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Please don't run around in circles Damian McKenzie
Damian McKenzie doesn’t have to win the game single-handed. He just needs to find a way not to lose it.
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If the mercurial playmaker can learn anything from being benched for the matches against Australia and England, it’s that Beauden Barrett didn’t overplay his hand.
Barrett, who was picked at first five-eighth ahead of McKenzie for those tests, really didn’t do a lot in either.
I personally prefer to see him challenge the defensive line himself, rather than speculatively kick towards the flanks, but that’s a relatively minor quibble.
Barrett was more of a facilitator in those tests. Someone inclined to steer the team towards the parts of the paddock they want to play from, then allow others to try and create with ball in hand.
Concussion protocols mean Barrett’s absent for this highly-anticipated clash with Ireland in Dublin, requiring McKenzie to again run the cutter.
“D-Mac is D-Mac. You get a bit of everything from him. But, when he’s on, he’s world class and shows some great touches,’’ All Blacks head coach Scott Robertson said of the returning McKenzie.
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Actually, Scott, I don’t want a bit of everything. Nor do I want ‘some’ great touches.
I just want a first five-eighth that doesn’t stuff things up for everyone else.
Look, there’s a very fine line between giving a guy like McKenzie confidence and letting him run amok.
I get that coaches don’t like to say or do things that undermine a player’s belief and that they want them to feel supported and free to express themselves.
It’s just that McKenzie’s idea of expression has often been to run around in circles.
Ireland and Dublin isn’t really an occasion to play off-the-cuff and, actually, I’m quite sure it would be counter-productive.
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Not least because the team doesn’t actually need it or benefit from it.
I doubt McKenzie will be playing behind a beaten pack, at the Aviva Stadium. I doubt he’ll have to resort to pulling rabbits out of hats in order for the All Blacks to generate points.
If there has been an area of real improvement in the team this year, it’s come in the forwards. There is genuine vigour among the ball carriers, which Barrett has been the beneficiary of in recent times.
All McKenzie has to do is follow the game plan, kick his goals and the result should take care of itself, on one proviso.
The All Blacks’ set pieces have to stand up.
Hooker Asafo Aumua has to be better acquainted with the lineout calls and then hit the intended target. At the moment, he appears incapable of throwing anywhere other than the front, which Ireland will be well aware of.
Tamaiti Williams could be a walking penalty at scrum time. England exposed his inability to keep his side up and, if he keeps hitting the deck in Dublin, Ireland will get opportunities to kick points.
If the supply of ball from set pieces becomes irregular or scrappy, then McKenzie is going to start to scramble and, to me, that marks the beginning of the end.
I really fancy the All Blacks in this game. I think we’ve seen enough from the forwards against England and the Wallabies to suggest they’ll more than compete with Ireland.
If not for some of the dopey stuff McKenzie did, the All Blacks would have beaten the Springboks in South Africa a couple of times this season, thanks to how well the forwards played.
Barrett’s given McKenzie a blueprint of how to play now: kick well, get others into the contest and win the game three points at a time.
There will always be counter-attacking opportunities to score tries, so you don’t need to try and conjure them from thin air.
It’s been back to basics for the All Blacks in recent weeks and that’s all they need from McKenzie.
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ABs have a genuine opportunity to best Ireland in the scrum with Bealham a significant downgrade on Furlong. Ireland have a dearth of props coming through and will only get front going forward from the heights they’ve seen over recent years. If that happens then DMac could well run amok…!!!
DMac played very well from the bench in his last two cameos, filling in at 10. He didn't overplay his hand and added plenty of zip to the attack which Barrett did not. Driving the team around the park from the start is a different prospect though. I would have selected Plumber on the bench over Perofeta, who doesn't have a huge AB future in my view. Plumber is a player who's good at implementing a game plan.
Have to agree, Tamaiti is potentially a risk in this game while the downfall of DeGroot is a little mysterious. In saying that, Tosi and Tu'ungafasi were excellent last week so there is good back up on the bench.
When DMac is really under pressure his release valve is to try something very risky. The best he has every looked was in the lead up to, and during the World Cup last year when playing in a very structured attack. He has incredible skills and looks much better when using them to organise aggressive and direct attack. I think he is at his worst when given too much license to find width and create from deep. He has great vision, is a great passer, and picks some amazing lines but has been guilty of over playing.
And Barrett's default move under pressure is to try and force a miracle with the boot, usually a chip kick. Both players are like flawed geniuses. Both have bundles of talent but neither are the complete 10 we crave.