Hurricanes flanker Du’Plessis Kirifi has been given huge wraps by two All Blacks legends as potential successor to Sam Cane in the New Zealand No.7 jersey.
Cane’s retirement has opened the door for a tussle for the job with several outstanding candidates on Scott Robertson’s radar.
But Kirifi has thrust himself into the frame with some strong performances to start the Super Rugby season – even though the Hurricanes have been poor and struggle at the foot of the table.
Kirifi, 28, was a member of the All Blacks XV squad on the tour to Europe in November and was skipper in wins over Munster and Georgia – but he’s yet to win a Test cap, having been in the squad once five years ago.
All Blacks greats Jeff Wilson and Mils Muliaina believe Kirifi is worthy of another shot.
Du’Plessis Kirifi of the Hurricanes. (Photo by Jason McCawley/Getty Images)
“Du’Plessis is relentless. If you watch him play, he’s a very good athlete,” Wilson said on The Breakdown. “I think he’s got a massive engine, and on the other side of it, he doesn’t plod his way around the field.
“He continues to fight and scrap every opportunity he gets at a breakdown.
“So when I think of him, I see a guy who can carry, he can do that, he can carry the ball, he doesn’t slow down. The impact he had on Saturday night was huge in the last 20 minutes when he came on the pitch.
“For me, Kirifi has matured over the last four years.”
Muliaina said Robertson should choose both Ardie Savea and Kirifi as part of his loose trio.
“If I was picking the All Blacks today, Kirifi would be in the seven today. If you’re going to pick Ardie at eight, I think you go with Kirifi,” Muliaina said.
“If it was me picking your All Blacks, he’s in the squad.”
Wilson said the All Blacks’ back row needed to improve their defence – and Kirifi would help them.
“All of a sudden, we’re now conceding one more try, 24 points, and we’re only scoring 22, the conceding points is the concern for me,” he said. “We were the best defensive team and the best counter-attacking team for a long time.
“We put pressure on the opposition, now I think with our loose forwards, that’s where we need to get our competitive advantage together.
“They set the tone defensively because they have to defend in the most difficult channels, usually three or four out in a ruck or off a set-piece, at the tail of a lineout or the edge of a scrum.”
The Roarhttps://https://ift.tt/b2V7MHT Blacks legends urge Razor to pick ‘relentless’ flanker with ‘massive engine’ in No.7 jersey
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