The ABs might have some questions to ask of themselves on selections heading to the WC.
1. Who is their top hookers? Samisoni and Asafo are extremely powerful, and I think the ABs need ball-carrying and raw power in their forward pack. In 2019, the only line-bender they had was Ardie Savea. However, both of the younger blokes are prone to being quite nervous at the line-out, which is absolutely key at the top tier of rugby. On the other hand, the veterans seem out of sort. Codie Taylor looks really flat at the moment - he was an aggressive, robust player in his youth with good speed. But he has mellowed and stagnated. Dane Coles does look good in patches, but he is35 and injury prone.
So who do the ABs pick for 2 and 16?
2. It seems pretty much locked-in that bar injury, 4 and 5 will be Retallick and Whitelock respectively. So who wears the 19 jersey?
For a long time, it seems like Scott Barrett was a certainty. He is a typical Crusader, neat, skillful, good basics, high work-rate. He added some bulk over time, but is still mobile enough to play 6. However he has proven prone to really stupid penalties. and he isn't very influential at line-out. Moreover, it comes back down to the balance. What sort of player does the AB need coming off the bench?
Patrick Tuipulotu is another that has now been in the team for some time. He's a big boy, and he needs to stay a big boy. At the start of his career, he was abrasive and good around the field. In 2014, when ABs won with a late Fekitoa try, Patrick and Charlie Faumuina were colossal off the bench, wrecking a maul, winning breakdowns, and smacking people which completely screwed up the Aussie gainline advantage. Soon after, he fell apart. We now know, as Patrick had explained several times, he tried to lose too much weight to fit into the AB template of speed and skill. In recent times, his weight has gone back up to 126-27kg. Which is good for him. He lends that heavy carrying in the close quarters. More importantly, he plays best when he is confident. Tupou Vai'i's introduction has actually done Patrick a lot of good, because Tupou has said he looks up to Patrick.
3. Who is the AB's best 8?
Ardie is probably too good not to start, but it's hard to say if 8 is really a good position for him. While his general play is excellent, some instincts do not come naturally, like dropping back for kicks, or the sort of control behind a moving scrum.
Hoskins Sotutu is obviously a skillful player. He is also excellent at the line-out, with a good natural jump and timing. He brings an excellent running game. But he lacks a robustness of international 8s, the brutality of Vermeleun or Alldrit.
Jacobsen seems to be a mix between the 2. He is part power and part pace. Crucially, there aren't that many tests left. I would like to see both Hoskins and Luke get another 15-20 tests under their belts, which means they have to be involved in the majority of tests leading up to WC 2023
