So Who Would Be in Scott Robertson's 2024 All Blacks Team?
In 2024, Scott Robertson will become the first former All Black since John Mitchell, to become Head Coach of the national team. Having played 23 tests himself from 1998 to 2002, he assume a four-year deal that will run through to the 2027 Rugby World Cup; a year that will be 25 years after his final test match as a player.
We all know he will attempt to keep his Crusaders forwards coach, Jason Ryan, on board; while he has previously worked with Leon MacDonald at the Crusaders. Robertson also had current Hurricanes Head Coach, Jason Holland, on his ticket, when applying for the role in 2019.
Scott Robertson is a great coach. Hard questions will still need to be asked though.
Four years after missing out on the role to Ian Foster, Robertson has now signed the contract to take over. But who could he select in his 2024 All Blacks team? Assuming his first squad is comprised of 33 players; as all 2023 World Cup squads are forced to pick and assuming all of these players are available for selection, this is what a 2024 All Blacks side could look like.
Current All Blacks who have not extended their current New Zealand-based contracts past 2023, have been marked in italics throughout the article.
Hookers:
Samisoni Taukei'aho
Age (on 1st May, 2024): 26 years old
Test Caps: 21 tests
Super Rugby Club: Chiefs
Codie Taylor
Age (on 1st May, 2024): 33 years old
Test Caps: 76 tests
Super Rugby Club: Crusaders
George Bell
Age (on 1st May, 2024): 22 years old
Test Caps: uncapped
Super Rugby Club: Crusaders
After spending 7 years coaching the Crusaders, Robertson will be naturally inclined to select his long-serving Crusaders mainstays. Although this could lay bearings on the makeup of his initial All Blacks squad for 2024, he may also be inclined to stick with the 2022 Jason Ryan-established front rowers, all three of whom had exceptional seasons.
Samisoni Taukei'aho was the member at the forefront of this trio; becoming the most prolific try-scorer for the All Blacks in 2022, with 7 in total. After one Rugby World Cup campaign in 2023, Taukei'aho will be in the prime of his career once time for Robertson's selections roll around. As a genuine ball-carrier and intelligent key decision-maker for the team, Taukei'aho could become one of the best players in the world under Robertson. Joining him no doubt, will be Codie Taylor, who is currently the vice-captain of the Crusaders.
Codie Taylor's current contract through to 2025 lines him up with the possibility to become one of the oldest-ever All Blacks should he last to 2027. Photo: Max Sharp.
Assuming this hypothetical squad is indeed the one that Robertson selects in 2024, this makes a squad of just five players in their 30's. Taylor, as a key decision-maker for the team, will be a go-to off the bench to close games out in this new era, though his haters will be furious at such a selection. While Taylor will be 36 years old for the 2027 Rugby World Cup, that is still young enough for the 2015 winner, to attend a fourth Rugby World Cup. If Dane Coles can remain in contention for 2023, even after just 8 games of professional rugby in 2022, then surely Codie Taylor; a player that is very rarely injured, can remain in contention for his long-associated coach.
While many Hurricanes fans will be disappointed not to see Asafo Aumua on this list, selectors will also have the long-term future of the team to consider. As the Highlanders' hookers are all in their mid-to-late twenties, they are less likely to be considered as long-term options, while Jacob Devery will have Aumua blocking him at the Hurricanes. To play it safe, Bell, a former NZ U-20's captain, might get the nod for his power running.
Props:
Ethan de Groot
Age (on 1st May, 2024): 25 years old
Test Caps: 13 tests
Super Rugby Club: Highlanders
Tyrel Lomax
Age (on 1st May, 2024): 28 years old
Test Caps: 23 tests
Super Rugby Club: Hurricanes
Tamaiti Williams
Age (on 1st May, 2024): 23 years old
Test Caps: uncapped
Super Rugby Club: Crusaders
Ofa Tu'ungafasi
Age (on 1st May, 2024): 32 years old
Test Caps: 50 tests
Super Rugby Club: Blues
Finlay Brewis
Age (on 1st May, 2024): 24 years old
Test Caps: uncapped
Super Rugby Club: Crusaders
Fletcher Newell
Age (on 1st May, 2024): 24 years old
Test Caps: 6 tests
Super Rugby Club: Crusaders
Should de Groot and Lomax be fit at all, they'll be in. At 25 years old, de Groot will be reaching the peak of his career, while Lomax will be one of the veterans of the team, having made his test debut under Steve Hansen in 2018. After de Groot was disgustingly dropped for the Ireland series in 2022, he came back with a chip-on-his shoulder and gave no second thought about physically dominating his opposition. Though the call around Lomax for that series was correct, he later answered an SOS and ended Angus Ta'avao's international career, coming back with a similar physical domination-type mindset to de Groot; finally realising his potential under Jason Ryan.
