Latest news with #Project4-4-4
Otago Daily Times
5 days ago
- Sport
- Otago Daily Times
All Blacks depth tracking OK for 2027
All Blacks depth ... Apparently they call it Project 4-4-4. Scott Robertson wants to have four test-quality players in each position by the time the All Blacks roll up to the Rugby World Cup in Australia in 2027. So the aim is to go four deep, all over the field, over four years in a bid to win a fourth World Cup. Let us, then, go forth (sorry) and see how that mission is unfolding. I include players who are injured. You cannot take 60 players to a World Cup, but for this exercise, I have named four different men in each spot. Loosehead prop: Tamaiti Williams, Ethan de Groot, Ollie Norris, George Bower. No issues at all. Xavier Numia another name. Tighthead prop: Tyrel Lomax, Fletcher Newell, Pasilio Tosi, Ofa Tu'ungafasi. Two strong options but Tosi is still a project and Tu'ungafasi is not getting any younger. Hooker: Codie Taylor, Samisoni Taukei'aho, Asafo Aumua, Brodie McAlister. Very decent quartet, and with George Bell, Bradley Slater and New Zealand under-20 hooker Manumaua Letiu in reserve. Lock (naming eight to cover both starting spots): Scott Barrett, Tupou Vaa'i, Fabian Holland, Patrick Tuipolotu, Sam Darry, Naitoa Ah Kuoi, Josh Lord, Isaia Walker-Leawere. Very strong depth. Blindside flanker: Samipeni Finau, Ethan Blackadder, Simon Parker, TK Howden. Still major question marks here. Openside flanker: Ardie Savea, Du'Plessis Kirifi, Dalton Papali'i, Peter Lakai. Not the depth there used to be. No 8: Wallace Sititi, Christian Lio-Willie, Luke Jacobson, Hoskins Sotutu. Fine if Sititi stays healthy. Jacobson and Sititi also options at No6, obviously. Cullen Grace in the loose mix somewhere.... is not bad Halfback: Cam Roigard, Cortez Ratima, Noah Hotham, Finlay Christie. Strong, and with Folau Fakatava and Kyle Preston also around, though Roigard a very clear first-choice. First five: Beauden Barrett, Damian McKenzie, Stephen Perofeta, Josh Jacomb. Not bad. But the reality is Richie Mo'unga may be the man come 2027. Second five: Jordie Barrett, Quinn Tupaea, Timoci Tavatavanawai, Dallas McLeod. Decent. Centre: Anton Lienert-Brown, Billy Proctor, Braydon Ennor, Bailyn Sullivan. Proctor needs to do more to put pressure on ALB. Left wing: Rieko Ioane, Caleb Clarke, Leicester Fainga'anuku, Caleb Tangitau. Would not surprise to see the latter two be preferred by 2027. Right wing: Sevu Reece, Emoni Narawa, Chay Fihaki, Leroy Carter. Work in progress. Fullback: Will Jordan, Ruben Love, Jacob Ratumaitavuki-Kneepkens, Callum Harkin. Had to reach for the fourth spot with Shaun Stevenson taking off. Overall, I would say depth in most positions is tracking OK. Perhaps the question is how many truly world-class players the All Blacks will have in their best XV by the time the 2027 Rugby World Cup kicks off. Savea, Jordan, Jordie Barrett and Williams lead the way, and Roigard, Sititi and Holland are on track, but other positions are not so clear. Lions by plenty The Last Word a wee while ago: Yeah, nah, Wallabies are getting better and they will nick the first test. The Last Word today: Er, good to see this column's predictions are as on point as ever. Wallabies are average. Lions could afford to blow some opportunities and still win comfortably. They will complete a 3-0 test series sweep with ease. News of the week The jaw dropped when I heard Sky TV had bought TV3 for a single gold coin. That was immediately followed by the thought: what does this mean for sports fans in this country? An assumption is that Sky will use TV3 for a chunk — small, but still significant — of its major sporting content, especially rugby, and that could be cracking news for Kiwi sports fans. Free-to-air broadcasting remains an essential tool to get eyes on sports. Look at what the unexpected leap back to TVNZ did for cricket. Modern cricket etc Mitchell Owen is one of the new names to watch in world cricket. The 23-year-old tyro made his debut for Australia in a T20 against the West Indies this week and promptly smacked a match-winning 50 off 27 balls. But what I found most interesting was this paragraph on the Fox Sports website, highlighting the reality of modern cricket for players who pull on many different team shirts a year. Owen "became one of T20 cricket's most in-demand talents after smacking a 39-ball century during January's Big Bash League final against the Sydney Thunder, helping the Hobart Hurricanes win their maiden title. The right-hander has since made cameos in South Africa's SA20, the Pakistan Super League, the Indian Premier League and the United States' Major League Cricket." Basketball brouhaha Anyone interested in the fight for women's athletes to get better resourced should be watching the WNBA right now. The American basketball league is poised to explode with a US$2.2billion rights deal kicking in next year, and with Caitlin Clark — arguably the world's most marketable female athlete — attracting record crowds. Yet WNBA players share just 9% of the league's revenue, a rather shocking figure when you consider NBA men's players share 49% of their league's revenue. The WNBA players wore shirts with PAY US WHAT YOU OWE US on the front at their all-star game this week. This is going to be a fascinating story to watch. Huge, huge, huge It is not like Donald Trump to get involved in something that should not really concern his office. The US President has threatened to derail a deal to build a new football stadium in Washington, DC, unless the NFL team ditches the Commanders nickname and goes back to Redskins, Reuters reports. The Washington NFL dropped the Redskins name in 2020 after decades of criticism that it was a racial slur. The team moved from Washington to suburban Landover, Maryland, in 1997, but earlier this year reached an agreement with the local District of Columbia government to return to the city with a new stadium expected to open in 2030. "I may put a restriction on them that if they don't change the name back to the original 'Washington Redskins' and get rid of the ridiculous moniker 'Washington Commanders', Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform. "I won't make a deal for them to build a stadium in Washington." Made me think about the Crusaders cleverly avoiding that intense pressure to change their name six years ago. Birthday of the week Kees Junior Meeuws is 51 today. A top bloke, a pioneer as a new breed of mobile prop with Otago, the Highlanders and the All Blacks, a lover of art, a real estate agent, a commentator, a family man. And I hope Wikipedia is correct about the middle name.
