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Mexted warns All Blacks: Super Rugby form alone won't cut it against the Boks

Murray Mexted argues that All Blacks selectors are making a mistake if they pick purely on Super Rugby form, warning that the Boks' physicality demands a different kind of player than what that competition typically rewards.

Murray Mexted is sounding the alarm about All Blacks selection ahead of clashes with South Africa, arguing that picking players off Super Rugby form without accounting for physicality is a dangerous approach. His central concern is that the size and power the Boks bring exposes players who thrive in the faster, less brutal Super Rugby environment but struggle when the collisions get heavier at Test level.

It's a familiar tension in New Zealand selection debates — form vs. fit-for-purpose — and Mexted is firmly in the camp that the Boks require a specific type of player, not just the hottest name of the moment. Worth reading for those tracking how New Zealand are thinking about their match-ups against South Africa.

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