Aaron Cruden takes part in a team huddle with his Manawatu team-mates, something he won’t do with the All Blacks in Brisbane.
Aaron Cruden continues to be frozen out of the All Blacks.
Steve Hansen, who recently kicked the playmaker off the tour of Argentina and South Africa because he missed a pre-departure meeting, hasn’t even bothered naming him in the reserves for the test against the Wallabies in Brisbane on Saturday night.
Instead Beauden Barrett will again start at first five-eighth, while Colin Slade, who can play first-five, wing and fullback, has been listed in the substitutes.
Stuff NZ
This snub is another major setback in Cruden’s international career and anyone who tries to tell him otherwise would be doing him a disservice.
With Dan Carter hoping to be fit for the northern tour of Chicago and the United Kingdom, Cruden is in danger of becoming a regular “dirty dirty” – the term used for those third-wheel players who make up the numbers at training and are unemployed on match day.
It could get even worse for the 25-year-old, who has played 35 tests.
A month ago the prospect of a fit Cruden, who last played a test against South Africa in Wellington on September 13, being left out of the northern tour seemed impossible. Not anymore.
If Hansen is impressed by Barrett and Slade at Suncorp Stadium, and Carter is available, he may be prepared to keep dropping the bombshells.
A member of the All Blacks leadership group Cruden, who unlike the versatile Barrett and Slade can only play first-five, desperately needed coach Hansen to extend an olive branch this week.
The All Blacks have already secured the Bledisloe Cup but Hansen, who doesn’t like the term “dead rubber”, doesn’t care and that is reflected in his reluctance to blood inexperienced players.
The selectors have made five changes to the side that started in the 27-25 loss to the Springboks in Johannesburg on October 5 and it isn’t good news for the embattled Wallabies coach Ewen McKenzie.
“Anyone who has played sport will know there’s no such thing as a dead rubber,” Hansen said this week. “Your pride doesn’t allow that for a start. You’re playing for your country.
“There’s not a lot of love lost between Australia and New Zealand in any sport … we want to belt them and they want to belt us.”
Hooker Dane Coles and loosehead prop Wyatt Crockett return to the front row, lock Brodie Retallick is over his concussion issues and Liam Messam, who gave away the final penalty that allowed Patrick Lambie to kick the winning penalty at Ellis Park, starts ahead of Jerome Kaino at No 6.
Cory Jane is on the right wing because Ben Smith is being rested after losing about 6kg ahead of the Springboks test.
Patrick Tuipulotu, Sam Cane, TJ Perenara and Charles Piutau are the newcomers on the bench.
If the All Blacks trounce the Wallabies, who are reported to be divided in their support for McKenzie in the wake of the Kurtley Beale saga, there is potential to hasten his exit from the role.
Hansen, though, remains wary.
“As we know there’s a few things happening there so that will galvanise them to want to go out and play well.”
All Blacks: 15 Israel Dagg, 14 Cory Jane, 13 Conrad Smith, 12 Malakai Fekitoa, 11 Julian Savea, 10 Beauden Barrett, 9 Aaron Smith, 8 Kieran Read, 7 Richie McCaw (Captain), 6 Liam Messam, 5 Sam Whitelock, 4 Brodie Retallick, 3 Owen Franks, 2 Dane Coles, 1 Wyatt Crockett
Replacements: 16 Keven Mealamu, 17 Ben Franks, 18 Charlie Faumuina, 19 Patrick Tuipulotu, 20 Sam Cane, 21 TJ Perenara, 22 Colin Slade, 23 Charles Piutau.