Kieran Read and Justin Marshall have questioned some of the All Blacks head coach Dave Rennie\u2019s selection choices after last weekend\u2019s Bledisloe Cup triumph in Auckland.<\/p>\n
After suffering a 3-1 defeat to the Springboks in Rugby\u2019s Greatest Rivalry series, the All Blacks proved too strong for the Wallabies as they cruised to a 50-19 win at Eden Park and, in doing so, they retained the Bledisloe Cup for the 24th successive year.<\/p>\n
Ahead of Saturday\u2019s rematch with the Wallabies<\/a> in Sydney, former All Blacks<\/a> number eight Read<\/a> and scrum-half Marshall<\/a> agreed that it\u2019s not necessary for Rennie to tamper with his starting XV too much as it\u2019s important to get consistency in selections.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s a big call. I personally think we\u2019re not in a position to make too many changes,\u201d Read told The Good, The Bad & Rugby Australia & New Zealand<\/a> podcast.<\/p>\n \u201cI think we\u2019re at a point where we need to go out and put 50 on the Wallabies again. It doesn\u2019t matter that it\u2019s in Sydney and over there at their home.<\/p>\n \u201cWe haven\u2019t shown that we can back it up yet, performances, it\u2019s been that way for a few years. Dave Rennie has instilled a little bit of maybe extra optimism, confidence in us as fans, but we haven\u2019t seen it.<\/p>\n \u201cI haven\u2019t seen it. So, we need to go out there and put our best foot forward and show that we\u2019ve made those improvements. So, I wouldn\u2019t necessarily make changes for change sake.<\/p>\n \u2018I\u2019d like to see a consistent team as much as we can\u2019<\/p>\n \u201cObviously there\u2019s to be a few enforced ones with concussions and things. So, you make those changes, but I\u2019d like to see a consistent team as much as we can.\u201d<\/p>\n Marshall believes that Rennie cannot afford chopping and changing players in the All Blacks\u2019 matchday squad ahead of next month\u2019s Nations Championship Tests against Scotland, Wales and England in the United Kingdom.<\/p>\n \u201cI just feel there\u2019s still too much grey for us to be too experimental,\u201d he said. \u201cLike ultimately come the end of this weekend, the All Blacks will be back in New Zealand. I think it\u2019s the 18th of October.<\/p>\n \u201cAnd then on the 7th of November, they\u2019re playing Scotland without any more rugby, you know? So I agree with Reado, obviously there\u2019s, there\u2019s a few that aren\u2019t going (to play), your (Ethan) Blackadders and Leroy Carters out of the starting team, you know, through injury enforced.<\/p>\n \u201cThe rest of it, you just want consistency. And you want to try and challenge that team to be consistent, backing up the performance, don\u2019t you?\u201d<\/p>\n Focus then turned to Fabian Holland, who has not been involved in the All Blacks\u2019 last two Tests.<\/p>\n The behemoth lock delivered impressive starting performances in New Zealand\u2019s first two Tests against the Springboks in Rugby\u2019s Greatest Rivalry series before being dropped to the bench for the third encounter against the world champions and subsequently omitted completely from the matchday squad for the fourth clash in Baltimore, USA.<\/p>\n \u201cI think Holland is a starting lock for us. He\u2019s, at the moment, our best lock. That\u2019s what I\u2019m seeing,\u201d said Read.<\/p>\n \u201cSo, whether they were resting him or not, I don\u2019t know what the reasons were. But to me, he\u2019s our best lock right now. So, I can\u2019t explain that one. And you\u2019ve got to go, \u2018Well, he\u2019s got to be in the mix to play\u2019. So, I don\u2019t know why.\u201d<\/p>\n All Blacks: James Parsons names the player who he would \u2018love to see\u2019 called up for Bledisloe Cup rematch<\/a><\/p>\n Marshall believes that the All Blacks coaching staff are looking at versatile players when they are selecting their matchday squads and that\u2019s what\u2019s counting against Holland.<\/p>\n \u201cI think when you look at the dynamic of the bench, so what they were looking at, I guess, he\u2019s lock-specific,\u201d he explained.<\/p>\n \u201cSo is Josh Lord, so is Sam Darry. Whereas the others, like, you could put Scooter (Scott Barrett) on the side (of the scrum). Obviously, Tupou Vaa\u2019i can go both (lock and flanker positions).<\/p>\n \u201cAnd so, what the All Blacks did at the weekend is they didn\u2019t pick a lock reserve. If people didn\u2019t notice, they picked (Anton) Segner and (Shannon) Frizell. Because they can move those components around.<\/p>\n \u201cSo I think first and foremost, if they had the conversation, and I believe it was a very debated one amongst the coaches and selectors about Fabian. They didn\u2019t go for him on the bench.\u201d<\/p>\n \u2018He\u2019s outstanding\u2019<\/p>\n Read was not in favour of that and said: \u201cIt makes no sense to me. Because this guy\u2019s a world-class player. He\u2019s shown it. Yes, he\u2019s been out for a long time (after injury), but he\u2019s shown it against (the Springboks). He\u2019s outstanding.\u201d<\/p>\n He admitted that the All Blacks\u2019 lineout has not been at its best this year but feels Holland is a must for their run-on side.<\/p>\n \u201cIt has struggled (the lineout). I\u2019m unsure why, but it has struggled. So, we\u2019ve been forced to the front a lot of the lineout, which I don\u2019t mind. If we can win ball fast and get in and win it front, it\u2019s fine,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s the same as middle ball off-tempo. But Holland, he\u2019s a lock, purely. And you need him playing out there, because he can get around the field. I think I said it last time, him and Scott Barrett, those two as a combination will be a world-class combination with Tupou Vaa\u2019i there as well.<\/p>\n \u201cFor me, those guys are world-class, and they just haven\u2019t had the footy in that position just yet.\u201d<\/p>\n