Ofa Tu'ungafasi (centre) has a contract through to 2024 and will be one of just five players in their 30's, should this hypothetical squad be selected. Photo: Max Sharp.
With the increasing need for mobility at prop in a modern era that requires all players to have ball-handling skills and ever-quicker ruck speed, look for the brute force of Ofa Tu'ungafasi and Tamaiti Williams to come off the bench. Tu'ungafasi has 50 tests under his belt and a winning mentality, that will see the youngsters learn the ropes from him. Tu'ungafasi will be 35 years old in the 2027 Rugby World Cup. To balance the scrum, Williams will provide the blend of youth and experience. Williams has long been seen as a future All Black and his test debut is well overdue, thanks to his breakdown and scrum presence.
Although Fletcher Newell is highly likely to miss the 2023 Rugby World Cup after being ruled out for the entirety of Super Rugby, he has a huge ceiling so will likely finally reach his 7th test cap in 2024. Finlay Brewis will possibly have the inside running to combine with Newell as the third-choice prop combination. They've been Canterbury teammates since 2020 and are the same height, so will scrum together in a nice formation; Brewis also mysteriously made it into the All Blacks XV over Ollie Norris and Jermaine Ainsley in 2023. At 24 years old, both will be reaching the peak of their careers in 2024 too.
Locks:
Tupou Vaa'i
Age (on 1st May, 2024): 24 years old
Test Caps: 18 tests
Super Rugby Club: Chiefs
Scott Barrett (Captain)
Age (on 1st May, 2024): 30 years old
Test Caps: 58 tests
Super Rugby Club: Crusaders
Josh Lord
Age (on 1st May, 2024): 23 years old
Test Caps: 2 tests
Super Rugby Club: Chiefs
Zach Gallagher
Age (on 1st May, 2024): 22 years old
Test Caps: uncapped
Super Rugby Club: Crusaders
With the post-World Cup exodus set to be huge, lock will receive a bit of a rebuild with young blood. At 24 years old, Tupou Vaa'i will be a guaranteed starter; with Patrick Tuipulotu's form seeming to wane a little. Vaa'i is now the finished product and the dominant leader in the Chiefs' tight-five already. Should he fulfill his potential and stay humble, he has future All Black captain written all over him. He's everything you need in a lock. Heavy, mobile, with a low centre of gravity and very athletic. To compliment him in the starting XV, Scott Barrett will almost certainly be captain.
Having played his first NPC game for Robertson's 2014 Canterbury side, the Scotts know each other well. In the same way with Eddie Jones and Owen Farrell, Michael Chieka and Michael Hooper as well as Allister Coetzee and Eben Etzebeth; we could well see this as another example of coaches elevating their club-level rookie, to national captain. Barrett and Robertson will be a better-known Scotts duo, than Travis Scott and Kid Cudi here in New Zealand. With Barrett's ability to play at 6, he can shift around when substitutes come on; this will help with depth building in preparation for an injury to the captain. After 8 years of being stuck behind Sam Whitelock and Brodie Retallick, Barrett may be able to receive the ultimate payoff.
Zach Gallagher (pictured playing for Canterbury in 2022) may benefit from being one of Robertson's Crusaders players. Photo: Max Sharp.
Although Josh Lord will likely miss the 2023 Rugby World Cup, he'll have a head-start over Naitoa Ah Kuoi, Cameron Suafoa and Caleb Delany; having made Ian Foster's 2021 team as a project player, before earning his spot in 2022 legitimately through form as an impact player. Lord will provide some epic grunt as a reserve, while his Taranaki cohesion with Vaa'i will bode well. At 28 years old, the uncapped All Blacks XV player, Josh Dickson, may leave the Highlanders for an overseas deal - opening a spot for Zach Gallagher, a player appearing to currently earn more minutes at the Crusaders than Quinten Strange. Though Gallagher is young now, Sam Whitelock's highly expected retirement will allow Gallagher a solid build-up for a test debut in 2024. Look for opportunities to open up for Fabian Holland later in the World Cup cycle.
Loose Forwards:
Marino Mikaele-Tu'u
Age (on 1st May, 2024): 26 years old
Test Caps: uncapped
Super Rugby Club: Highlanders