All Blacks play down hooker depth issue
By Daniel Gilhooly, 3 Aug 2012 Daniel Gilhooly is a Roar Guru
- Tagged:
- All Blacks, Keven Mealamu, Rugby Union
Related coverage
Keven Mealamu disputes suggestions there is a gulf in class between the two best rugby hookers in New Zealand and the rest.
The veteran All Blacks rake and long-time rival Andrew Hore are braced to once again contest the hooking berth when the Rugby Championship kicks off this month.
There is unlikely to be a third hooker in the squad named on Sunday, raising further questions about a lack of depth in the specialist position.
Mealamu agreed he and Hore, both 33, had the advantage of Test hardness, which is why the All Blacks selectors had turned to them again this year.
“We’ve been the combo for a while now. We’ve definitely got people who can get into the role, it’s just a matter of experience,” Mealamu told NZ Newswire.
“When you’re playing against some tough nations, you’re always calling on that experience.”
Hawke’s Bay hooker Hika Elliot, 26, has played three Tests but remains a fringe option. Elliot can’t get a starting spot for his Chiefs Super Rugby franchise ahead of Samoa international Mahonri Schwalger.
Uncapped Wellington and Hurricanes rake Dane Coles, 25, was called into the two-day All Blacks wider squad camp which finished in Wellington on Thursday but he admitted he’d need to bide his time.
“I’d love to be here fulltime, that’s my dream,” Coles said.
“I’ll definitely target the end of year tour. I just need to have a good ITM Cup and hopefully things go my way.”
Coles believed consistent game time and his dynamic ability with the ball had got him noticed this year.
However, lineout throwing remained an area in need of work.
“I can’t let it get me down too much because that’s a hooker’s job. If you can’t throw, you can’t be an All Black.”
Meanwhile, Mealamu said it remained a goal to become the third player to play 100 Tests for the All Blacks after Richie McCaw and Mils Muliaina.
He sits on 93 caps, which is third most for any international hooker.
The leaders on 96 are Springbok John Smit and Frenchman Raphael Ibanez. Both of those players played additional tests at prop.
© AAP 2013The Crowd Says (22) | Page 1 of Comments
Have Your Say
- Explore:
- All Blacks, Keven Mealamu, Rugby Union
August 3rd 2012 @ 8:57am
winston said | August 3rd 2012 @ 8:57am | Report comment
It will be interesting to see how the two Canes hookers develop. They are both really different players. Motu’u would be intmidating on any team.
August 3rd 2012 @ 10:15am
JBees said | August 3rd 2012 @ 10:15am | Report comment
Quentin MacDonald made an impact off the bench for the Crusaders. He is an accurate line thrower and has a high work rate around the field – just 23
August 3rd 2012 @ 11:04am
The Other Steve - and All Black fan said | August 3rd 2012 @ 11:04am | Report comment
yes, he has real potential
August 3rd 2012 @ 10:32am
Riccardo said | August 3rd 2012 @ 10:32am | Report comment
This article is a little unkind to Hikea Elliott IMO.
While he is unfortunate in that the magnificent Schwalger is keeping him from a permanent starting role he is the next cab off the rank behind Mealamu and Hore and remains able in spite of his limited Super Rugby diet.
That said, it’s obviously an area where we need some more depth.
August 3rd 2012 @ 11:05am
The Other Steve - and All Black fan said | August 3rd 2012 @ 11:05am | Report comment
Elliott is unfortunate to have a more experienced player ahead of him, but he does have lots of petentail – as does Coles.
August 3rd 2012 @ 11:21am
SkinnyKid said | August 3rd 2012 @ 11:21am | Report comment
I haven’t seen much of Corey Flynn this year. What’s his story?
5 years ago he looked like he was going to be the next big thing. Broke his arm a couple of times from memory and never really came back to form.
August 3rd 2012 @ 12:27pm
WQ said | August 3rd 2012 @ 12:27pm | Report comment
I think you are onto it SkinnyKid, the broken arms slowed him down a tad and the other guys just went around him. He then found himself outside the All Black set up during a period when Kevin Mealamu has been in great form and very resilient to injury.
August 3rd 2012 @ 12:38pm
mania said | August 3rd 2012 @ 12:38pm | Report comment
this article isnt very accurate. theres lots of hookers in nz who can slot in.
dane coles
quentin macdonald
motu motu’u
hika elliot
mealamu and hore have a few years left in them yet but even so theres still backup.
August 3rd 2012 @ 12:54pm
Markus said | August 3rd 2012 @ 12:54pm | Report comment
The competition between those hookers is high, but like the dearth beyond Moore and Polota-Nau in this country, it is fairly safe to say that at present all of them are a distant 3rd to Hore and Mealamu.
