While New Zealand is stacked with talented locking prospects, All Black Ian Jones believes veterans Brodie Retallick and Sam Whitelock are still the form All Blacks partnership.
The duo has been at the core of the All Blacks scrum for more than a decade, guiding them through countless tough battles with the formidable South African and English forward packs during their time together.
While Josh Lord, Tupou Vaa’i, Scott Barrett and James Tucker have made headways in recent years, Jones believes the selectors will side with the experience of Whitelock and Retallick as they prepare to contest the Rugby World Cup in 2023.
“It’s really, really difficult for any selector and the fans to let those two go,” Jones said on SENZ Afternoons.
“It’s not so much what they bring on a Saturday, we know consistently they’ve brought excellent performances in the black jersey on a Saturday and that is tried and true.
“That is, I think, in the white-hot atmosphere of a Test match, is what we need more than anything. Experience, yes ... you need enthusiasm, they’ve got that.
“You need pace, they both at times run pretty smart lines to get to the breakdown when they need to but I think you just need composure and size at the international level.”
Jones believes that selectors will continue to side with the experienced duo but advises the younger prospects to “emulate” their practices to get the most out of their time together before retirement.
“I mean they’re great All Blacks, they absolutely treasure that jersey and they’ll know when it’s not their time, so until they decide (that), I'd continue to pick them and continue to play them,” Jones continued.
“If I was a young man like Tucker or Tupou Vaa’i or Josh Lord, you would just emulate what they do.
“Watch what they do, how they prepare, how they recover, how they plan, how they play, and you’ll gain a lot from that.
“But as a combination, and we keep banging on about combinations in rugby and a locking partnership is absolutely a combination where both have to complement and work off each other, to me they’re still our number one and two.”
Provided they can remain physically fit, the two seem a shoo-in for All Blacks selection ahead of the Steinlager Series with Ireland in July.