Not long after Warren Gatland had named his British & Irish Lions squad in April Steve Hansen warned his compatriot against trying to replicate Ireland’s method of victory against the All Blacks in Chicago. It will be intriguing to hear if Gatland has any words of wisdom for his rival this week; to hear what he may think of New Zealand looking to bounce back from defeat in the same manner as against Ireland, a couple of weeks later in Dublin.
This is not least because the suspension of Sonny Bill Williams means there is every chance Malakai Fekitoa will return to the All Blacks midfield alongside Anton Lienert-Brown, as he was at the Aviva Stadium.
Fekitoa has been summoned by Hansen and, if Ryan Crotty’s hamstring is not worth risking, nor a first international start for Ngani Laumape, he will slot straight in for the decider at Eden Park on Saturday. And lest we forget, his was an eventful outing in Dublin. He was shown a yellow card for a swinging arm on Simon Zebo – which was later deemed worthy of a red and therefore earned him a ban – and also scored two tries. But he has not played for the All Blacks since.
Patchy form for the Highlanders ensured he was omitted from the initial New Zealand squad for this series and reports of lucrative offers from France will not go away. With Jack Goodhue emerging rapidly with the Crusaders and Charlie Ngatai and George Moala also on the radar, the competition for places may well have prompted Fekitoa’s departure until this reprieve.
It is increasingly clear that, while the All Blacks have seamlessly moved on from losing Dan Carter and Richie McCaw after the World Cup, midfield is a troublesome area of the field for Hansen, even with Lienert‑Brown’s sustained excellence. And it is relevant now because there is a school of thought that considers Williams to be a blind spot for Hansen.
Williams undoubtedly has star quality and showed some form against the Lions for the Blues and then Samoa, but he has not yet hit double figures in his number of matches since the 2015 World Cup final. During that competition he was used largely as an impact replacement but there is the sense that now Ma’a Nonu and Conrad Smith are unavailable to Hansen, he is rewarding Williams for biding his time.
He did, of course, spend 2016 in sevens. As Hansen said after the World Cup: “Not only have we lost Ma’a and Conrad; we’ve also lost Sonny. They were the three guys that set the World Cup on fire and allowed us to have a one, two, three punch.” But in June last year he committed to pursuing a place in the squad for the 2019 World Cup and, as Toulon’s reported courtship of Fekitoa shows, New Zealand is not immune from wealthy overseas clubs turning their players’ heads.
But considering how well Williams was shackled by Ben Te’o in the first Test, it is easy to argue that Crotty and Lienert-Brown ought to have started that match or, put another way, that Hansen may be guilty of showing too much loyalty to Williams. That is not to punish Williams unduly for his transgression in Wellington. Reckless contact with the head means his red card and suspension is fully warranted but he has shown contrition for what was an unintentional act. His absence in Auckland, however, may prove to be to Hansen’s benefit.
Fekitoa’s progress has stalled since his emergence for the All Blacks but during the Highlanders’ victory against the Lions he demonstrated what a handful he can be. Laumape, meanwhile, caused the Lions considerable problems in both his outings against the tourists in Wellington while Crotty has an undervalued calming influence whenever he plays for New Zealand. Hansen, therefore, has three realistic options to fill the void left by Williams and a strong case can be made that each would be an improvement.
