All Blacks head coach Steve Hansen has confirmed his team for the upcoming Rugby World Cup in Japan and there are some notable absentees.
The most obvious omission is that of 108-cap prop Owen Franks who was preparing for a third successive World Cup. However, he has been overlooked for young prop Atu Moli as the All Blacks seek a more mobile front-three for the tournament.
Despite reports claiming that back-rower
Liam Squire was back in contention to feature at the competition, Hansen has left
him behind and has chosen instead to bring Luke Jacobson, who only has a single
cap to his name.
Elsewhere, Ngani Laumape has been the
centre to miss out as expected with Sonny Bill Williams, Ryan Crotty, Jack
Goodhue and Anton Lienert-Brown being preferred to him.
While in the forwards there is no place for
either Jackson Hemopo or Vaea Fifita.
Hansen congratulated all those selected and
sympathised with the players he was forced to exclude.
“The All Blacks selectors would like to congratulate all those selected for Rugby World Cup 2019. It’s a special moment being named in any All Blacks squad but especially when it’s the Rugby World Cup and they and their families can be incredibly proud of what they’ve achieved. As always, we’d also like to take a moment to respect the effort and disappointment of those who’ve missed out. It’s a tough time in anyone’s career,” he said.
He went on to discuss how his team’s goal
is to lift the Webb Ellis Cup once again but thinks this could be the most
challenging World Cup there has ever been.
“Now we are finally in a position to put all our time, effort and thinking into what is going to be an awesome challenge to try and do something that’s never been done before – win three Rugby World Cups in a row. Yes, it will come with massive expectation and therefore pressure. We’re looking forward to tackling that pressure head on and enjoying everything that comes with it. We know it’ll be tough and that we’ll need to earn the right, every time we play, to continue throughout the Tournament. However, that’s exciting and knowing we’ve faced that pressure before gives us confidence. There are no guarantees in sport. However, with talent, hard work and mental fortitude, we’ll give ourselves a chance. This Rugby World Cup looks like being the most fiercely-contested yet with a large number of teams all believing they can win. This will bring possibly more pressure and expectation on them than ever before and it will be interesting to see who can and who can’t cope with it,” he added.
Kieran Read will lead the squad in Japan as
he participates in his third global tournament alongside Sonny Bill Williams
and Sam Whitelock. While Ben Smith will act as Read’s deputy.
Despite being out of action due to a dislocated
shoulder Brodie Retallick has also been included in the squad and will more
than likely only be available following the pool stages of the competition.
The reigning back-to-back champions open up
their title defence with a huge clash against this year’s Rugby Championship
winners South Africa on September 21st, with the most recent game
between the two rivals ending in a 16-16 draw.
Following that match they will go on to
play Canada, Namibia and Italy in what should be a comfortable route to the
quarter-finals for the team.
Check Out the Full 31-Man Squad Below.
Forwards:
Dane Coles (32, Hurricanes / Wellington,
64)
Liam Coltman (29, Highlanders / Otago, 5)
Codie Taylor (28, Crusaders / Canterbury,
44
Nepo Laulala (27, Chiefs / Counties
Manukau, 19)
Joe Moody (30, Crusaders /Canterbury, 40)
Atu Moli (24, Chiefs / Tasman, 2)
Angus Ta’avao (29, Chiefs / Taranaki, 7)
Ofa Tuungafasi (27, Blues / Auckland, 29)
Scott Barrett (25, Crusaders / Taranaki,
30)
Brodie Retallick (28, Chiefs / Hawke’s Bay,
77)
Patrick Tuipulotu (26, Blues / Auckland,
24)
Samuel Whitelock (30, Crusaders /
Canterbury, 111)
Sam Cane (27, Chiefs / Bay of Plenty, 63)
Luke Jacobson (22, Chiefs / Waikato, 1)
Kieran Read (33, Crusaders / Counties
Manukau, 121) – Captain
Ardie Savea (25, Hurricanes / Wellington,
38)
Matt Todd (31, Crusaders / Canterbury, 20)
Backs:
TJ Perenara (27, Hurricanes / Wellington,
58)
Aaron Smith (30, Highlanders / Manawatu,
86)
Brad Weber (28, Chiefs / Hawke’s Bay, 2)
Beauden Barrett (28, Blues / Taranaki, 77)
Richie Mo’unga (25, Crusaders / Canterbury,
12)
Ryan Crotty (30, Crusaders / Canterbury,
44)
Jack Goodhue (24, Crusaders / Northland, 9)
Anton Lienert-Brown (24, Chiefs / Waikato,
37)
Sonny Bill Williams (33, Blues / Counties
Manukau, 53)
Jordie Barrett (22, Hurricanes / Taranaki,
11)
George Bridge (24, Crusaders / Canterbury,
4)
Rieko Ioane (22, Blues / Auckland, 26)
Sevu Reece (22, Crusaders / Waikato, 2)
Ben Smith (33, Highlanders /Otago, 79)
