ANALYSIS: The principle sounds delicious. The best of both All Blacks and Wallabies joining forces to take on the might of the British and Irish LIons in Australia in 2025. Sort of like the Avengers looking to save the world against the bad guys, with a rugby ball tossed in.
The reality of course could prove different, as it was last time the Anzac XV concept was unfurled, when the Lions visited Australia in 1989, and the New Zealanders gave it a Beegee Williams-sized sidestep. A dozen All Blacks dropped out of that contest (an add-on fixture post-series) and there was just one current international among the trio of Kiwis who rocked up for a match won 19-15 by the tourists.
But this time there appears to be a determination, not just to re-air the concept, but do it properly, with Rugby Australia chairman Hamish McLennan confirming his organisation was in talks with its New Zealand counterparts around putting together an “Anzac” team for a fixture ahead of the Lions’ three-test series against the Wallabies. NZ Rugby boss Mark Robinson told the Sydney Morning Herald they were “aligned in principle” with RA, though there was still significant detail to work through.
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After a late call on the Wallabies’ Bernard Foley for time wasting, a tenacious Australian comeback turned into a Bledisloe loss – much to the disgust of home fans.
According to McLennan the Melbourne Cricket Ground would be the venue and a crowd of 100,000 the ambition for a significant money-spinner attracting “global coverage”, which would require major buy-in from both countries to deliver a competitive and compelling fixture. There is also hope the fixture would be repeated when the Lions visit New Zealand in 2029, and Australia would undertake a similar commitment to provide resource.
Time will tell if it pans out, but it raises the question: if you put together a team right now comprising the best of the trans-Tasman rugby rivals, how dominated would it be by the All Blacks who have owned the Bledisloe matchup for the last two decades?
A lot is the short answer. But maybe not as much as some people might think. Certainly not the diehard New Zealand rugby followers.
Remember, the current All Blacks are at a low ebb, having already lost four tests in 2022, dropping to as deep as No 5 on the world rankings, and playing equally as unconvincingly in getting out of jail against the Wallabies in Melbourne and Japan in Tokyo last Saturday.
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Would in-form Wallabies loosie Rob Valetini make an Anzac team? On his 2022 form he would go close.
Granted, the Wallabies are not exactly flying themselves. They lost their own home series in July (2-1 to England), dropped four of their six Rugby Championship fixtures, lost the Bledisloe series for a 20th straight year and squeaked home 16-15 over Scotland to open their northern tour.
Still, there is more than enough talent when you combine the best of both squads, so as a practice exercise we’ve run the rule over both Ian Foster’s men of 2022 and Dave Rennie’s and come up with what we think is a pretty handy squad, that would be more than capable of matching anything the Lions could muster.
What it does show is that there is some mighty competition. We’ve gone with an all-All Blacks tight five (just not an area of strength for the Australians) but have three Wallabies front-rowers on our bench and would figure on them making a mighty collective impact over the run home.
It’s hard to go past the old firm of Brodie Retallick and Sam Whitelock in the second row, and the versatile Scott Barrett gets our nod to back them up, but that balance could change should big Aussie Will Skelton fire in his return to the national setup on the current tour.
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It would be hard to split the old firm of Brodie Retallick and Sam Whitelock for an Anzac lineup.
The loose trio is a different story, with classy Wallabies No 7 Michael Hooper and the outstanding Rob Valetini joining awesome Ardie Savea in a back row that ticks a lot of boxes. We’ve got Dalton Papalii shading Pete Samu as backup, but either would do the job splendidly.
The halves for our mythical team would be All Blacks Aaron Smith and Richie Mo’unga, with Tate McDermott and Beauden Barrett providing cover. Switch that up and you would lose little.
For the purposes of this selection the ultra-talented Samu Kerevi has recovered from the knee injury that so cruelly took him out of action for much of 2022 and partners Rieko Ioane in a destructive midfield that would take some containing. Anton Lienert-Brown provides the cover and Wallaby Leni Ikitau is the unlucky omission.
Our back three comprises Jordie Barrett (also a contender at No 12), Will Jordan and Marika Koribete, with the excellent Andrew Kellaway on the bench, and the fabulous Caleb Clarke only missing out on the No 11 jersey in a split-hair call with Koribete.
That’s four Wallabies starters and nine all told in the 23, which we reckon is about a fair split based on the current balance of power.
Of course by 2025 the balance could have changed markedly and the actual team could be closer to 50-50, or maybe dominated even more by All Blacks. Who knows? Except it’s a heck of a concept, if the rugby gods just allow it to happen.
Marc Hinton’s 2022 Anzac team: Jordie Barrett, Will Jordan, Rieko Ioane, Samu Kerevi, Marika Koroibete, Richie Mo’unga, Aaron Smith, Ardie Savea, Michael Hooper, Rob Valetini, Sam Whitelock (capt), Brodie Retallick, Tyrel Lomax, Samisoni Taukei’aho, Ethan de Groot. Reserves: Folau Fainga’a, James Slipper, Taniela Tupou, Scott Barrett, Dalton Papalii, Tate McDermott, Beauden Barrett, Anton Lienert-Brown, Andrew Kellaway.
