The All Blacks know Saturday night’s second test against Fiji provides a golden opportunity to run out their top lineup… if only they knew what that was.
Speaking on Tuesday as his side wrapped up training on a sunny, chilly, morning in Hamilton, assistant coach John Plumtree admitted the selectors still don’t quite have a good enough picture of what their best side looks like, going into their last game before the Bledisloe Cup and Rugby Championship.
In what has made for some animated discussion behind closed doors, the coaches are eager to get a few combinations rolling ahead of the tougher tests on the calendar, but they are still juggling with the need to get more minutes into some of their cattle, along with managing a few injury niggles.
On that front, Plumtree confirmed openside flanker Dalton Papalii was “highly unlikely” to play at FMG Stadium Waikato, as he manages his calf injury suffered in the 102-0 rout of Tonga, while prop Karl Tu’inukuafe, who was also absent from last weekend’s 57-23 first-test win over Fiji in Dunedin, is still struggling with a shoulder issue and would be assessed after the team’s day off on Wednesday.
The same would be the case for flanker Ardie Savea (knee) and midfielder Anton Lienert-Brown (elbow), who haven’t played for a month, but who both look on track to bring up their 50th tests this weekend after Plumtree reported they trained “pretty well” on Tuesday.
Hooker Asafo Aumua is available for selection again after overcoming concussion symptoms, while playmaker Damian McKenzie’s ring finger is still swollen after its mending from dislocation, but won’t keep him out of the frame.
Lock Tupou Vaa’i is the only fit player not used in the squad so far, and could be in line for a trot on his Chiefs home ground, in what may not quite prove to be a full-strength All Blacks lineup.
“That opportunity’s there for us, if we want to,” Plumtree said of running out their premier posse. “But, to be honest with you, we don’t know what that is yet.
“Some guys need more time than others. Some had bigger Super Rugby seasons, there’s some guys carrying little niggles. So we put all those factors into place then select the team.
