Steve Hansen has put out his squad for the Irish test series and predictably the wrath of armchair critics everywhere has fallen on Piri Weepu. There is no doubt Piri has been below his best and obviously not at full fitness in the Super 15. Frankly he is playing in the wrong team, and one that is thoroughly out of sorts at that.
But lets rewind the tape to September and October last year. Piri was the toast of the nation, the man who launched a thousand memes. He is the incumbent halfback, a big match player, with a good bit of experience, and the ability to kick goals and cover another position. He deserves the chance to defend his position in this series. Having said that I am guessing if he goes like he has in the Super 15 you won’t be seeing him in the “four nations”.
Andy Ellis misses out at halfback, essentially to a younger, faster version of himself. Aaron Smith has been in great form for the Highlanders and appeals as a quicker passer than Ellis. There’s a lot of sympathy for Ellis, but if you are looking for a really unluckly halfback, its not Ellis, its TJ Perenara. He has been outstanding for the Hurricanes, full of invention and flashes of brilliance but also showing the ability to direct his team around the paddock. Frankly I don’t care if he is only 20, its the way he plays that matters to me, and he has got the goods.
Elsewhere there is not too much to surprise. I am really pleased to see Tamati Ellison picked, and I hope he gets some game time. He has come back from Japan with an extra bit of aggression and directness in his game, to go with the skills and maturity he has always had.
Hopefully the Irish will give the team a good run for their money. Best thing is a three test series, like the days of old. Should be some midweek provincial games too I reckon…
Excellant summary of the AB selection
the commentators mentioned a couple of times that weepu was repeatedly warming up on the sidelines, and running up and down the players tunnel during the second half…
I wouldn’t fancy the odds on him not stepping up for the irish…
Anyone player that turns up for work fat and seriously out of condition needs a reality jolt, especially when it’s for a new team, especially when you’ve just left your last behind in a player power tantrum.
Sure, he’s slimmed down and ready to run now, when he wants a black shirt.
I’d have picked a youngster and left him counting his calories in the tunnel, but then I support anyone but the all blacks (nice money grab on the 7s and maori ab names btw. Can’t find them a game in their centenary year, but happy to make some cash for the NZRFU), so I say play him.
Don’t quite get what you are saying here. Perenara is in form so should be picked. Weepu is not in form but should be picked?
@mighty. Its a balance. I think picking one experienced, but not in best form, halfback is good, along with an up and comer. My point was that while there was a huge clamour for Ellis to have that second spot, no one seemed to be putting Perenara’s claim forward. My view is Perenara is form halfback of the NZ Super 15 teams. But no doubt there is not that much between the three of them. Good problem to have!
Grant, Hansen said on TV this week that Perenara is the future, but chucking a young player in too soon can put them back years. We’ve seen plenty of that in the past, it’s reassuring that we may have last got a coach that’s got the players welfare in mind.
mighty…. oversimplifying issues is what the news media does best…. at no point has it been acknowledged what effect the management culture at the blues, and the resulting negative effects that has had on team morale….
in my opinion, it was a mistake to import both nonu, and weepu into the franchise… the reasoning behind them being brought in was shallow at best….
the fact that weepu is known to be a player who responds to emotive stimulus rather than being a richie mccaw type who finds inspiration within should have given them pause…
expecting him, and nonu to become the “rock” around which the talented youngsters could flourish was always going to fail….
applying the same logic to the all blacks would be laughable… so weepu won’t lack for motivation, and inspiration… the reality is that if weepu can’t find the sort of form we’ve seen in the past under this set up then he is surely “gone by lunch time” , but meanwhile, his experience should prove invaluable to the new halves being readied for national honours….
if he performs up to scratch, then he takes pressure off the new halves, allowing them to grow into the position…
how many players have to fall by the wayside because they were thrown into the deep end before they had developed the mental toughness required to function at the highest level? far too many is the answer to that…
the coaching staff are already well ahead on that score… i think it best just to let them get on with it….
this isn’t a new concept… it’s a tried and true method, used in all codes of sport, summer or winter….
he may not last out the irish series, but i wouldn’t bet on that…he didn’t get where he is now by giving up when the going got tough…
Spoken like a true Wellingtonian Grant – but I do have to agree with all you say here. (It surprised me too – agreeing with Grant – phew who thought it possible????)
And I’d say he (Perenara) is a labour supporter given he is a cousin of Ken Douglas!!!