Anzac game could launch a Lions-style future for trans-Tasman team

6 hours ago 2

Former All Blacks coach Ian Foster says a successful outing for the Australia and New Zealand Invitational XV against the Lions in Adelaide could help finally launch the much-debated concept of a Lions-style Anzac team, with top Wallabies and All Blacks, playing regular games.

For many decades, and with bursts of extra column inches around Lions tours, people have wondered about the prospect of Australia and New Zealand fielding a combined team.

It was tried in 1989 against the touring Lions at Ballymore but didn’t amount to much after four of seven All Blacks withdrew, leaving a mostly Australian team.

On Saturday, however, the concept will get a second crack at the Adelaide Oval, when the AUNZ Invitational XV meets the Lions. (Use of the term ‘Anzac’ requires special government permission).

The team had a clunky re-awakening, with former chair Hamish McLennan first floating the plan in 2022 but with only cursory engagement with the NZR. It was later locked in but with the All Blacks playing France this month, top-line Kiwis were not available. And nor current Wallabies, as they prepare for the Lions next week.

Nick Farr-Jones playing for the Anzac XV in 1989.

But a competitive 30-man squad has been assembled, nonetheless, with 11 New Zealanders and 19 Aussies. There are nine capped Wallabies and eight capped Kiwis with 297 combined Tests; including high-calibre All Blacks like David Havili, Shannon Frizzell, Hoskins Sotutu and Ngani Laumape, and on the gold side, Marika Koroibete, Pete Samu and Lukhan Salakaia-Loto.

The team will wear a replica of the jersey worn in 1989.

AUNZ coach Les Kiss said earlier in the week the squad is full of motivated players, many of whom were unlucky to miss July Test squads, and will be thus aiming to impress the All Blacks and Wallabies coaches against the Lions.

But Foster, who was recruited to be one of the AUNZ assistant coaches, believes the game could also yield a genuine future for a trans-Tasman side; with more games and top-line players involved.

Ian Foster (right) walks to training with AUNZ and Wallabies hooker Brandon Paenga-Amosa and assistant coach Zane Hilton.

“It’s a great and if we have a look at what success could mean for this group on Saturday, it’s not only a performance, but it could be a performance that makes people think, ‘well, actually this is worth doing regularly’,” Foster said.

“If you think about it, it’s not such a foreign idea, because you look at the team you’re playing against, and that’s what they are - the British Lions as a combined group. It’s a real spark for the (Australian and New Zealand) players, because I’m sure if you spoke to the Lions, it’s a big deal to get picked for a combined team.

“Maybe over time this team will just grow in importance, and become more of a feature.”

Asked if he’d like to see the AUNZ-Lions game to be on the schedule of the Lions tour of New Zealand in 2029, Foster said that didn’t need to be limited to every four years.

Tane Edmed, Ngani Laumape and Marika Koroibete at AUNZ training.

“I’d love to see a good review at the end of this week, at the end of this tour, about what this team means, and a good conversation about that,” he said.

“Because I think if we commit to it, then it’s a game that could become a regular feature. And you know, maybe we start looking at other opportunities for it as well.”

Foster, who is close with Joe Schmidt after having him on his All Blacks staff in 2022-23, said the week in Adelaide had been outstanding and players were excited about facing the Lions.

“We’re going to go a big stage against a quality team in [the Lions], we know how rare they are, so it’s an opportunity that you don’t want to waste,” he said.

“But it’s also an opportunity that if you play well on that sort of stage it opens doors for you and it shows that you can handle a bit of pressure.”

The side was initially slated to have Australian and Kiwi stars from Japan, but steep insurance costs - and a desire to have in-form Super Rugby players involved - prompted the selection approach. RA and NZR ultimately worked together well in filling out the team, said Foster.

“They’ve come up with some really good names, and the Kiwis that are here are pretty heavily motivated to be here, which is great,” Foster said.

The “fun part”, according to Foster, had been coming up with a game-style for the AUNZ side to play against the Lions. Despite having the feel of a Barbarians scratch-match, Foster said the difficulty of the opponent would ensure a balance between effective and entertaining.

“In some ways we’re like ‘BaaBaas’, but there’s a bit more history and a bit of substance to this team, so we want to go out there and express ourselves,” Foster said.

“We don’t want to just play a game that these guys won’t respond to.

“But the flip side of it is that this team and these individuals have played enough top-level rugby to know that you can’t just go and be the Harlem Globetrotters and win against a team that’s got a lot of cohesion and time under its belt together.

“So we have to be smart, but we wll not try to put too many shackles on it.”

The AUNZ team will be named on Thursday.

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