Jake White questions Ardie Savea’s automatic All Blacks status

Jake White has questioned whether Ardie Savea should remain an automatic starter for New Zealand, arguing that the All Blacks’ back row appeared more balanced while the loose forward was away. Savea is expected to captain the All Blacks in the opening Test against South Africa at Ellis Park.

Savea was rested for New Zealand’s victories over the Stormers, Sharks and Vodacom Bulls at the beginning of the Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry tour. White believes his absence gave other loose forwards greater responsibility and allowed them to establish their own leadership within the team.

Tupou Vaa’i, Luke Jacobson and Anton Segner have formed part of a group that impressed White during that period. He believes the competition for places has shown that New Zealand can operate effectively without building the entire back row around Savea.

White also questioned how Savea’s reputation compares with the All Blacks’ outstanding loose forwards of previous generations. He referenced openside flankers Michael Jones and Richie McCaw, as well as No 8s Zinzan Brooke and Kieran Read, when assessing whether Savea’s place among the greats makes his selection unavoidable.

Savea has played 106 Tests for New Zealand, wearing the No 6 or No 8 jersey, and has been selected by every All Blacks coach since his debut. White nevertheless suggested that his impact could be greater if he started matches among the replacements and entered later, rather than beginning every Test.

The former Springboks coach expects the Ellis Park encounter to be closely contested. He believes South Africa’s scrum can help the home side gain territory even when handling is not perfect, making it important for New Zealand to avoid conceding penalties at set-piece time.

South Africa have traditionally held an advantage when the teams meet on home ground. White also pointed to the countries’ strong World Cup records and their current positions in the world rankings as reasons to expect a competitive series between two leading rugby nations.