Somerville looking good for World Cup return
ByWhen the All Black selectors named their World Cup squad a week ago, they left one place open for prop Greg Somerville to prove his fitness – and last weekend’s outing showed he is on the right track.
Since tearing his Achilles tendon in last year’s Tri-Nations, Somerville had not seen any first class rugby until Saturday night. Having missed the entire Super 14 season, he began his comeback by playing club rugby in the local Christchurch competition.
After getting some game time under his belt, he moved onto pre-season games for Canterbury. Clearly Somerville must have impressed the All Black selectors in these outings for them to hold a World Cup squad place for him.
Against Bay of Plenty on Saturday night, he was able to last the entire 80 minutes and showed that he is getting back to his best. Powerful but not dominant at scrum time, Somerville kept his game simple, doing the hard work up front and rarely carrying the ball.
The fact that he came through the game unscathed and performed adequately will is an encouraging sign for the All Blacks. The current propping stocks in the squad are all proven at international level, but the inclusion of the 55-test veteran will only make them better.
Somerville has shown he is an extremely versatile player, able to play both sides of the scrum although he does prefer the tighthead side. The barrel-chested man from Wairoa has shown that he is a dominating force in the scrums, as well as a mobile player around the field when he is at his best.
If Somerville is not added to the All Blacks’ World Cup squad on August 14, the player who will be added will be a prop, most likely a loosehead. The current squad includes Carl Hayman, a specialist tighthead, Tony Woodcock, a specialist loosehead and Neemia Tialata who, like Somerville, is a tighthead who is capable of switching sides if needed. The most obvious choice would be Hurricane John Schwalger.
Test matches are won and lost up front, and this season the All Blacks have already shown they have a formidable scrum. The addition of Somerville will certainly bolster and already powerful pack, and his versatility and experience will be a tremendous asset as the team look to bring home the William Webb Ellis trophy.
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The Somerville looking good for World Cup return by Hamish McBrearty, unless otherwise expressly stated, is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License.
