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| Count the Islanders in this group. |
There has been much conjecture recently about the All Blacks going to the Pacific Islands to play the likes of Fiji, Tonga and Samoa - the reason being, it is their moral obligation particularly given the contribution of the islands to the All Blacks and New Zealand rugby, i.e. current All Blacks - Julian Savea, Ma'a Nonu, Charlie Faumuina, former AB greats, BJ Williams, Michael Jones, the Bachop brothers, etc.
Just to show you the impact of the islands on All Black rugby, imagine if the selectors could only pick purely Pakeha players for the All Blacks - it is almost akin to the Boks' apartheid policies pre-1992.
Note this is just post 1996 as it is easy to pick a full Pakeha side particularly before WW1. The wingers and backs were pretty hard to pick...
1.Tony Woodcock
2.Sean Fitzpatrick
3.Owen Franks
4.Sam Whitelock
5.Ian Jones
6.Richie McCaw
7.Sam Cane
8.Kieran Read
9.Justin Marshall
10.Beauden Barrett
11.Scott Hamilton
12.Dan Carter
13.Conrad Smith
14.Ben Smith
15.Jeff Wilson
NB: This post is not meant to be derogatory but to show you how much the Maori and Pacific Islands have contributed to New Zealand rugby and hence why it is the union's duty to acknowledge that and perhaps return the favour to our brothers and cousins.
You could slap Nick Evans on the wing instead of Scott Hamilton. Evans had to be the fastest 10 we've ever had, plenty of pace to play on the wing and given his ability to cover Fullback, he would have all the skills needed.
ReplyDeleteCorey Jane over Scott Hamilton in a heartbeat. Rate the lad but he aint no Jane
ReplyDeleteJane's Maori.
DeleteReuben Thorne over Sam Cane surely?
ReplyDeleteI think it is the blend of ethnicities that make the All Blacks so good. We definitely struggle in some positions without the Pacific Island or Maori influence. Reuben Thorne or what about Brad Thorn or Adam Thomson? This is like what we used to have to do when we toured South Africa during apartheid. I would potentially put Evans at fullback as he played a bit there and move Wilson to the other wing. Mehrtens deserves the 10 jersey as a prolific points scorer.
ReplyDeleteAgree, agree, agree :)
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