NZ Herald
16-07-2025
- Sport
- NZ Herald
All Blacks v France: Scott Robertson to test depth in final French test in Hamilton
Probably now, it's only Wales, Italy, Fiji and Japan of those countries the All Blacks regularly play who provide genuine opportunities for major selection risks. The likes of Scotland, Argentina and Australia pose too great a threat to be treated as opponents against whom too many selection risks can be taken. Furthermore, because of the limited itinerary open to finding out about fringe players, Robertson has to be prepared to take a few more risks than any of his predecessors if he is to successfully pull off his project of having four test-quality players in each position by 2027 (four deep, over four years to win a fourth World Cup: 4-4-4). He's going to have to be astute at determining the real threat posed by each set of opponents and not necessarily pander to narratives that are overly and disingenuously respectful of teams that clearly don't pose the same level of threat as top-tier opposition. The French face the All Blacks haka in Wellington. Photo / Photosport And this Saturday's test against a French team who are spirited and resourceful, but ultimately one that have not been picked from the top shelf, has to be considered one in which an element of risk can be taken to give fringe players their moment in the sun. Robertson has been clear that he wants everyone in the squad to have game time in this series, and so there will most likely be first outings this year for Tyrel Lomax, George Bower, Brodie McAlister, Luke Jacobson, Noah Hotham, Anton Lienert-Brown and Ruben Love. Injuries to Scott Barrett and Tupou Vaa'i have most likely opened the door for Naitoa Ah Kuoi, drafted in as cover a few weeks ago, to win his first cap in Hamilton. There are others in the squad, such as Samipeni Finau, Quinn Tupaea, Sevu Reece and Emoni Narawa, who, for various reasons, have had limited game time and who, for various reasons, need more. And then there is the standalone case of Damian McKenzie who, if he is to continue to be a viable alternative or back-up to Beauden Barrett at first five-eighths, needs to be given time in the role. The nub of the challenge for Robertson and his fellow coaching group is striking the right balance in ensuring the fringe contenders all get the opportunity they need to keep Project 4-4-4 on track. But they mustn't get too cute and find themselves stung by a French team who may spring to life if they sense vulnerability within the All Blacks. And seeing where they feel that balance lies will be fascinating as it will signal the level of trust they have in their fringe candidates and also their appetite to take selection risks in the name of Project 4-4-4. As a prime example, a call has to be made about which of Cortez Ratima or Cam Roigard should share the workload with Hotham. Are the All Blacks willing to go with their two least-experienced No 9s and start with Ratima, or will they play it safer and continue with Roigard and inject Hotham, depending on how things play out? Anton Lienert-Brown has had very little rugby lately. Photo / Photosport Similarly, if McKenzie is going to start at No 10 and potentially form a combination with his Chiefs midfield teammates Tupaea and Lienert-Brown, does that then kill the prospect of having Timoci Tavatavanawai on the bench? Is that too much risk? Could they start Lienert-Brown (who hasn't played in eight weeks because of a broken collar bone) and have Tavatavanawai (whose test experience stretches to all of 20 minutes) as cover? These are great questions, as is the one regarding loosehead prop; which is whether the selectors will be willing to work with Bower and Ollie Norris, or feel they need to have the experience of Ethan de Groot in the mix. Possible All Blacks team 15. Ruben Love, 14. Emoni Narawa, 13. Anton Lienert-Brown, 12. Quinn Tupaea, 11. Sevu Reece, 10. Damian McKenzie, 9. Cortez Ratima, 8. Luke Jacobson, 7. Ardie Savea, 6. Samipeni Finau, 5. Fabian Holland, 4. Patrick Tuipulotu, 3. Tyrel Lomax, 2. Samisoni Taukei'aho, 1. Ethan de Groot. Reserves 16. Brodie McAlister, 17. George Bower, 18. Fletcher Newell, 19. Naitoa Ah Kuoi, 20. Du Plessis Kirifi, 21. Noah Hotham, 22. Beauden Barrett, 23. Rieko Ioane. Gregor Paul is one of New Zealand's most respected rugby writers and columnists. He has won multiple awards for journalism and written several books about sport.
