The debate is on, and after his recent debut performances in the black jersey, we ask “should Nehe Milner-Skudder be part of the All Blacks 2015 Rugby World Cup squad?
With Waisake Naholo out of contention through injury; unless he makes a miraculous recovery, which is only a slight chance from all reports of his natural treatment back in his family village. And with All Black regular Cory Jane struggling with a recent hamstring injury and has had less active gametime besides two Wellington ITM games, then Milner-Skudder’s Rugby World Cup (RWC) chances have grown incredibly.
All Blacks coach Steve Hansen should believe in this guy [as many experts will tell us] as he played his first full Super Rugby season at the top level, and did a sensational job. During the Super season, his elusive ball carrying He was a part of the Hurricanes side that lead the table all season, with Milner-Skudder a ‘standout performer’ for the Wellington side, earning a well-deserved call up to the initial test squad for The Rugby Championship series.
And when he had his opportunity, this young man impressed on his debut with two fine tries, 110 meters gained, four defenders beaten and four clean breaks. That was a great performance on his debut game alone. He has a great sidestep; his trademark swerve and bounce off his left foot is bewildering to the opposition. Then to follow up that great effort, he did just as well in the next game of the final Bledisloe Cup decider game in Auckland a week later.
He was a constant danger for the Wallabies with many good plays including a sensational line-break and offload to Aaron Smith, that almost led to a try only for Quade Cooper to commit a high-tackle and submit his side to a penalty try. He was not as active at Eden Park as he had been in Sydney, but is still the ‘unknown factor’ that our sides have lacked. Recent teams have included Charles Piutau, Milner-Skudder’s comparative challenger for a wing berth, is also exciting to watch but Piutau has a cloud hanging over him – he had anoounced that he was leaving the NZ Rugby scene very early this year, that upset the All Black administration.
Over the last five tests, he is surely one of the ‘in form’ backs in World Rugby and everyone is starting to consider him the new ‘Super Star’ in the All Blacks backline. No longer as only a future talent. He has taken his chance and looks to be a great selection option for this dominant All Blacks team.
His versatility is another key point that is in his favour – just as Ben Smith has, he performs very well at both wing and as fullback. While players like Jane and Naholo usually only play on the wing, the only problem that Hansen might find in with Milner-Skudder’s play on the field is a poor use of kicking options. That could prove true, with Julian Savea on the left wing and Milner-Skudder on the right, the only real kicking option to clear the ball would be from fullback (Smith or Israel Dagg) or the first-five retreating to fullback position, as Dan Carter and Aaron Cruden do well.
Certainly, this could cause some problems in critical RWC matches, that all should be as tactical as any chess match. That maybe one skill that he has to work hard on, but for many Nehe Milner-Skudder is the top choice on the right wing out of all the current players. Savea on the left and Smith as the attacking fullback would be the probable starting backs. If they selected those players, it could be the perfect mix of creativity, power, and solidity!
It would be a fault not to use a weapon such as he is. He is fast, he is young, and for me he is the best option for the All Blacks at this 2015 Rugby World Cup. Yes, we must consider Piutau, and even Jane if he can squeeze in more good performances, but Milner-Skudder is the ‘trending’ back, and at the knock-out stage, we need game changers. Nehe fits that bill for me.
