ANALYSIS: Okay, surely even Dallas McLeod’s family and closest mates didn’t see that one coming. Heck, perhaps even the man himself if he’s truly honest.
After all, the 24-year-old has only really just been finding his way at Super Rugby level this year, and the midfield is by no means short of contenders for the black jersey.
Yet, on a wet winter’s night in Te Awamutu, the romance of an All Blacks squad announcement taking place at a true grassroots venue was majestically coupled with the beauty of a bolter.
Don’t feel too ashamed if you found your fingers fishing for Google when New Zealand Rugby chair Dame Patsy Reddy read out the name of the Crusaders midfielder in the 36-man Rugby Championship squad.
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McLeod was one of five rookies named on the night, though was the only one of those genuinely not in the conversation of the pundits and the public in the lead-up. All of a sudden he now has a golden chance to book a ticket to the World Cup in France later in the year.
Hailing from Methven and schooled at Christ’s College alongside good mate Ngane Punivai, McLeod had appeared in just 13 matches (seven starts) in his first three seasons with the Crusaders.
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Dallas McLeod goes on a break for Christ’s College against Christchurch Boys’ High in 2016.
This year, he’s played 13 alone (11 starts), largely thanks to the red and blacks’ bulging casualty ward. Others’ misfortune is someone else’s gain and all that.
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So good has McLeod been – a nuggety ball carrier who is impressively strong in contact and carries defenders over the gainline – that Scott Robertson has been unable to leave him out, and he has instead found himself on the wing doing his thing.
Not for the first time, though, having begun his Canterbury NPC career there also in 2019, a few months after All Blacks coach Ian Foster first laid eyes on him.
“I watched him in the [New Zealand] Under-20s a few years ago and was very impressed with him then,” Foster said of the man who was most certainly his biggest selection surprise.
“And sometimes players take a little bit longer [to make the step up]. He’s probably had a year or two where he didn’t get a lot of opportunity at Super level, but I think injuries down there have given him opportunity.
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“He’s big [1.90m, 101kg], he’s raw-boned, he’s quick, and he’s got an outstanding attitude to get involved. He doesn’t hold back, he backs himself, he’s a great kick-chase person, we’ve seen that on the wing, and he’s shown that versatility basically through necessity, I guess, to change his position.
“We see him primarily as a 12, and when you look at our squad, we’ve obviously got a couple of 12s [David Havili and Quinn Tupaea] that are out injured, so this is a great chance for us to build some depth in that position.”
Along with his “physicality”, “wholeheartedness” and “plenty of courage”, was McLeod’s versatility a help in his selection, then?
“It doesn’t do him any harm,” Foster noted.
“Most players don’t like to get tagged with the versatile and utility thing, but the fact is he’s shown that.
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Dallas McLeod dives over to score a try against Moana Pasifika this year.
“When you’re going into a World Cup you still need specialists, but there is room for someone to come in and show that they can solve a few problems for you. So he certainly does that, and it’s a chance for us to figure that out.”
McLeod joins Jordie Barrett, Anton Lienert-Brown, Rieko Ioane and Braydon Ennor as the midfielders in the squad, and leaping ahead of soon-to-be-Crusaders-team-mate Levi Aumua in the pecking order, with the powerhouse Moana Pasifika rep surprisingly not even making the cut for the All Blacks XV squad either.
“We don’t like to talk too much about players that we didn’t pick, because there are some quality players that didn’t make either team, and history’s full of guys coming back in,” Foster said.
“But he’s [Aumua] a strong player, he’s a good player, I get that, and we can see a lot of strengths in his game. But we also see a lot of strengths in the likes of Billy Proctor, Jack Goodhue, Alex Nankivell and Bailyn Sullivan… we just felt that we had four midfielders there who we have kept our eye on for a long time.”
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In what already shapes as a big week for McLeod, with the Super Rugby Pacific final against the Chiefs in Hamilton on Saturday night, a test debut could then be just a fortnight away in the Rugby Championship opener against Argentina in Mendoza.
Though Foster warned it was far from a given for all the new caps to be racking up plenty of game time just for experiment’s sake ahead of the 33-man World Cup squad naming.
“They’ve been selected in the squad and we’ll make decisions as we go along,” he said.
“But what I have been clear about is that this Rugby Championship’s important for us. So we’ll be picking the team that we think is right to win each test.”
The chair of the City Plan Commission is over his term limit, and Dallas has been put on notice.
Mike Northrup, an Old East Dallas resident and a lawyer, wrote to commissioners Thursday, citing rules in the city’s charter that set term limits for board members and commissioners.
“Your service to the City beyond your years of eligibility to do so is admirable,” Northup said in the email. “However, it is past time for you to step away from “the Horseshoe” and allow an eligible appointee to serve as a plan commissioner.”
“No one individual should be so important that his or her continued involvement puts the public’s business in jeopardy,” he said.
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Northrup’s letter could have deeper implications after Dallas voters in November approved Proposition S, which waives governmental immunity and exposes the city to litigation if it violates state or local law.
Last month, Northup and a group of over 100 Dallas residents sent a letter to the City Council urging them to reappoint board and commission members who have overstayed their term, citing provisions in the city’s charter that set term limits.
