Northern Edition

Select Edition

Northern Northern
Southern Southern
Global Global
New Zealand New Zealand
France France

The All Blacks went full 'McKenzie' in the third test

The third test was McKenzie's night as the All Blacks future 10.

There were four new debutants and a host of new starters but the All Blacks machine kept rolling last night, comprehensively signing off a 3-nil series victory over France with a 49-14 win in the final test.

ADVERTISEMENT

The game followed a similar script to the first test, with French spirit keeping them in the match for a half or so before they wore down and became fodder. On the fast indoor pitch in Dunedin the All Blacks went to width frequently and played an expansive game, in the process unleashed the full potential of dynamo Damian McKenzie in his first start at first five-eighth.

Again the individual brilliance was on show intertwined with moments of underwhelming play. One minute he’s kicking out on the full with no pressure and the next deftly chipping the line with the left foot or ripping a pass to an unmarked runner. It seems that errors fuel McKenzie into a high-octane state, where he starts shakey before ripping apart all before him in an explosive frenzy. The lows are low and highs are sky high.

There might not be a more enigmatic player in world rugby. How do you filter out the ‘minus’ plays and keep the brilliant? This is the puzzle the All Blacks coaches want to solve, as the answer may uncover the world’s next best player – that’s how influential he can be.

In a 15-minute period in second half he scored his second try and set up two more, at a crucial time in the game to pull the All Blacks away. They persisted with similar patterns the Chiefs have used with McKenzie at 10 this year to give the bite-sized first five his favoured plays.

Video Spacer

The backdoor release freed McKenzie from the second level all night where he attacked a pensive, slowing defensive line. The All Blacks went heavy on this pod release play to give McKenzie the ball as much as possible coming from depth and allow more width in the game in general.

Video Spacer

Of the 15 times McKenzie lined up behind the first pod, they fed him nine times out the back, 60% of the time. That’s a huge amount considering forwards often keep it simple, showing how much the All Blacks wanted to stretch this French side laterally.

ADVERTISEMENT

In the 53rd minute, the play paid off when he knifed through a yawning gap between two props and ran circles around winger Gael Fickou to score untouched. When a defender bites hard on the tip runner, McKenzie is given an invitation to take on the line, which he has no hesitation in doing.

One of the change-ups they run is switching McKenzie with Ben Smith so he can attack wider as a fullback. They tried this twice in the match and surprisingly it led to one intercept and one dropped intercept. Despite many holding the opinion that his best position is still fullback, his worst plays of the night came from that role.

His touches at first receiver in flatter situations started to show signs of confidence, with no qualms about throwing rocket cutouts, which he shelved last week. Despite those two dicey intercept chances, he hit the money on a beautiful try assist to Rieko Ioane, throwing a face ball past Jordie Barrett. His line running was finally on the same page with Aaron Smith, scoring off the scrum despite a dubious call by the referee. This was the same play that McKenzie tried to cut under Smith on last week, causing a turnover on the communication blunder.

The All Blacks have implemented some new exit strategies around McKenzie, opting for him to kick directly off the base of the scrum instead of using a two-phase setup. Despite his diminutive stature, the purchase he gets on his kick is quite remarkable. He can thump it a good 55-60 metres, often finding a decent angle when clearing to the line.

ADVERTISEMENT

He hit seven from seven off the tee in a faultless display of goal kicking, but it was a couple of unforced errors from kicking out-of-hand that had doubters shaking heads early. His emphatic rebound only proved that he is erratic, with such large swings in his game.

The risk/reward equation with McKenzie most definitely ended with handsome reward last night.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

ADVERTISEMENT

Boks Office | Episode 37 | Six Nations Round 4 Review

Cape Town | Leg 2 | Day 2 | HSBC Challenger Series 2025 | Full Day Replay

Gloucester-Hartpury vs Bristol Bears | PWR 2024/25 | Full Match Replay

Boks Office | Episode 36 | Six Nations Round 3 Review

Why did Scotland's Finn Russell take the crucial kick from the wrong place? | Whistle Watch

England A vs Ireland A | Full Match Replay

Kubota Spears vs Shizuoka BlueRevs | JRLO 2024/2025 | Full Match Replay

Watch now: Lomu - The Lost Tapes

Trending on RugbyPass

Comments

0 Comments
Be the first to comment...

Join free and tell us what you really think!

