North vs south rugby game

But just what kind of support Foster chooses at No. Certainly Ardie Savea played a number of games for the Hurricanes at No. Savea starts at No. Sotutu was in sparkling form for the Blues in Super Rugby, but then he really showed his all-round class in the opening weeks of Super Rugby Aotearoa. Meanwhile for the South, Shannon Frizell looms as a key ball-carrier while also having a point to prove to Foster himself. Frizell burst onto the All Blacks scene in , before falling off the pace and missing World Cup selection last year.

But he was back to his best this season, making the third most runs of any forward in the competition, and sitting inside the top five for total offloads and tackles made. Robbed of a head-to-head battle when the closing game of Super Rugby Aotearoa between the Blues and Crusaders was cancelled because of an outbreak of coronavirus cases in Auckland, we at last get to see Richie Mo'unga and Beauden Barrett face off against one another.

Sure, they were on the same paddock in Christchurch in early July, but given Barrett was at fullback and still clearly finding his feet as part of a new team, little could be gleaned as to who should wear the All Blacks No.

Certainly the circumstances are vastly different from an All Blacks perspective than what they were last year, when Barrett shifted to fullback to accommodate Mo'unga at It's fair to say that the All Blacks were short on form fullback options in , but the case couldn't be more different this season.

And so Foster might not actually be fixing two problems with one move this season, and thus Saturday's showdown at No. Mo'unga has played the better rugby for much of the past two years, but there is also the fact that Beauden Barrett was a two-time winner of World Rugby's Player of the Year Awards as a fly-half.

Nobody doubts either player's attacking brilliance, but questions remain as to their true ability to win Tests at the highest level by playing a more rounded fly-half game. Perhaps New Zealanders just need to admit that neither player is Dan Carter?

Whatever the case, this is the matchup we've been waiting for, and the player who dominates it will be hard to leave out when Foster names his first All Blacks starting XV -- no matter what style of rugby he is planning to play. Rieko Ioane seemed to lose his way last year. In the end, he lost his left wing position to George Bridge. But brought with it a change of position, and Ioane hasn't looked back, adding his name to a list of midfield contenders that is overflowing in New Zealand, albeit without the injured Ngani Laumape.

Anton Lienert-Brown and Jack Goodhue formed the All Blacks centre combination at last year's World Cup, and while they remain a solid combination for Foster, Ioane's extra pace would offer something different at He also gets the chance to play outside of Lienert-Brown on Saturday, giving the All Blacks selectors a snapshot of just how such a combination would look at Test level.

The South's outside centre Braydon Ennor is no slouch, either, and that means the South will field an all-Crusaders , which suggests there should be no issues with rhythm in the Southerners' attack. A quick look at the Super Rugby Aotearoa stats sheet paints a masterpiece for Will Jordan: first for tries; first for run metres; first for defenders beaten; and first for clean breaks. With history dating back to , North vs South Rugby matches have been fiery affairs and the edition promises to be just as competitive!

The 81st match of this legacy will see player eligibility determined by the first province played for; pitching teammate against teammate. Are you supporting North or South? Grab your friends and family and make a day of it, with a 5. The North v South Match has a celebrated history, with the first game played in won by the North and was an annual fixture for much of the 20th century. It was last played in Dunedin in won by the South The match will be the 81st time the two islands have played each other with the Northerners having won 50 matches and the South 27, with three draws.

Australians can also Steinlager South v North Rugby live stream action via the Kayo Sports streaming service, which features no lock-in contracts and also includes access to over 50 sports, both live and on demand. The game is on Saturday September 05 and will kick off at 5.

The match will also be broadcast live and exclusive on SKY Sport. Tickets Squads. South are playing under advantage from the lineout, but maul towards the line. Barrett converts and South win From the penalty, North spurn an easy kick at goal and earn another penalty. Barrett converts from in front and suddenly the lead is double figures, Barrett converts, South lead Smith runs a great support line to take the last pass to score and give North a lead.

Ioane finds touch. Probably not in the spirit of the game to send someone off, but what can you do? No try. McKenzie converts to give North the early advantage, Paul Williams will ref the match. Grey 57 Menlo Park 28 gimnasiumpaarl AwsumNews pic.

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