“Every day that these individuals serve without authority to do so undermines the public confidence in the work product of the boards and commissions in question, and it puts that same work product at risk for invalidation,” the letter said.
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It is not clear how many individuals have overstayed their terms. A city spokesperson said in December officials were in “receipt of the letter and will respond at the appropriate time.” City officials did not immediately respond to a follow-up call in May in January.
Typically, council members appoint volunteers to influential boards such as the City Plan Commission and the Park Board. The city’s charter states members who have served four consecutive two-year terms are not eligible to serve again on the same board until at least one term has elapsed.
Members serve until they are termed out or “until their successors are appointed and qualified,” the charter reads.
The December letter mentioned Shidid, who was first appointed in 2013 and has been the chair of the commission since 2019.
Shidid was appointed by council member Jaime Resendez, but the chair is picked by the mayor. Shidid did not respond to requests for comment after either the letter or the email were released.
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Resendez, who appointed Shidid, told The Dallas Morning News “I will defer to the city attorneys for any legal conclusions or guidance moving forward regarding the letter.”
This year, the City Plan Commission grappled with several hot-button issues, such as Forward Dallas, the city’s updated land-use guide and the rezoning fight that has engulfed Pepper Square in North Dallas.
“What does it mean if the city’s business is led by someone that isn’t eligible to be there?” Northup said.
Northrup said he began drafting the letter following the passage of propositions S and U, which waive the city’s municipal immunity and mandate the city allocate 50% of any new revenue growth year-over-year to the police and fire pension system and other public safety initiatives.
The two propositions, Northrup said, represented “the mood of the public” and the letter supporters wanted to tell the city, “Here’s maybe a small thing to solve.”
Champ Bailey on former teammate Deion Sanders potentially becoming the HC in Dallas
Champ Bailey discusses the possibility of Deion Sanders becoming the next head coach of the Dallas Cowboys.
Sports Seriously
The stars shine bright in Dallas.
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More often than not, it’s also how the Dallas Cowboys conduct business — the franchise searches far and wide for the biggest names in the NFL. America’s Team would have it no other way … especially in a coaching search.
After their parting of ways with Mike McCarthy, it comes as no surprise that everyone is trying to keep up with what Jerry Jones’ team will do. There’s the potential big splash (see: Colorado head coach Deion Sanders). There’s the homegrown talent, like Kellen Moore. There’s the outside-the-box pick, like Jason Witten. There’s the more conventional route, like Robert Saleh and Leslie Frazier.
The list will almost certainly grow over time as the team looks to steal headlines and, eventually, win games with their next hire. Anything goes deep in the heart of Texas, which makes for an exciting coaching search to follow.
Here’s the latest on the Cowboys’ search for a new head coach.
COWBOYS COACHING CANDIDATES: Deion Sanders among Mike McCarthy replacement options
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Cowboys head coach search rumors, news, updates
This section will be updated as interviews occur and relevant news about potential candidates becomes available.
Kellen Moore a top candidate for Cowboys’ HC
On Thursday, the Cowboys officially requested to interview Moore, the current Eagles’ offensive coordinator. He formerly held the same title in Dallas before the sides mutually agreed to part ways following the 2022 season. In the four seasons that Moore coached the offense, it finished in the top-10 three times.
Moore, undrafted out of Boise State, played for the Cowboys from 2015 to 2017 before transitioning into the team’s quarterbacks coach in 2018. He was then given the OC responsibilities from 2019 to 2022 and was a holdover from Jason Garrett’s staff to McCarthy’s.
Rapoport said Moore is considered a “top candidate” for the job and that his familiarity with the organization makes this potential partnership one to keep an eye on.
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MORE: Troy Aikman rips Cowboys for parting with Mike McCarthy: ‘Not a real plan’
Deion Sanders would ‘almost certainly’ accept Cowboys’ job if offered
Sanders was initially believed to be a long shot, but the noise is getting too loud to ignore. Jones is reportedly enamored with the idea, according to Werder, meaning the rumors will continue to swirl until the search is over. NFL Network’s Jane Slater reported Thursday that Sanders approached Colorado’s athletic director, Rick George, on Tuesday about additional money for NIL and his staff, but was met with resistance. Sanders, who played for the Cowboys, previously said he had no interest in coaching in the NFL. That seems to have changed in recent weeks.
Robert Saleh to interview this week
Saleh, the former Jets coach, is set to interview for the Cowboys’ job this week. The former 49ers’ defensive coordinator seems likely to land a job for 2025, whether that is as a coordinator or head coach.
Cowboys request interview with Seahawks’ Leslie Frazier
Frazier is also slated to interview for the Dallas gig. He comes with plenty of experience, serving previously as the head coach in Minnesota and more recently as the Buffalo defensive coordinator before spending last season in Seattle.
Jason Witten was seen as potential heir apparent to Mike McCarthy
Witten was reportedly floated as a potential heir apparent in negotiations with McCarthy, who opted to pursue other opportunities, according to Slater. Jones thinks very highly of Witten, but it’s unclear whether he will be a head coaching candidate. The former Cowboys’ tight end doesn’t have any NFL or college coaching experience, but has been the head coach at Liberty Christian in Argyle, Texas, since 2021.
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Cowboys coaching candidates
Here is a look at who the Cowboys have interest in or requested to interview thus far:
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