August 3rd 2012 @ 12:58pm
mania said | August 3rd 2012 @ 12:58pm | Report comment
both hore and keven werent always the incumbents. keven went to cheifs for a few seasons before coming back, bulking up and beign 1st string hooker. hore came up to wellington and was then first string.
good hookers take time and dont hit their peak till in their 30′s when they’re at their strongest
August 3rd 2012 @ 2:30pm
jeznez said | August 3rd 2012 @ 2:30pm | Report comment
I agree mania. I look at 28-32 being the prime years for tight five players (assuming they’ve stayed reasonably injury free).
Hika still has two years before he hits his best and will be peaking just as a replacement for Kev and Hore is required. He just needs to keep building strength and endurance and work on nailing his set piece.
August 3rd 2012 @ 5:18pm
WQ said | August 3rd 2012 @ 5:18pm | Report comment
Set piece will be the key for Hika, he already has a good enough game generally around the paddock and can be a devastating ball carrier.
August 6th 2012 @ 5:13am
mania said | August 6th 2012 @ 5:13am | Report comment
agree jeznez and wq – still time for hika. def needs to work on his set piece, but saying that he’s still AB’s material and could easily slot in now if needed
August 3rd 2012 @ 3:18pm
Kuruki said | August 3rd 2012 @ 3:18pm | Report comment
Mania of those four you named only one is currently getting enough game time to genuinely have a crack at Hore or Mealamu, and he is not ready yet. I’m talking about Dane Coles.
Hika Elliot is the leader of that pack and i think he has all the necessary skills to make a fist of it. The only thing he is suffering from is lack of consistent game time. When he has had a good run, he has copped an injury and stalled his progress. The last time he played some good minutes week in week out he absolutely dominated for Hawkes Bay.
Coles still has plenty of work to do and Matu’u and Macdonald really need to concentrate on breaking into a starting Super role before they can develop into All Blacks.
IMO this article is pretty accurate in terms of right now. Hika Elliot is the only one anywhere near striking distance of Hore and Mealamu and he is not even getting a start for the Chiefs.
August 3rd 2012 @ 2:14pm
Funk said | August 3rd 2012 @ 2:14pm | Report comment
Not quite right there Markus, there are a few talented youg guys behind Squeaks and TPN in this country who like in NZ are limited in international experience due to the 2 incuments who luckilly for us are both relatively young (29 and 25). just a few names..Hanson, Wittaker, Charles and even Fainga’a(whose progress was slowed due to injury this year), not exactly a dearth.
August 3rd 2012 @ 2:34pm
jeznez said | August 3rd 2012 @ 2:34pm | Report comment
Funk the other one who has potential but is constantly injured is Damian Fitzpatrick. I think they are pushing him too hard, too early. He really needs to be allowed to mature or they are going to ruin him long before he reaches his best.
Hopefully Ulugia is doing nothing but practising his lineout throwing during the offseason because the rest of his game has been pretty good this year.
August 3rd 2012 @ 2:39pm
Markus said | August 3rd 2012 @ 2:39pm | Report comment
Perhaps dearth was a poor choice of wording, but the situation you describe for Australia is a very similar one to NZ – a number of talented young prospects with the potential for strong development, but none at this very point in time with enough consistency or experience to be able to slot in with minimal interruption in the event of losing one or both incumbents.
Even Faingaa, who has a few Test caps and has been in the Wallaby setup for a couple of years now, is a fair way behind those two.
For mine, if the All Blacks were focussed solely on this year’s RC and not future development, the third in line hooker in NZ in the event of injuries would actually be Jason Rutledge.
August 3rd 2012 @ 2:45pm
winston said | August 3rd 2012 @ 2:45pm | Report comment
Ah Rutledge of course. It would be good to him get a stint in black
August 3rd 2012 @ 2:52pm
winston said | August 3rd 2012 @ 2:52pm | Report comment
meant “to see him”
August 3rd 2012 @ 3:41pm
RebelRanger said | August 3rd 2012 @ 3:41pm | Report comment
This was the first person to come to mind when I saw the article.
August 4th 2012 @ 10:43pm
atlas said | August 4th 2012 @ 10:43pm | Report comment
Rutledge? that would hardly be a step forward. He’s even older than Hore and Mealamu, 35 this year – one for the journeyman class he took 11 years to reach 50 matches, mostly off the bench, and he has no Highlanders contract for 2013 – in the ‘surplus to requirements’ category, in favour of Hore and Brayden Mitchell.
August 4th 2012 @ 10:48pm
Johnno said | August 4th 2012 @ 10:48pm | Report comment
Mo Schwalger would be very handy he is awesome but alas he is Samoan. Just the type of man you want in big games composed a natural leader, a very good captian for Samoa would of been good captian if the chiefs needed him to stpe up to leadership.