NZ Herald
01-07-2025
- Sport
- NZ Herald
All Blacks coach Robertson to test new talent in French series
A few new faces were given a bit of game time here and there, but it never seemed there was a concerted or committed attempt to find a third halfback and third first five-eighths, develop the options in midfield or cast the net wider than just Wallace Sititi in the hope of landing a big catch at loose forward. And nowhere was that reticence to be a little bolder, or experimental even, more sharply realised than the final test of the year, when the selectors opted to throw the kitchen sink at an Italian team that really were nowhere near the calibre Robertson was trying to suggest they were. In a commercially driven world where the All Blacks rarely get served up a gimme, this was a missed opportunity on a similar scale to those publishers who said to JK Rowling that they didn't think kids would go for her world of wizards, Quidditch and magical boarding schools Robertson spent much of the week leading into that test talking about his desire to build the depth of his squad and yet instead of taking the chance to learn a bit more about the likes of Josh Lord, Peter Lakai, Stephen Perofeta and Ruben Love, it was all the same, highly familiar names asked to go round for one more time and play a fourth test in succession. Its clear now, that having had months to review the 2024 season and reconsider what he may have done differently, Robertson is of the view he needs to accelerate his 4-4-4 project – his plan to take four years, to win a fourth World Cup with four options in each position. Or at least he needs to better align his selections with the strategy, and that for all that he has said the appropriately respectful things about the underpowered French team that has turned up in New Zealand, he knows the weakness of the visitors has handed him a not to be missed opportunity to get a few answers to a few questions. Billy Proctor could get a call up for the opening test against France. Photo / Photosport If he wants depth, he has to give players a chance to play and Project 4-4-4 can't be abstract and theoretical. It has to be a practically managed concept where throughout this year, Robertson reads when to weight his selections more heavily towards the experienced core, and when to dabble in a bit of fact-finding and experimentation. The French, as something of an unknown quantity, are likely to provide three tests in which Robertson will feel he has a hitherto ungranted degree of latitude to mix-and-match: to sprinkle some new faces into the team each week without making change on a scale that could be considered dramatic and potentially dangerous to landing the victories. In the first stage of this mission to properly ignite Project 4-4-4, it would be no surprise to see Billy Proctor start at centre in Dunedin, with Rieko Ioane on the left wing to answer the question of whether the former can deliver the sort of calm and accurate distribution and the latter the power running and sharp finishing the All Blacks' attack needs. There may also be a desire to get Timoci Tavatavanawai into action this Saturday – possibly starting him on the right wing – but more likely off the bench where he can be injected into the midfield. He's got power and an extraordinary gift for stealing turnovers, but there will be some interest in using the July tests to determine whether he has the top end pace to be effective at this higher level. In the forwards, it is apparent Robertson has been keen on the Fabian Holland for some time and that the interest has only intensified since the big lock impressed as training cover late last year and then delivered an impressive Super Rugby campaign this year. Potentially Holland could start alongside captain Scott Barrett as Tupou Vai'i clocked up a lot of Super Rugby minutes and will have a big role to play throughout the season, but regardless of which way around they take the field, the man born in the Netherlands is most likely going to make his debut in Dunedin. Injury to Tamaiti Williams has presumably elevated the uncapped Ollie Norris to a bench spot, and in the back row, both Christian Leo-Willie and Du Plessis Kirifi look set to feature because Sititi has been forced to have surgery and Luke Jacobson has been ruled out. Possible All Blacks team 1. Ethan de Groot, 2. Codie Taylor, 3. Tyrel Lomax, 4. Scott Barrett, 5. Tupou Vai'i, 6. Samipeni Finau, 7. Kirifi Du Plessis, 8. Ardie Savea 9. Cameron Roigard; 10. Beauden Barrett, 11. Rieko Ioane, 12. Jordie Barrett, 13. Billy Proctor, 14. Sevu Reece, 15. Will Jordan. 16. Samisoni Taukei'aho, 17. Ollie Norris, 18. Fletcher Newell; 19. Fabian Holland, 20. Christian Leo-Willie, 21. Cortez Ratima, 22. Damian McKenzie, 23. Timoci Tavatavanawai. Gregor Paul is one of New Zealand's most respected rugby writers and columnists. He has won multiple awards for journalism and written several books about sport. For live commentary of this weekend's All Blacks v France test, go to GOLD SPORT or iHeartRadio.
