Aaron Cruden, New Zealand’s latest rugby star
Columnist By Spiro Zavos, 23 Jun 2009 Spiro Zavos is a Roar Expert
- Tagged:
- 2011 Rugby World Cup, Aaron Cruden, All Blacks, Damien Fitzpatrick, Dave Rennie, David McDuling, Hong Kong Sevens, James OConnor, New Zealand rugby, Richard Kingi, Robbie Robinson, Rugby Union, Shaun Treeby, under-20 Junior World Championship, Winston Stanley, Zac Guilford
Australia's Richard Kingi, left, fights for the ball with New Zealand's Aaron Cruden during the IRB Junior World Rugby Championship in Tokyo, Wednesday, June 17, 2009. AP Photo/Shizuo Kambayashi
Last year’s Hong Kong Sevens revealed the prodigious rugby talents of James O’Connor. This year’s Under-20 Junior World Championship revealed the equally prodigious rugby talents of Aaron Cruden, the captain of the winning New Zealand side.
It would not be a surprise if the All Black selectors gave him a run in the New Zealand squad that tour Europe in November.
Cruden, at this stage of his career, looks to be the successor to Daniel Carter when he finishes up in New Zealand rugby and moves permanently overseas some time after the 2011 Rugby World Cup.
Cruden was forced to undergo a course of chemotheraphy for testicular cancer. He has come through that ordeal and plays with a maturity and skill of a younger version of Carter, taking the line on, making breaks, kicking accurately and defending strongly.
He is, like O’Connor, the complete package.
The Junior World Cup final was a terrific rugby match played by an aggressive and skillful New Zealand side, with a wonderful set of backs, against a monster England pack, all the players full-time professionals, who were man-for-man bigger and faster than the national pack.
England dominated the scrums and won its own lineout ball easily enough.
Their standout forward was the lanky second rower James Gaskell. Ben Youngs, a strong-running halfback, and Tom Homer, a big, long-kicking fullback, also impressed as future international.
But the side was too slow around the field and too lacking in passing and running skills overall to seriously threaten the New Zealand team.
The New Zealanders had any number of fine backs who will make a mark at the provincial and national senior level sooner rather than later.
The coach of the New Zealand side, Dave Rennie, predicts that several of his squad will be in the All Blacks during the Rugby World Cup tournament in 2011.
Names to look out for, aside from Cruden, are the centres Shaun Treeby and Winston Stanley, the winger Zac Guilford and the most impressive Robbie Robinson, a fullback who plays with the brilliance of Jeff Wilson.
The Australian side was the disappointment of the tournament.
Coach David Nucifora had a squad with several players with Super 14 experience. But somehow he couldn’t get the team to play the exact and expressive rugby needed to win the tournament.
Three players in the squad took the eye, though: the Sydney University second rower David McDuling, the hooker Damien Fitzpatrick, a future Wallaby captain, and Richard Kingi, a live wire running halfback who learned his rugby in New Zealand.
Two other aspects of the tournament deserve a special mention.
First, the New Zealanders, once again, have provided in this rugby arena the benchmark against which all the other countries should aspire to.
And second, the excellent management and running of the tournament by the Japanese officials at Nagoya, a hot-spa tourist town. A knowledgeable and enthusiatic crowd of over 20,000 supported the final on a wet day.
Japan is bidding to host either the 2015 0r 2019 Rugby World Cup tournaments.
In my view, England should be awarded the 2015 tournament. But the Japanese Rugby Union has improved its chances greatly for the 2019 tournament.
Recommend this story.
June 23rd 2009 @ 8:45am
Jerry said | June 23rd 2009 @ 8:45am | Report comment
Fruean hasn’t really made a mark either, but has been selected for the Junior AB’s entirely on potential. He only played about 20 minutes for the Canes this year and hasn’t featured much for Wellington in the past. This isn’t down to his play however, he had a life threatening heart condition and had major surgery last year which meant he played little to no rugby. Now that he is fit and available, it will be interesting to see how he manages – it’s a real story if someone could overcome such hurdles early on.
Atiga has been a bit of wasted potential also – never really kicked on and dominated at Super 12/14 level and hence hasn’t featured much for the AB’s.
Also, Pat Barnard is a complete mystery to me – I don’t recall him at all, perhaps one of our South African posters could enlighten as to what has become of him.
