The All Blacks consolidated their 50 per cent win rate throughout The Rugby Championship with a second-place finish thanks to their bonus-point tally pushing them past an impressive Argentina squad.
In the team’s first Rugby Championship under head coach Scott Robertson, some new blood rose to the top and some familiar faces were forced onto the backbench with shaky performances demanding rethinks in the selection room.
With the coach affectionately known as ‘Razor’ looking to establish his best matchday 23 in the first year of this new World Cup cycle, we take a look at which players furthered their cases as components of that future and who suffered setbacks.
WINNERS
Wallace Sititi
Well, obviously Sititi is a winner. The 22-year-old burst onto the international scene in his debut Rugby Championship, performing against the reigning world champs like he was born to do so.
With his side lacking a physical edge against Argentina and falling just short against the Springboks, Sititi replaced Ethan Blackadder after the Crusader’s best game in the black jersey all season and had no issue asserting himself on the match.
In his first start for the All Blacks, Sititi contributed a dozen carries while his two linebreaks showed the X-factor All Blacks fans have been desperate for from their blindside flankers of late.
Inevitably, comparisons with Jerome Kaino emerged as Sititi even had pundits proposing a shift to No. 8 with Ardie Savea moving to the side of the scrum to accommodate the team’s new star. Something Scott Robertson wouldn’t rule out at the Northern Tour squad announcement on Monday.
Expect the youngster to clock some big minutes against Europe’s heavyweights throughout November.
Cortez Ratima
The post-Aaron Smith era has started exactly how All Blacks fans hoped, with youngsters stepping into the black No. 9 jersey with assured ease.
Ratima, like his Chiefs teammate Sititi, looked anything but over-awed by the bright lights of The Rugby Championship, eventually proving himself to be the premier halfback in the New Zealand squad and duly earning the starting jersey.
With the impending return of Cam Roigard, the presumed heir to Smith’s throne, Ratima has begun his campaign to be the next face of the black nine jersey with conviction. These two, with the addition of the even younger Noah Hotham, will push each other and bring the best out of one another for years to come.
By the tournament’s end, Ratima looked more than comfortable in carving through the Wallabies’ defence and providing the try assist for a flying Rieko Ioane.
Tupou Vaa’i
A coming-of-age tournament for the young lock, Vaa’i’s patience while undergoing an extended apprenticeship under the iconic partnership of Sam Whitelock and Brodie Retallick along with his new second-row partner Scott Barrett has well and truly paid off.
Emerging from his three-year understudy role as a superbly well-rounded talent, Vaa’i was the engine room component the All Blacks needed and proved ready for more responsibility when calling the line out at Eden Park.
The 24-year-old has been praised for his professionalism by personnel across the All Blacks organisation, suggesting his current form is no fluke.
Vaa’i physically held his own against the world champs in South Africa and relieved pressure on Scott Barrett. Much like with Ratima, the lock’s emergence is of heightened significance as the team moves on from an iconic era of excellence in Vaa’i’s position.
LOSERS
Mark Tele’a
One of the All Blacks’ best players in 2023, Tele’a won the Breakthrough Player of the Year award and looked to cement himself as not just a premier talent in New Zealand but the world.
The winger’s form in The Rugby Championship has however failed to live up to the remarkably high bar he set for himself during last year’s World Cup.
We’ve seen this movie before. In an instant, one of the best-attacking threats in World Rugby can be usurped and lost in the uber-talented outside back stocks New Zealand possesses. Ask Julian Savea, Rieko Ioane and Waisake Naholo, just to name a few.
Time after time, the black 11 and 14 jerseys have proven to be a young man’s game, and given Tele’a was already a relatively late bloomer making his international debut at 25 years of age, there’s precedent for him to fall off the wagon before he gets a chance to rediscover his form.
Blues teammate Caleb Clarke’s game-breaking form is assisting Tele’a’s fall down the pecking order, too. Clarke claimed a tournament-high of six tries to go along with his six clean breaks and 300 running metres with the No. 11 jersey on his back – although he also led the competition in yellow cards received.
Dalton Papali’i
Papali’i lost his place in the starting XV due to a thumb injury and the form of new centurion Sam Cane did the rest, resulting in an extended absence for the Super Rugby Pacific champion.
With Cane signing off on his All Blacks career in 2024, it’s easy to see Papali’i landing another crack at the No. 7 jersey in no time, but the real threat to the Blues flanker is the Wellingtonian waiting in the wings.
Should Papali’i again fail to command his selection, Peter Lakai could find himself with an opportunity on his hands and much like with fellow youngster Wallace Sititi, the team may not look back.
The 27-year-old suffered an apparent leg injury in his NPC appearance over the weekend, but if all things go well he’ll get a chance at playing time again on the Northern Tour.
The team looked to benefit from Cane’s high work rate around the ruck while Papali’i’s skillset was overshadowed in his few appearances by two 20-tackle Ethan Blackadder performances and his carry game went unutilised with World Rugby Player of the Year Ardie Savea beside him.
The two Tests against Los Pumas were the last time we saw Papali’i. The first of which, a 38-30 loss, saw Papali’i replaced in the 64th minute by Wallace Sititi after making eight tackles with three carries. Game two saw the game result secured in the first half and Sam Cane replaced Papali’i after 50 minutes.
Japan
New Zealand
Ofa Tu’ungafasi
Tamaiti Williams’s time is upon us, and it appears to be at Tu’ungafasi’s expense.
A loyal servant to the All Blacks scrum, the 32-year-old is the last of the old guard of props to still be kicking with the young crop. Through no fault of his own, the Blues big man could well be fighting for squad selection let alone the match day 23 as the likes of Xavier Numia continue to impress.
Williams’ rise may not just displace Tu’ungafasi, but Ethan de Groot is within the 140kg behemoth’s sights as well. The incumbent was sidelined for the South Africa tour with injury and struggled in his return during the Bledisloe Cup.
Time will tell how much of that is rust vs Williams setting the bar. Either way, the challenge has been laid.
For Tu’ungafasi, both players offer more in the way of impact with evolving set-piece games that have stacked up well against the Springboks.
Another thing we learned from The Rugby Championship is Scott Robertson wants his props to be able to play at the line, as we saw from Tyrel Lomax on two separate occasions which helped set up All Blacks tries. This is another area where Williams thrives, featuring in many Crusaders attacking moves with his smooth distribution.
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