Sign up for free
ADVERTISEMENT

Latest Features

Comments on RugbyPass

J
Jahmirwayle 1 hour ago
'Unbelievable' Henry Pollock predicted his first Test try would be on the wing

It started with a gut-wrenching realization. I’d been duped. Months earlier, I’d poured $133,000 into what I thought was a golden opportunity a cryptocurrency investment platform promising astronomical returns. The website was sleek, the testimonials glowed, and the numbers in my account dashboard climbed steadily. I’d watched my Bitcoin grow, or so I thought, until the day I tried to withdraw it. That’s when the excuses began: “Processing delays,” “Additional verification required,” and finally, a demand for a hefty “release fee.” Then, silence. The platform vanished overnight, taking my money with it. I was left staring at a blank screen, my savings gone, and a bitter taste of shame in my mouth.I didn’t know where to turn. The police shrugged cybercrime was a black hole they couldn’t navigate. Friends offered sympathy but no solutions. I spent sleepless nights scouring forums, reading about others who’d lost everything to similar scams. That’s when I stumbled across a thread mentioning a group specializing in crypto recovery. They didn’t promise miracles, but they had a reputation for results. Desperate, I reached out.The first contact was a breath of fresh air. I sent an email explaining my situation dates, transactions, screenshots, everything I could scrape together. Within hours, I got a reply. No fluff, no false hope, just a clear request for more details and a promise to assess my case. I hesitated, wary of another scam, but something about their professionalism nudged me forward. I handed over my evidence: the wallet addresses I’d sent my Bitcoin to, the emails from the fake platform, even the login credentials I’d used before the site disappeared.The process kicked off fast. They explained that scammers often move funds through a web of wallets to obscure their tracks, but Bitcoin’s blockchain leaves a trail if you know how to follow it. That’s where their expertise came in. They had tools and know-how I couldn’t dream of, tracing the flow of my coins across the network. I didn’t understand the technical jargon hash rates, mixing services, cold wallets but I didn’t need to. They kept me in the loop with updates: “We’ve identified the initial transfer,” “The funds split here,” “We’re narrowing down the endpoints.” Hours passed , and I oscillated between hope and dread. Then came the breakthrough. They’d pinpointed where my Bitcoin had landed a cluster of wallets tied to the scammers. Some of it had been cashed out, but a chunk remained intact, sitting in a digital vault the crooks thought was untouchable. I didn’t ask too many questions about that part; I just wanted results. They pressured the right points, leveraging the blockchain evidence to freeze the wallets holding my funds before the scammers could liquidate them. Next morning, I woke up to an email that made my heart skip. “We’ve secured access to a portion of your assets.” Not all of it some had slipped through the cracks but $133,000 worth of Bitcoin, my original investment, was recoverable. They walked me through the final steps: setting up a secure wallet, verifying the transfer, watching the coins land. When I saw the balance tick up on my screen, I sat there, stunned. It was real. My money was back.The ordeal wasn’t painless. I’d lost time, sleep, and a bit of faith in humanity. But the team at Alpha Spy Nest Recovery turned a nightmare into a second chance.  I’ll never forget what they did. In a world full of thieves, they were the ones who fought to make things right. Contacts below: email: Alphaspynest@mail.com, WhatsApp: +14159714490‬, Telegram: https://t.me/Alphaspynest

1 Go to comments
TRENDING
TRENDING Rassie Erasmus explains so-called Willie Le Roux Bok selection snub Rassie Erasmus explains so-called Willie Le Roux selection snub
Search