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All Blacks coach Graham Henry has decided to dump their best wingers in Hosea Gear and Sitiveni Sivivatu in favour of untested winger Zac Guildford and long-term injury returnee Isaia Toeava.
Guildford has been one of the most promising wings in this year’s Super Rugby competition. Brilliant on attack and reliable on defence, he was a frontrunner for All Blacks selection along with his Canterbury Crusaders fullback Sean Maitland and centre Robbie Fruean.
The latter two were unable to make the initial 50-man squad, but Guildford made it through comfortably and despite an average performance against Fiji, was in blistering form against a Springboks B team in Wellington.
He collected two tries in the game, as did Cory Jane with two of the best.
Guildford had all but cemented his berth in the 30-man squad for the 2011 Rugby World Cup.
He was left out of the next game against Australia to give Sivivatu and Gear a crack at the wing berth. Gear had a silent game but Sivivatu was influential in setting up a try to Ma’a Nonu, before mid-way through the second half scoring one for himself after a break by centre Conrad Smith.
He was substituted directly afterwards with what seemed like an eye socket injury. Unbeknownst to him, but this was going to be last time he would don an All Blacks jumper.
The 29 year old who has scored 29 tries in 45 tests for the All Blacks as well as four tries for the Pacific Islanders, and who has the best strike rate of all the wingers in the upcoming World Cup, was unceremoniously dumped a week later.
Isaia Toeava, a player who can play pretty much anywhere in the backline, is one to marvel at. He made his debut for the All Blacks back in 2005 as a 19 year old, straight out of that year’s IRB Under-19 competition where he was named player of the year.
He has amassed over 30 caps for the All Blacks. He made his debut at fullback, just like another All Black in Israel Dagg, who like Toeava returned from an injury sustained in the Super Rugby competition.
Dagg and Toeava both started in the fifth Tri-Nations game against South Africa at Port Elizabeth. Dagg played really well at fullback in their 18-5 loss to a very strong Springboks outfit but Toeava wasn’t at his best.
Nevertheless he was selected on the bench for the Tri-Nations decider against Australia in Brisbane. The Australians dominated from the start. The All Blacks a made a lot of handling errors, in particular Zac Guidlford who was unable to gather or hold onto the ball.
He was subbed off for Toeava who himself didn’t play very well in attack or defence. The All Blacks lost this match to a firing Wallabies outfit 20-25. This was the first time in 10 years the Wallabies have won the prestigious Tri-Nations title.
Graham Henry’s decision to dump an experienced player like Sivivatu and a powerful winger like Gear didn’t go down well with the fans. Guildford may have done enough throughout the year to demand a place in the World Cup team, and Toeava and Dagg were playing well in Super Rugby before they got injured.
But of all the selections made, this was the only position fans were not happy about, the outside backs.
Sivivatu and Jane were not even in the main 30 before the Fiji tests but forced their way into contention with strong performances. Sivivatu, Jane and Guildford each scored two tries this year for the All Blacks.
Jane’s strong performance throughout the year secured his place in the team but Sivivatu was unlucky to make the cut. Gear, who Graham Henry tagged the best winger in the world after the November Tests last year, was also unfortunate to miss out.
The All Blacks go into the World Cup without wingers who are skilled at breaking lines and beating opponents, or the ability to create something out of nothing. They may be the top bet to win, but can they really do so without true power and pace on the wings?
The likes of John Kirwan, Jeff Wilson, Jonah Lomu and Joe Rokocoko have played a big part in New Zealand’s bids to win the World Cup. Kirwan’s try in the 1987 final against France secured The All Blacks their only Word Cup title.
Can the current crop of outside backs for the All Blacks do the same?
Join The Roar rugby editor Christy Doran, former Wallaby Matt Toomua and a cast of regular and special guests as they look at the biggest issues in the game on The Roar Rugby Podcast. If you’re looking for great odds on the next game check out Aussie bookmaker PlayUp. Chances are you’re about to lose. Set a deposit limit.