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- By Kevin McCarthy
What a weekend that was. What a weekend it will be.
In typical introspective fashion, we’ve been looking for things to dissect for the All Blacks.
Chief is the rush to dump Billy Proctor and reinstate Reiko Ioane. Given how long we’ve invested in making Ioane a world class centre – which just hasn’t ever quite worked – it seems odd to rush to judgment on Proctor.
The subtext is that this is why the All Blacks can’t get their backs operating at full throttle, and why the muscle, mauling game, is now the All Blacks go to game.
Which in all honesty is a much better place to be than the Foster years where the emphasis was on leaving it to the backs to break through.
Better, because the backs – which New Zealand is gifted with – are an easier fix than the forwards. The latter have been on a gradual climb since Jason Ryan was parachuted into the forwards coach role in the last days.
That doesn’t mean we’re heading for 10 man rugby – it means however we can find different gears when needed, as they always will be. Anda good pack will attrit the opposition if they can, starting to unpick the defence for the backs to better exploit.
Hand in hand is having a good, heavy hitting bench, not just to counter the Boks, but as a go-to against any opposition.
Which leaves us with the Boks, where no doubt there has been some hard work put in after the jaw-dropping collapse against the Wallabies. I caught the early second half where it looked like the Springboks were in charge and set to build on a healthy lead.
So, the swing was remarkable. Were the Boks, complacent, lacking in fitness, or in places, too old. Could be some, none, or all of the above.
The more interesting thing is the response by Rassie Erasmus. Was this an aberration or a bank of red flashing lights when a champion team hits the autopilot.
His early reaction was to call his team dog-poop. Or as Steve Hansen put it, flush the dunny time.
And while he’s made 10 changes to his side for the second encounter, it’s still a bunch of the old stalwarts at the spine of the team. If this doesn’t work, then watch out.
The Wallabies meanwhile know a backlash is coming – but knowing and stopping are two different things.
The All Black team out this morning has the exciting news that Simon Parker will debut at No 8. Not such great news for Du Plessis Kirifi, obviously, but he’ll be back as we say. With Tamaiti Williams and Wallace Sititi to be eased back from the bench, there’s some power to burn in the second half.
The early second half fade last week has been overegged as some repeat of the curse of last season. That however was about the last 20 of the game. This time the All Blacks bossed the last 20 and finished the job.
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If the country’s struggling with a winter of discontent, who better to lift the gloom than the Black Ferns. The Rugby World Cup holders did miracles at home last time, and the narrative is kind of the same this time – with the English behemoth and a few other contenders standing the way.
We know the King is looking for another group hug – so are we.
And if the support in New Zealand was great by the end of the last cup, this one’s dialling up to 11, with Twickenham already sold out.
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Yes it was a thriller between the Wellington Lions and Otago. Except the Lions got on the wrong side of the final ledger.
No panic yet, but a lapse against the Bucketheads this weekend in the Manawatu and watch out. Al eyes on the battle between 9th and 10th.
Our preview of the match in the link below:
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Levin’s finest, Codie Taylor, will play his 100th test for the All Blacks, the second hooker and 14th player overall to do so.
According to AI, the most capped All Blacks hookers are:
- Keven Mealamu 133
- Sean Fitzpatrick 92
- Codie Taylor 99*
- Dane Coles 90
- Anton Oliver 59
For the diehard fan, the match kicks off at 9.10am on Sunday, with highlights on You Tube and NZR + cutting through all the BS and potential waste of your precious Sunday morning to quickly follow.
There are no fewer than four Wellington players currently in Argentina with the All Blacks but not playing this weekend, these players being: Kyle Preston, Ruben Love, Du Plessis Kirifi and Peter Lakai. Together with Billy Proctor and Ardie Savea that makes six, so a good angle for this year’s Chairman’s Report in the WRFU Annual Report.
Buenos Aires has hosted the All Blacks v Argentina on 10 previous occasions including a 21-21 draw on 2 November 1985. That test almost 40 years ago was also Tawa’s finest, Murray Mexted’s last test.
The team is:
1. Ethan de Groot
2. Codie Taylor
3. Fletcher Newell
4. Scott Barrett (c)
5. Fabian Holland
6. Tupou Vaa’i
7. Ardie Savea (vc)
8. Simon Parker
9. Corez Ratima
10. Beauden Barrett
11. Rieko Ioane
12. Jordie Barrett (vc)
13. Billy Proctor
14. Sevu Reece
15. Will Jordan
16. Samisoni Taukei’aho
17. Tamaiti Williams
18. Pasilio Tosi
19. Josh Lord
20. Wallace Sititi
21. Finlay Christie
22. Quinn Tupaea
23. Damian McKenzie
