#14 Jersey wide open ...

[M.R.B.M]

Rokocoko's wrist surgery will be somebody's break

Blues teammates Anthony Tuitavake and Rudi Wulf may be the greatest beneficiaries of Joe Rokocoko's unusual wrist injury which has removed him from the rest of the Super 14, the initial All Black tests and perhaps the Tri-Nations series.

Rokocoko will have surgery this week to repair a ruptured ligament which holds the small bones in place in his right wrist. The wing will have his arm in a cast for two months and the Blues doctor, Stephen Kara, explained that rehabilitation would then take between one and two months before Rokocoko could return to rugby.

His absence with the overseas departures of Doug Howlett and Rico Gear has created unlikely vacancies on the wing for the opening June internationals against Ireland and England before the July start of the Tri-Nations.

Chiefs speedster Sitiveni Sivivatu will be a favourite, while teammate Lelia Masaga has shown some extraordinary flair this season like the Highlanders Fetu'u Vainikolo, though both would be a huge gamble in the more disciplined test arena.

Those who were picked by the national selectors last year for the Junior All Blacks should have the greatest credentials for promotion. Tuitavake and Wulf were both in that group with two-test All Black Scott Hamilton and Ma'a Nonu.

The All Black panel have not been constrained by selection convention and they could shift Isaia Toeava to the wing, use Mils Muliaina there as they have in several seasons or take a serious punt with thediverting rugby package that is Victor Vito.

Vito is a mature footballer for a 20-year-old, an automatic loose forward selection for New Zealand age sides who played provincial rugby in 2006 but struggled with a shoulder injury last season. His return, to the sevens scene this year, revealed his compelling mix of skills which could be nurtured in an All Black squad as a loose forward or wing combination.

The Blues have Tuitavake and Wulf as their senior wings while the spirited David Smith is also in the squad and the versatile Isa Nacewa could also be used. He will have a fitness test tomorrow on his knee to see whether he will make his comeback this weekend against the Brumbies or in the next game against the Crusaders.

.... So all-in all we have: (in order, fav - unlikely at this point)

• Sivivatu will take the 11 jersey...
• Tuitavake at this stage will be the 1st choice as he has been around for many years...
• Nonu for me would be the next obvious candidate, I don't like him but you can not go past his shear power...
• Lalia Masaga is just an excitement machine and is up there with the best finishers in the game, speed to burn...
• Wulf, I don't know much about him, I haven't seen enough of him...
• Vainikolo, definitely got talent - strength/power/speed - but still needs another season or two before selectors will really consider him over the above names...
• Vito is in the same boat as Vainikolo. S14 is imminent next year for him but until then he needs to fine tune his XV's. Plus as Gwynn has said, he would be a fine winger but he will be a great loose forward in years to come with much the same skills as a Messem but better!
• Scott Hamilton - this is an easy one - time for new fresh talent to shine.

[Gwynn]

A spot on assessment of the potential candidates I'd say +k

[Captain Ordinary]

Expect the 3 navel gazing fools (the 3 worst RWC coaches in New Zealand's history) to have a very conservative approach.  MRBM you have correctly put Scott Hamilton last in your list but the 3 idiots will pick him at 14.

Immature/insecure leaders swing from one extreme to another.  Our band of fools will be very conservative, pick only tried and almost true players and leave little or no room for new players to come in.  (We haven't had a more insecure coach than Wayne Smith - failed with the '99 All Blacks, cried out in '01 and then failed again (really badly failed) last year.)

I would pick Masaga.  Massive X factor, speed to burn, works well with Muliana & Sivi (even if they put Muliana in at centre (Wayne Smith will say that MacDonald has been playing too well at 15 to leave out)), and he's not from the Crusaders or Blues (both of whos coaches will form part of the Wallaby coaching set up in for the Tri Nations.)

[M.R.B.M]

I personally would also pick Masaga.

Along with Sivi & Mils he would be right at home but MacDonald really is deserving of the 15 jersey atm.

It is going to be really interesting with selections as alot of class players have gone but have left what I believe to be very capable players to fill the positions. And with most positions there are 2 front runners.

