ABs Players Of The Week (Italy Test)

After a close win against France, the All Blacks did manage to extend their winning margin against Italy, but in all honesty, it felt like a step back in regard to the quality of performance.

There were a few negatives we could dive into, but with this All Blacks series, we are once again looking at the silver linings surrounding the game with our five best performers in black jerseys.

Unlike last week, where there were plenty of names to pick from, this one was slightly more straightforward, as the top players really separated themselves from the rest in my book.

1 Point – Anton Segner

The newest addition to the storied All Blacks loose forward club is the blues openside, Anton Segner. After being promised plenty of minutes off the bench, the youngster was certainly given that, as Luke Jacobson left the field at half-time with a reported injury, which introduced Segner to the park.

On debut, Segner did exactly what would have been expected of him, making plenty of tackles, slowing down Italian ball and making some bruising carries where he dominated in post-contact situations.

For Segner, it was a good first 40 minutes of international footy, and if Jacobson is out, he seemingly fits into that mould of the dirty-working loosie who will allow the other athletes, like Savea and Lakai, to dominate around the park. That is why I could see him making the start against Ireland.

2 Points – Ruben Love

Another solid performance from Love in the All Blacks 10 jersey lands him on this list in back to back weeks. It was clear that the Italian plan was to rush Love and limit his space, while also trying to speed up his decision-making.

However, Love was up to the task once again, completing all the core roles required of him around the park. He was kicking well in live and dead-ball situations, making the correct decisions on when to straighten the attack or go wide, and most of all, he got the team around the park in an efficient manner.

While he is yet to have a signature moment in the No. 10 jersey, I would be stunned if Love wasn’t given the keys to the car once again heading into the Eden Park test against Ireland, on the back of what was a truly solid performance in his home stadium.

3 Points – Cam Roigard

One hundred and thirty minutes into his Nations Championship career, and Cam Roigard is absolutely proving himself to be one of, if not the best, players in the All Blacks set-up. The 25-year-old halfback was once again dominant against the Italians in all phases of the game. He cleared well with his box kick, sniped around the ruck with his trademark efficiency and once again scored yet another try in the black jersey, which is becoming a very regular occurrence.

Roigard was only on the park for 57 minutes, as he earned some well-deserved rest with an early clock-off. Regardless of the limited minutes, he was still on another level all night long which is why he has also found his name on this list back to back weeks.

4 Points – Josh Moorby

Another debutant on this list, and it is of course Josh Moorby. The Hurricanes winger was called into action earlier than expected after Leroy Carter was taken off the field with a shoulder injury in the 31st minute.

Moorby was then deployed on the left wing, where he took no time looking at home. The obvious dominance in his game was his ability to anticipate and create when given half an inch of space. Moorby led the game in line breaks with four, and they were instrumental in the All Blacks actually putting together a reasonable level of play just after the second half began.

When in space, Moorby made the most of it, setting up his fellow Hurricane Cam Roigard for his try, while also sending Will Jordan over with a simple draw and pass. That try would tie Jordan with Doug Howlett as the all-time leading try-scorer.

All up, Moorby was simply brilliant on his test debut and showed how much class he has to offer this team right now. The other thing he has done is provide the coaches with a selection headache, and I would say they could be hard-pressed to leave him out against Ireland.

5 Points – Will Jordan

Where do we even start? Will Jordan has officially announced himself as one of the all-time greats to pull on the black jersey, as he is now the all-time leading try-scorer in All Blacks history for test matches. There is no other way to put it other than Will Jordan is a transcendent talent on the attacking side of the ball and has a knack for scoring tries unlike any other player I have seen pull on the black jersey.

Saturday evening was no different, as Jordan put on an outright show for the fans in the capital, dotting over for three tries that all showed at least one of his world-class skills, whether that was anticipation or blistering speed.

The hat-trick itself was a special moment for any rugby player, but to bring up that record with that kind of performance just epitomises how potent of a try-scorer Jordan is and will continue to be.

Outside of those three tries, Jordan was also making plenty of winning plays around the park, with timely passes, turnovers and tackles being made, which don’t even get mentioned because of how prolific he was against Italy in the try-scoring department.

I could ramble on about it even more, but I might as well just leave it with a salute to one of the all-time greats.

Leaderboard After One Test:

1st= Cam Roigard 8
1st= Will Jordan 8
3rd= Ardie Savea 4
3rd= Josh Moorby 4
3rd= Ruben Love 4
6th= Anton Segner 1
6th= Peter Lakai 1