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'A black wave': Victor Vito's tactical advice for All Blacks against Ireland
By Ned Lester
It’s not easy to find fault in this Ireland team, but a former All Black with a wealth of international and club experience against the best of Irish talent has thrown in his two cents on how to put pressure on the damaging Irish attack.
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Victor Vito played over 30 games for the All Blacks, winning two Rugby World Cups before moving to France to play for La Rochelle.
Now reflecting on his experiences playing against Ireland’s best, Vito has delivered his verdict on just how beatable Andy Farrell’s team are, and what the All Blacks will have to do to compete with the world No 1s.
“Their weaknesses, to be fair they don’t have many,” Vito told The Platform.
“But, look, I think we have what it takes to beat them. I think if we can get parity up front in the set piece, for sure, especially in those forward exchanges.
“I think if we can limit Johnny Sexton’s running time and actually have a black wave that’s coming forward all the time and forcing them to go backwards, they’ll be forced to kick, but that’s easier said than done.
“We can only do that as well if we stop hugging our rucks so much. We’ve been pretty tied to the rucks and we’ve been able to be rounded by most teams actually, getting outside us and we can’t afford that against Ireland because once they’re around you, they’re scoring points.
“If we can solidify our defence and force them to go back in every exchange, I mean, we did that with La Rochelle. We analyse Jamison (Gibson-Park), Johnny (Sexton) and all of the rest of them and we’ve beaten them in the last three Champions Cup finals, whether it was semi-finals or finals.
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“It’s not easy to do, but it’s definitely doable. The challenge is there and I know the boys will be up for it.”
The match promises to be a confrontational contest, the battle for gain line will be hard won and go a long way in deciding the result.
The All Blacks have named destructive winger Leicester Fainga’anuku to start on the left wing, giving the team an extra ball running option and some more aggression around the wide breakdowns.
The selection will add some firepower in an effort to combat the dangerous form of Bundee Aki, who has been chewing through post-contact metres all tournament.
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Vito says it will be crucial for the All Blacks to assert themselves in the contact area, as the team needs to send a message early.
“I think you can’t really avoid that against a team like Ireland. You’re going to have to show them that you are abrasively there; that physically, you are present.
“But at the same time, if anything, I know that the Irish have a very strong 40 (minutes), they always come out very strong in the opening 40, and then the opening 20 of the second half.
“But if your wave can keep coming and if you can keep bringing in your power carriers like (Shannon) Frizell, and obviously Ardie (Savea) and a few other guys too, and if you can nullify someone like Bundee Aki – who’s a massive physical force for them, they rely heavily on him to go forward – if you can look after guys like that, then we’re in with more than a chance.”
I have no doubt the ABs winning the 2023 world cup they have so much good players in their team and it is only for each player to look at the little mistakes they've made at their last few games..All the best boys as you face Argentina 🇦🇷
NZ have the cattle to seriously hurt Ireland but Im afraid without Roigard and his synergy with Mckenzie its all over
Im predicting Lomax wont last the match
Hansen cant keep his mouth shut once again pouring praise on Ireland and underating NZs chances - the fix is in for NZ to lose this one - NZ made sure of that with their stupid insane school boy sanctioning of Mark Telea Who would want to play under such a surpressed culture
A minor curfew breach that results in team management announcing to the world his sinful state and their in house gentlemans club set in stone rules rewards and punishment infront of the worlds media and now the poor young man has to live his life walking around like Jesus holding up a heavy cross - absolute insanity and a national disgrace - Did they not think for one minute the blowback this would bring the ramfications - the harm its doing to their build up - they did and they dont care
We still love you Mark but we cant forgive you we cant move on without a punishment we arent adults we are children
Shand Foster Schmidt Cane Savea Whitlock where was your leadership and mentoring hello - this incident has left a stain on the ALL Blacks Brand Foster looked mighty skittery when that was announced whos running the show
Do Ireland have the same defence coach as 2019?
LF and JW screaming thru inside JB
10 minutes AB’s 15 - 0
Ah the black wave. No one plays attacking rugby like the All Blacks. Ireland will struggle if this team clicks.
I think yes if we can get parity and hang with them or near to it the Irish will run out of energy like they did against Scotland in the 3rd quarter. But that will be nullified if there’s time wasting where there’s always a player on the ground feigning injury to give their big men a rest. Hoping Barnes plays an up-tempo game.
New Zealand are there for the taking, they’re mentally weak judging by the amount of losses they’ve taken, SA, France and Ireland have destroyed them with relative ease in the last few years. I expect cards for NZ as they look proper rattled and fearful. I’ve heard Foster has banned all women from the camp before kick off in case Frizell starts attacking them or Smith decides to drag one into the toilets.
Irelands heading back to a Wallaby type upside down type hellscape at the end of the tournament with a mass retirement frenzy and the 5 year residency rule bringing an end to the poaching so it is up to the Allblacks to ensure Lowe, Aki and Gibbon-Park are taught a lesson of the consequences of selling out before they scurry off.
Game could go either way though, potential for the Allblacks to struggle and win by only 15 or so in a hard fought contest but Allblacks will be benched if they don’t run up a similar scoreline to the Italy game.
Ireland is in reality an outfit renowned for their quarter final and pool exit chokes lead by a flyhalf that Farrell’s stolen from a museums antiquity display.
O’Mahony who’s full of banter will be welcomed back to the arena like a pair of Croc’s (I don’t care what anyone says they’re terrible footwear) and Porter, well Retallick has a bone to pick, a cheekbone to be precise with the world’s worst sweaty hair fiend.
I’m sitting on the fence for this match as a neutral Kiwi observer that’s contributed heavily to a new gold watch for Wayne Barnes.
Yep, win the contact area and the ABs will score 40+