Eden Park Test Opens Bledisloe Cup Series as All Blacks Pursue 54th Straight Win
Peter Lakai should anchor the All Blacks back-row for the upcoming Bledisloe Cup Tests, according to former loose forward Kieran Read. New Zealand and Australia square off in the series opener at Eden Park in Auckland on Saturday before the second fixture at Accor Stadium in Sydney on October 17. The All Blacks enter Saturday’s match attempting to stretch their unbeaten streak at Eden Park to 54 Tests, Planet Rugby reported.
Injuries Force New-Look All Blacks Loose Forwards
The All Blacks coaching staff named a reshuffled loose-forward group after losing captain and first-choice number eight Ardie Savea alongside flanker Luke Jacobson to injuries. Savea and Jacobson started at number eight and seven respectively during the opening three matches of the Rugby Championship series against the Springboks. Tupou Vaa’i, Simon Parker, and Peter Lakai split starting blindside flanker duties across those encounters. Lakai shifted to number eight during the fourth Test against South Africa, while Vaa’i returned to the number six jersey and Ethan Blackadder packed down on the openside flank.
New Zealand Adds Players While Wallabies Keep Stable Trio
Shannon Frizell returned to the New Zealand squad alongside Lakai, Parker, Anton Segner, Blackadder, and Wallace Sititi. Second-rower Tupou Vaa’i also offers a loose-forward option for the coaching staff. Segner rejoined the squad after cutting his recent South African tour short due to injury. By contrast, the Wallabies maintain a settled loose trio featuring captain Harry Wilson at number eight alongside flankers Fraser McReight and Rob Valetini.
Read noted that while the backline remains settled aside from the left wing, the forward pack lacks definitive combinations due to limited time together in specific roles. He emphasized that individual talent is not the issue for New Zealand’s loose forwards, but rather finding the right cohesion.
Read Identifies Lakai as Key Number Eight
Read singled out Lakai as the central piece for the All Blacks’ loose trio during an appearance on The Good, The Bad & Rugby Australia & New Zealand podcast, pointing to the youngster as the ideal starter at the back of the scrum. Read also highlighted the return of Segner as a strong option for the matchday twenty-three, praising his form prior to his injury in South Africa. The former captain added that Blackadder delivered a strong performance in the final Springboks Test, leaving the coaching staff with key decisions regarding the blindside and openside flanker combinations for Saturday.