Contenders  -  My pick
1 - ?
2 - Hore or K.M  -  Hore has been playing very well but I would still go with K.M
3 - ?
4 - Wide open  -  If I had to say ne1 it would be Filipo atp
5 - Ali or Ali
6 - Collins, Messem or Lauaki  -  Lauaki should get a go.
7 - Not hard
8 - Rodney or Tuili'i or Lauaki  -   Rodney (only because of experience)
9 - Leonard, Ellis or Cowen  -  Im bias with this one I think, Leonard
10 - Carter or Evans  -   Evans
11 - Sivivatu or Nonu  -  Pfft dur
12 - Carter, Evans or Brett  -   Carter (would be familiar to him, used to play 12 for ABs)
13 - Laulala or Toeava  -   Laulala atm
14 - Masaga or Tuitavaki  -   Masaga
15 - Mils or MacDonald  -   Rangi

The look of this possible side is very different to past ones and looks very exciting but looks very small in size... 

[Captain Ordinary]

Maybe a new face on the reserve bench, but they'll make the most conservative selections possible:

1 - Woodcock
2 - Mealamu
3 - Tialata
4 - Flaval or Brad Thorn (Flaval because he has had more recent test experience)
5 - Ali
6 - Collins
7 - McCaw
8 - Rodney
9 - Ellis
10 - Carter
11 - Sivivatu
12 - ? ? ? ?
13 - Mils
14 - Hamilton
15 - MacDonald

The team I would like to see is closer to yours MRBM.  Carter & Evans in the 5/8ths, but Smith doesn't have the brains to do that so Carter will stay at 10.  So he will do something stupid: put Laulala at 'inside centre' and use him to tackle and crash the ball up. Or put Toeava or Donald at 2nd 5. Whatever - someone will play out of position.

I can see Collins announcing hes signed an overseas contract and still being picked at 6!

[gluck]

Give Vainikolo a go on the wing he has the raw power. Who cares if we lose the odd test now is not the time to peak. I think Vainikolo will be good in the long term whereas Nonu is not a test player, a good athlete.

[M.R.B.M]

The thing about Vainakolo is that we've only seen him for 7/8 weeks... Who knows he could be another player like say, Regan King. One awesome season, then can't play for his life the next seasons until being signed overseas.

Atleast with Masaga we have all seen him play for the last 3/4 seasons for Counties and the last 2 seasons for the Chiefs.

(if u can see what im gettin at)

[gluck]

One way of looking at it but we're at our furtherest distance from the world cup.  If he does a Jonah and needs more time there is no harm done.

[Gwynn]

Thats the problem with a 2 year term, the coaches will be out to save their necks and not develop talent. Sigh...

[Tesrof]

Last time Henry & Co had a 4 year term ... what talent did they develop ... who did they bring through?

Hansen stuffed around with our lineout for years.  No one could find a decent centre, half back or (sorry) No 8.
And the mass exodus highlights the lack of loyalty the players have in these coaches.

I don't think a few scratchy wins in the Tri Nations (or excuse bound losses) will help them win back the NZ Rugby public.

With a 2 year term ... do you really think that Henry will put his name forward once it's finished?  And without Henry propping up Wayne Smith ... he'll fall out too.

Cheers
T

[ho hum]

None of which can happen too soon.

Couple this mess with the sheer incompetence and ineptitude of Referees like Barnes and Marks it's no wonder that people like me prefer to watch something else. Both should be sacked from First Grade matches now, and Paddy O'Brien's attitude is an insult to every Union fan's intelligence.

Unless Union sorts itself pronto there's no way I will continue to pay Foxtel's gouging rates to encounter increasing amounts of drivel and hugely increasing numbers of Adverts just to watch the mess they are making of Union when I can watch League for nothing. It might even be time to attempt to get my head around AFL again ......

Any of the quality progammes usually end up on free-to-air anyway.

[Gwynn]

The triumvirate did try to develop some players, but then ultimately gave up on all their rotation for depth when it ultimately mattered.

But ho hum is right, the game is in a massive rut now, two sets of laws being played in the world, referees who aren't held noticably accountable, a national union who ignored their own advice on the number of teams for their national competition, then blamed those unions for getting into a mess, the ARU losing millions, SARFU caught up in racial politics, the IRB completely toothless.

The only success story rugby has going for it seems to be the increasing popularity of the sevens circuit, which is as I've long advocated, the pathway to making rugby a global game.  Build interest and playing numbers through sevens as a way to introduce them to full union, but use sevens as that truly global vehicle!  Hopefully the IRB will get organised enough to get Sevens included in the 2012 or 2016 Olympics.

And if you want to watch some good rugby, I can recommend watching any of the European games on the Rugby Channel at the moment.