and losers of Razor’s selections.

Winners

Billy Proctor

Billy Proctor is the only debutant to earn a first cap in the starting XI, following in the footsteps of his brother Matt and making his test debut for the All Blacks as an outside centre.

Proctor enjoyed a stellar season in Super Rugby Pacific for the Hurricanes, helping the side reach the semi-finals and has continued to strive for higher honours in recent seasons.

The 25-year-old finally gets his chance in the black shirt and hopes to improve on his older brother’s cap total (one cap total).

It is a huge opportunity for the rookie as cracks in the partnership between Jordie Barrett and Rieko Ioane are starting to appear, and Proctor is ready to put pressure on the latter as the Rugby Championship fast approaches.

Robertson has strayed too far from the 23rd matchday spot we would have seen under Ian Foster. If Proctor performs well he could become a regular under the new manager, especially if he takes his next chance in the Rugby Championship.

Caleb Clarke

The Super Rugby Pacific hat-trick hero gets his chance against Fiji and will be hoping to make a similar impact.

Caleb Clarke is a regular member of the All Blacks team but has yet to hit his stride after breaking into the Test rugby team.

Many pundits and fans lamented the absence of a big, aggressive winger during the two Test series against England. Now Clarke has the chance to fill the void and perhaps secure a more regular starting position.

It’s something of a crucial test for the flyer, with Sevu Reece and Mark Tele’a clearly the preferred wingers, while Will Jordan is likely to feature on the wings if he returns from injury. And that’s without even mentioning Chiefs’ brilliant winger Emoni Narawa, whose World Cup dreams were derailed by injury last year.

Cortez Ratima

A starring role on his Test debut in the second match against England earned Cortez Ratima his first start in the All Blacks shirt, as he wears number nine in place of Finlay Christie.

The Chiefs man barely misses a beat on his debut and fittingly gets another chance at Test level, this time from minute one. The All Blacks were set to undergo a change at scrum-half this year anyway following Aaron Smith’s retirement, and Ratima looks set to make the most of his opportunities, largely due to injuries to Cam Roigard and TJ Perenara. But that’s all part of the game and another solid outing could also secure his place in the Rugby Championship squad.

Fletcher Newell

Crusaders tighthead prop Fletcher Newell finally gets his first start in the All Blacks shirt after 15 previous appearances from the bench, most recently a devastating cameo in the scrums against England.

The 24-year-old struggled during his first test season, but is now completely on his own, thanks not only to him, but also to scrum coach Jason Ryan.

Tyrel Lomax is clearly the All Blacks’ first-choice number three, but a good performance against Fiji could earn Newell more minutes off the bench in the future.

Five debutants from the bench

The match against Fiji will be extra special for the five players on the bench, who will undoubtedly be playing their first Test international.

Crusaders forward George Bell and Hurricanes supporter Pasilio Tosi were two surprise players in Robertson’s selection. Although they did not make their debuts against England, they now get the honour of wearing the black shirt.

Bell’s inclusion is clearly a nod to the All Blacks’ need for some youth and succession planning in the hooker role. While the 22-year-old’s call-up came as a surprise to many, perhaps his performance will too.

Meanwhile, Tosi is a mountain of a man who has clearly caught Ryan’s attention and could be a real force in the years to come. Set-pieces continue to play a huge role in the outcome of international matches and adding another heavyweight tighthead to the ranks will do the All Blacks no harm.

Lock Sam Darry will also be keen to grab his chance with both hands after being a late addition to the travelling squad to the US, as Patrick Tuipulotu remained in New Zealand to freshen up for the Rugby Championship. The Blues second-rower has been training with the squad and like many rookies he has a real chance to cement a role within the new-look set-up, particularly following the departures of Brodie Retallick and Sam Whitelock from the squad.

The same goes for Crusaders scrum-half Noah Hotham, who, like Ratima, finds himself in an All Blacks matchday squad because of other players’ injuries. The old adage that injuries create opportunities is true in this case, but that doesn’t make his chance any less deserving.

Finally, Wallace Sititi gets his first chance with the All Blacks as he takes a place on the bench. His inclusion has proven controversial, not because of his form with the Chiefs during the Super Rugby season, but rather because of the form of overlooked Blues star Hoskins Sotutu. The powerhouse back-rower will be looking to establish himself as a marker and if he succeeds, we could see him claim a starting shirt later this year.

Six All Blacks rookies line up for Test debut against Fiji as Scott Robertson makes interesting playmaker change

Beauden-Barrett

The idea that Beauden Barrett was out of form and too old to fit into the squad was grossly exaggerated and incorrect, as the experienced playmaker proved his class once again and was one of the best All Blacks on the field in both Test matches against England.

The 33-year-old now returns to the starting line-up against Fiji, a position he could hold for some time to come, especially with the Rugby Championship approaching.

Class is permanent, and so it is for Barrett. His selection for this Test is a harbinger of what awaits him in the Rugby Championship.

Losers

Stephen Perofeta

After playing at fullback twice in a row, Stephen Perofeta makes way for Beauden Barrett in the starting line-up for the match against Fiji, meaning he is out of the 23rd round altogether.

It feels like a rather harsh decision from the All Blacks boss, but it’s unlikely to be the last time we see him in 2024.

Unfortunately for him, covering the fly-half and full-back on the bench is less valuable this week, with Barrett and Damian McKenzie in the starting line-up, while Jordie Barrett is the ultimate utility, effectively covering 10-15 players.

Rieko Ioane

The All Blacks midfielder has been in the spotlight after the series against England, where his playmaking was criticised. This week he will watch as a rookie tries his hand at the starting role.

Ioane forms a strong partnership with Jordie Barrett in the centres under Ian Foster, but Robertson could consider the combination in the future.

It was a rather disappointing run from the All Black regular and Robertson will certainly be looking to make his mark on the team as the year progresses.

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Emoni Narawa

The Chiefs player will be delighted to finally earn his second Test cap for the All Blacks after a hernia ended his Rugby Championship campaign and his hopes of representing New Zealand at the World Cup last year.

He is a loser, however, as he expected his chances in the starting XV against Fiji. It is an interesting selection call-up, as Narawa could well have started ahead of Sevu Reece, who played in both Tests against England, but instead only gets a share of the second-half playing time.

He’s a huge talent, but as always with the All Blacks there’s a lot of competition in the back three, and that will only increase once Jordan returns from injury.

Hoskins Solution

It’s hard not to look at the revised All Blacks team and wonder whether Robertson should have called up Blues star Hoskins Sotutu to join the team and given him a chance against the Fijians.

Sotutu has played fantastically during the Super Rugby season, but as we highlighted after the squad was announced, there are certainly areas for improvement in his game that will keep him out of the squad.

Perhaps it would have been helpful if the All Blacks coach had worked with him, but Robertson is clear about his position and only selects players who are good enough.

Finlay Christie

With Perenara sidelined, it seems likely that Finlay Christie will somehow fit into the round of 23 clash against Fiji. However, that is unlikely to be the case as Robertson has only 20 minutes of international experience between Ratima and Hotham.

The All Blacks are the big favourites for this game and there is enough experience in the squad to support the two starting halfbacks, but it is still a big decision not to include the red-headed number nine.

Christie did not have his best game at Eden Park and perhaps this is a clear signal from the coaching staff that he needs to improve or a sign that Razor and co. are seriously considering their options.

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