The best No.7 in New Zealand is not an All Black
The Ranfurly shield final was concluded with much fanfare yesterday and is once again heading north from Canterbury back to Taranaki.
On display in the final were the skills of All Blacks Tupou Vaa'i, Jordie & Beauden Barrett, Joe Moody, Codie Taylor, Sam Whitelock, Richie Mo'unga and George Bridge for the spectators to feast their eyes on.
However it wasn't any of them that captured the fans attention it was a man that somehow Ian Foster had left out of the All Black squad for the upcoming Rugby Champs and Bledisloe Cup - Lachlan Boshier.
The Chief's and Taranaki loose forward had turned in sterling performances throughout the Super Rugby season and just went out in the final and re-announced himself to Foster and all his co-selectors by turning in one the greatest blind side performances of the modern era.
Boshier has always been a smart pilferer of the ball but the 25 year old's timing of the steals in 2020 has reached an absolute pinnacle, often when his opposition are in the heat of attack threatening the try line!
In Saturday's clash Boshier made no less than 5 breakdown turnovers with the last (and possibly the most important) coming in the final minute of the match with Canterbury in their 16th phase of play and edging to within 8 meters of the Taranaki tryline.
It was an absolute match winning play and just another reminder to the All Black selectors as to how important it is to have a top class fetcher amongst your loose forwards. Boshier has impressed all season long in Super Rugby but this Ranfurly Shield match with all Canterbury's All Blacks present must have been the highest pressure environment he could have played in so far this year and he still flourished!
He not only effected 5 successful steals at the breakdown but also produced one of the highest tackle counts in the game with 18, just two short of his younger brother Kaylum and Taranaki's hooker Ricky Riccitelli who topped the day with 20.
Punters and fans alike were utterly gobsmacked when Boshier wasn't selected for the North Island matchday squad for the North vs South Derby earlier this month and although his absence from the All Blacks was expected at this stage many were thoroughly disappointed when he wasn't announced as one of the nations potential new caps.
Following Saturday’s match, Twitter was alight with fans calling for Boshier to be brought into the All Blacks.
However with Foster likely to announce taking a 46 man squad to Australia in November for the Rugby Championship there is still a possibility for Boshier to get an All Black call up.
The All Blacks are to gather in Whakatane following this current round of the Mitre cup to start preparing the first of the two Bledisloe Cup matches to be played in October.
Source: RugbyPass