June 23rd 2009 @ 8:52am
Knives out said | June 23rd 2009 @ 8:52am | Report comment
Pat Barnard moved to England, much to the chagrin of Nick Mallety, signed for Northampton Saints and then forLondon Wasps. In fits and bursts he has been very good but unfortunately he seems to be constantly injured. Despite that he’s been closely involved with the England training squad over the past few seasons. I suspect he would have made his debut by now were he not always injured.
Atiga is a real blast from the past. I’m not sure how many of the older players have actually fulfilled their potential, however.
June 23rd 2009 @ 8:58am
Jerry said | June 23rd 2009 @ 8:58am | Report comment
Mitchell selected Atiga for the 03 World Cup squad (ahead of Christian Cullen for gods sake) but other than that, he’s not made it back to the AB’s. He’s been a regular for the Blues but has struggled to pin down a consistent role – he seems to suffer from versatility and gets bounced around from fullback to wing to centre without consistently producing in any role.
Really only Kaino and McAlisster from that list have become a genuine international class player for the AB’s, though I’m still hopeful that that Toeava will get some consistency (actually I’d like to seem him tried on the wing with Rokocoko so out of form) and Thrush has been consistent at S14 level without being given the opportunity to step up. Luke Braid has real potential and could well feature for the AB’s in a year or two.
June 23rd 2009 @ 9:19am
JamesB said | June 23rd 2009 @ 9:19am | Report comment
None of this years NZ U20 team will feature at RWC2011. The AB team for 2011 is virtually picked already. 2014 is a more realistic target.
June 23rd 2009 @ 9:27am
JamesB said | June 23rd 2009 @ 9:27am | Report comment
….and the AB team / squad for RWC 2011 will be:
15. Muliana
14. Sivivatu
13. Kahui or Smith
12. Nonu
11. Rococoko
10. Carter
9. Leonard
8. Soialo
7. McCaw
6. Kaino
5. Williams
4. Thorn
3. Hayman
2. Hore
1. Woodcock
Reserves: Latimar, Read, Weepu, McCallister, Toeava, Ross, Mealumu
June 23rd 2009 @ 11:21am
James Mortimer said | June 23rd 2009 @ 11:21am | Report comment
Ben Atiga was my inside centre for my Rugby 07 playstation 3 game. He had statistics better even than Ma’a Nonu or Luke McAlister. Sadly EA Sports saw something that hasn’t really eventuated.
Mr Zavos, please don’t put the mocker on these young players.
The complete packages????
Easy now.
June 23rd 2009 @ 12:39pm
Viscount Crouchback said | June 23rd 2009 @ 12:39pm | Report comment
Wasn’t Cruden’s goal-kicking rather dreadful? He’ll need to fix that if he hopes to progress.
Desperately sad news about Zac Guildford’s father. I wish the family all the best.
Colin N & Ian – very interesting and informative posts. Am I right in thinking there are a couple of chaps of Pacific Island extraction in the England U18s set-up? How did that come about?
June 23rd 2009 @ 12:58pm
Hayden said | June 23rd 2009 @ 12:58pm | Report comment
Viscount – I believe that having failed spectacularly to lure the PI chaps north with promises of warm weather and good food, the RFU has resorted to the old Royal Navy tactic of the press gang. A club over the ear in Apia, smuggled onto the routine CIA rendition flights that pass through the Orkneys, a couple of nights in Wormwood Scrubs, and then told the only way they’ll see home again is if they help the Red Rose lift the WC in 2011.
June 23rd 2009 @ 2:33pm
Brad said | June 23rd 2009 @ 2:33pm | Report comment
James B. would that make Brad Thorn the oldest all black? Sadly South Africa will win the world cup again. 2007 should have been New Zealands year but for some awsome play by England who knocked out all of the big guns they allowed SA a free pass (Beating Fiji, Argentina and England only) 2011 is where the springboks will be unbeatable.
June 23rd 2009 @ 2:56pm
Lion Red said | June 23rd 2009 @ 2:56pm | Report comment
VC try this link http://www.gazetteseries.co.uk/sport/4418238.Rugby__Vunipola_brothers_aim_to_reach_new_heights/. It’s how two brothers of Tongan extract ended up playing for Eng U18′s. Interesting story.