Blackadder gives Rennie a major selection headache ahead of second Bok Test
SPOTLIGHT: All Blacks head coach Dave Rennie will have plenty to ponder regarding his team selection for the second Test of the Greatest Rivalry series in Cape Town on Saturday.
Rennie will name his matchday squad on Thursday following his side’s nervy 41-35 victory against the Lions at Ellis Park on Tuesday.
The performance was far from perfect for the All Blacks, who at one point trailed 17-35 and had to score four unanswered tries in the last 20 minutes to snatch the win.
Several players stood out, keen to put their hands up to Rennie ahead of the second Test against the Springboks. One of those was loose forward Ethan Blackadder, who missed out on the opening Test of the series last week.
Blackadder had previously featured off the bench against the Stormers and Sharks and had been battling to force his way into the Test squad.
The 31-year-old was phenomenal for the All Blacks, finishing with a whopping 16 carries, two turnovers won, 70 metres gained, three offloads and two tries.
It was a near-complete performance from Blackadder, who made the most of his opportunity and showed Rennie what he is capable of.
“It was a lot of fun out there; it was a tight contest, and we only really took the lead in the last 15 minutes,” he told reporters.
“We made a few errors, our discipline gave them some entries, and then we were under the horns. Rieko Ioane led well and had some good messages for a young group.”
Blackadder believes his performance on the night would have convinced Rennie to give him a shot against the Boks on Saturday.
The All Blacks will be without lock Josh Lord, who has suffered a concussion, meaning there’s a vacant spot.
Loose forward Tupou Vaa’i has been tipped to move into the second row alongside Fabian Holland, while Patrick Tuipulotu could also come into contention.
Either way, there could be space for Blackadder in the starting line-up or on the bench.
“I think so,” Blackadder said when asked if he feels he played himself into Test contention.
“Rens [Dave Rennie] has been awesome like that, so the selections are in their hands, but we’re all in one team and working together.
“It’s a short week, but we have a big game on Saturday. We’ll head off tomorrow [Wednesday] and get ready for a decent hit-out on Thursday and go from there.”
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Rennie also shared his thoughts on Blackadder’s performance.
“I’m keen to go back and look at it,” the coach said.
“He was all over the park; he got his hands on a lot of ball, post-tackle. He carried a lot for us and made a lot of tackles.
“He’s just got a big engine, and he’s all arms and legs and had a massive impact on the game.”
With the All Blacks’ second Test squad set to be named later this week, Blackadder’s display has certainly given Rennie another selection headache ahead of a crucial clash in the series.
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