Captain Kieran Read, pictured contesting a lineout during the All Blacks' 16-9 loss to Ireland in Dublin on November 17, may not be easy to replace.
OPINION: There cannot be any complaints when All Blacks captain Kieran Read announces he’s finished with NZ Rugby after the World Cup.
Read, who will turn 34 during the world tournament in Japan, has done his time. No doubt he has been paid well, the No 8’s income is probably around the seven-figure mark, but on those frosty mornings when it takes longer to roll out of bed his body will remind him of past battles long after the memories of playing in front of stacked stadiums have faded.
Since his debut against Scotland in Edinburgh on November 2008 Read, who played at blindside flanker in the 32-6 win, has represented the All Blacks 118 times. He has also made more than 130 appearances for the Crusaders.
Read is one of the world’s most athletic No 8s, and the rewards from playing at the top will have been immense.
It’s impossible for players to survive games of this intensity without getting banged-up, and Read’s had his share of the bash.
Concussions, a problematic wrist and a serious back injury – the latter two complaints required surgery in 2016 and 2017 respectively – can be added to the multitude of sprains, torn ligaments, broken bones, haematomas, cuts and scrapes he has received.
Then there is the mental pressure. As All Blacks captain there can be no escaping the expectation, and scrutiny. The legacy of what past teams have achieved means the All Blacks must chase excellence and Read, as he discovered when the blunt rocks and pointed arrows were fired his way after the loss to Ireland in Dublin last year, is front and centre when things don’t go well.
Kieran Read is expected to confirm he will farewell All Blacks’ team-mates after the World Cup in Japan later this year.
He would have been worried that his career was in jeopardy following the concussions. Had the surgery on his spine not been a success, he would have had to call time. Instead he dodged a bullet. His recovery was carefully managed.
Read had earlier signalled his time is almost done here. Japan, where the money is terrific, will be of great appeal.
Next question. What takes over as captain in 2020 and beyond?
His good mate Sam Whitelock, who led the All Blacks when they played France in New Zealand in June, looms as the most logical candidate.
Kieran Read leads the haka against Ireland in Dublin on November 17.
But Whitelock has yet to recommit to NZ Rugby beyond 2019. There have been no suggestions that the lock won’t sign a new deal, but the devil could be in the detail.
If Whitelock elects to choose a sabbatical in Japan next year, it’s likely he will have to miss the Crusaders’ season and some, if not all, of the All Blacks’ games in the Rugby Championship.
The contracts of his second row partner Brodie Retallick, and first five-eighth Beauden Barrett are also up for renewal. Like Whitelock they are considering sabbaticals in Japan.
Whoever replaces Steve Hansen as All Blacks coach next year could, potentially, be stripped of his three key players – on top of Read no longer being available.
NZ Rugby is unlikely to be in favour of allowing Whitelock and Retallick to be unavailable at the same time. To lose two world-class locks at the same time just wouldn’t do.
But the question remains. With Read gone, and if Whitelock and Barrett (who captained the All Blacks against the Barbarians in London in 2017) are overseas, who does the next All Blacks coach tap-up to lead the team?
Fullback/wing Ben Smith captained the test team for the first time against Samoa in 2017, but will play in France after the World Cup. Other old heads, such as experienced midfielders, are also expected to finish up.
Experienced openside flanker Sam Cane will be an option to be leader in the short term, having led the team in the World Cup pool match against Namibia in 2015.
Cane is committed to NZ Rugby through to 2021. And he will be in New Zealand for the duration. That’s a good start.
