Andy Ellis Should Still Be an All Black

By
at Internationaled.org

Published: July 2, 2014

commentComment        

In 2012 when Andy Ellis' name was missing from the All Blacks squad to play Ireland in the June tests, there were many pundits shaking their heads. Having been the form scrum-half in New Zealand for the season up until that point, it was hard to see what else he could have done to have his name read out.

Two years later, not much has changed. He is still one of the top scrum-halves in the country, and yet he is still unable to win back that elusive black jersey.

After being part of the 2011 World Cup winning All Black team, Ellis was tipped by many to become the first-choice No. 9 for the 2012 season. Jimmy Cowan was looking past his best while Piri Weepu had returned unfit and failed to recapture the form that made him one of the World Cup's best players.



Yet it was suggested that the All Blacks wanted to look to the future, meaning Ellis was surplus to requirements.

Certainly Aaron Smith had emerged as a fine player, and he fully deserved his selection, but to select Weepu ahead of Ellis made little sense. At the same age as Ellis, Weepu could hardly be seen as a more youthful prospect, while his form and fitness simply had not been good enough. Weepu never really made an impact for the All Blacks that year and has not been sighted for them since.

Yet despite Ellis' continuing good form, it was Tawera Kerr-Barlow and later TJ Perenara who were preferred to play the role of back-up to Aaron Smith in 2013.

One really has to question why this is. Of course Kerr-Barlow and Perenara have both been solid in their appearances for the All Blacks, but neither has the experience and the all-round game of Ellis.



Even Aaron Smith had his short-comings in last year's Super Rugby competition, and it has only been in the past six months he has emerged as the clear No. 1. His selection was, of course, understandable, as his fast-pass sniping ability and support play fit w...
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Rugby Union

Latest News


Comments

Comments are closed.

Sponsors

Bruins Tickets The Boston Bruins are a professional ice hockey team based in Boston, Massachusetts. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League.

Red Wings Tickets The Detroit Red Wings are a professional ice hockey team based in Detroit, Michigan. They are members of the Central Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League.

Penguins Tickets The Pittsburgh Penguins are a professional ice hockey team based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League.

New York Rangers Tickets play their home games at Madison Square Garden, they are one of the oldest teams in the NHL, having joined in 1926 as an expansion franchise, and are part of the group of teams referred to as the Original Six.

San Jose Sharks Tickets The San Jose Sharks are a professional ice hockey team based in San Jose, California, United States.

Toronto Maple Leafs Tickets The Toronto Maple Leafs are a professional ice hockey team based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League.

New Jersey Devils Tickets The New Jersey Devils are a professional ice hockey team based in Newark, New Jersey. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League.

Washington Capitals Tickets The Washington Capitals are a professional ice hockey team based in Washington, D.C.

Buffalo Sabres Tickets The Buffalo Sabres are a professional ice hockey team based in Buffalo, New York. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League. Get the Sabres and all of your NHL Tickets here.

NASCAR season is on of the most attended sports in the world. NASCAR Tickets to the best tracks is a must every year. Some of these tracks are: Talladega Tickets, Lowes Motor Speedway Tickets, Pocono Raceway Tickets, located in Ridgeway Virginia you have Martinsville Speedway Tickets and southern US you have two of the most popular Atlanta Motor Speedway Tickets and Texas Motor Speedway Tickets. Don't miss all the racing events this year!

Boston Red Sox Tickets The Boston Red Sox are a member of the Major League Baseball’s American League Eastern Division. Since 1912, the Red Sox's home ballpark has been Fenway Park. This is one of the hottest MLB Tickets sales of any team in the major league.

New York Yankees Tickets The New York Yankees are a professional baseball team based in the borough of the Bronx, in New York City, New York and are a member of Major League Baseball's American League East Division. Get tickets to one of the hottest games of the season Yankees Red Sox Tickets.

Chicago Cubs Tickets The Chicago Cubs are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the Central Division of Major League Baseball's National League.

Phillies Tickets The Philadelphia Phillies are a Major League Baseball team based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They are the oldest continuous, one-name, one-city franchise in all of professional American sports, dating to 1883.

Orioles Tickets The Baltimore Orioles are a professional baseball team based in Baltimore, Maryland.

Do you love wrestling? Get your WWE Tickets and WWE Survivor Series Tickets today!