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Producing proper test match forwards not high on New Zealand's priority list

(Photo by PHILL MAGAKOE/AFP via Getty Images)

We wouldn’t pick Trevor Nyakane or Frans Malherbe for the All Blacks.

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Heck, we might not even give them a game in Super Rugby.

Not fast enough over 40 metres. Can’t step, can’t fend, can’t spiral pass 30 metres off both hands.

Their skinfolds are no good, there’s no kicking game. They can’t even dunk a basketball, on the occasions when the boys are playing a pickup game.

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Never mind that Nyakane and Malherbe win you test matches. Forget the way they demolished the All Blacks scrum at Mbombela.

Neither of them are athletic enough to make a New Zealand team.

I’m bored of Ian Foster now, bored of Sam Cane and bored of the All Blacks too.

I don’t doubt that they’re all trying or that they’re hurt and desperate to revive the team’s flagging fortunes.

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But as I cast my eye at the All Blacks and at Super Rugby and the NPC, I just don’t think we’ve got the cattle to win proper test match rugby.

Not like South Africa or Ireland or France. Maybe not even England, Wales or Argentina, the way things appear right now.

We should be right against Australia, because they value the same junk in players that we do.

It doesn’t matter who Foster picks to meet the Springboks at Ellis Park this weekend. It doesn’t even matter if the All Blacks upset the formbook and win.

New Zealand, from what I can see at primary and intermediate school, 1st XV, club, provincial and Super Rugby level, have prioritised and promoted all the wrong things.

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The All Blacks started their best available XV at Mbombela – backed by one of the weakest benches I’ve ever seen – and got done. The final score of 26-10 doesn’t begin to demonstrate how ineffectual the All Blacks were in that match.

We simply do not have the players to compete with test rugby’s big boys, let alone beat them on a regular basis. And, frankly, we might as well get used to it.

There is nothing – and I mean nothing – in the cupboard to suggest we’ll be any better at the 2027 Rugby World Cup, than it looks as though we’ll be in 2023.

We can’t even find a head coach or nominate a worthwhile replacement for the one we’ve got, so the cupboard’s bare there too.

Would Scott Roberston do better than Foster? Of course he would, but only to a point.

We don’t have a Nyakane or a Malherbe and we sure as eggs don’t have a Malcolm Marx.

And, in part, that’s because we value all the wrong things.

We definitely wouldn’t pick Kwagga Smith, but we might even turn our nose up at Pieter-Steph du Toit, Jasper Wiese, Damian de Allende and Lukhanyo Am, because we fundamentally believe that brilliance is best, that style is worth more than substance.

Well, how’s that working out for us?

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The system is broken and, admire Foster or not, he’s the one carrying the can, along with Cane.

Cosmetic changes to the All Blacks’ squad could be made, but the fundamental issue is we are weak in the set pieces and weak at the breakdown.

We view things, such as the scrum, as a mechanism to restart play. We’d honestly play Golden Oldies if we could.

Only, this ain’t rugby league. This ain’t about big ball-carriers, with an offload and a bit of speed off the mark.

In real rugby, scrums are a way to generate points and momentum and to stop the opposition from accumulating either.

Nine scrums out of 10 against the All Blacks, you’ll win a penalty. Let’s say half of those are in kicking range, so that’s 15 points, and you’re halfway to victory.

That cannot be turned around overnight and maybe not in five or 10 years’ time either.

The All Blacks are getting absolutely pumped up front and now matter how well they tackle or how well they combat the rolling maul, they are unable to generate any attack of their own.

Sure, Beauden Barrett looks bad right now. But who in the backs doesn’t?

We have abandoned forward play and favoured athletes over actual rugby players to the point where we are becoming an international also-ran.

Blame whoever you like. Blame Foster or Steve Hansen or Graham Henry or whichever coach you can name, but it’s the system that’s broken.

It’s those charged with protecting the game and providing the pathway who’ve let us down.

We’ve laughed and scoffed at those from overseas who said Super Rugby wasn’t real footy.

Who said it was entertaining and often brilliant, but a million miles away from real test match rugby.

Well, who’s laughing now? Not us.

From under-10s, all the way through to the All Blacks, we just give the ball to the big kid or the fast kid and hope for the best, and we have nothing to fall back on when that doesn’t work.

Every test team knows where the All Blacks can be beaten now and an increasing number have the confidence to do it too.

It’s going to get worse before it gets better, because we’ve simply stopped trying to produce proper test match forwards.

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Comments

25 Comments
A
Aiden 826 days ago

This is a quality read, brutally insightful. It is hard to understand how NZ Rugby has stood by and watch this happen. The test squad requires a paradigm shift and this takes at least one RWC cycle. I'm an Ireland fan but I take no joy in New Zealand's current problems. So often, they have set the standard against which all test teams are measured but not currently.

P
Peter 828 days ago

Yep the game has changed and NZ have been left behind. But it is what has the game changed into that's the worry. Zero attacking play by the backs, lots of kick it high and hope for a mistake and rolling mauls most of which end in either a try or an attacking penalty. Good forward play and solid defense are great, but 80 minutes of it gets pretty dull.

G
GrahamVF 828 days ago

It’s not only about not producing tough enough forwards. The entire AB ethos of late was encapsulated by Foster’s lament about how the Boks compete in the air. Basically what he said that he was going to complain about Boks “throwing their bodies into the air”. So what is he coaching? “OK lads. Wait politely till their feet are back on the ground.” Then he goes further to compare competing with the ball in the air to interference in the line out. He is the AB coach FGS and he really doesn’t understand rugby laws. The difference between competing for a ball in the air and the intrinsic right of having the throw in at the line out? No wonder……………But I do wonder what Colin Meads would have said if someone said the Boks were too rough.

B
Blake 829 days ago

The irony was that ABs selected Karl Tu'inukuafe to squad precisely because of scrummaging.

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GrahamVF 829 days ago

After the Super/URC season I wrote here that I had noticed a great difference between the two competitions and that the southern competition looked like festival rugby and the Northern competition resembled the grind of test matches. There was not one game in the south which had anything like the intensity of the Bulls Leinster semi final. Both teams have subsequently been a big part of the Boks and Irish squads. But of course Foster was probably sleeping through all of it.

L
Lance 829 days ago

What a hard hitting article.. If that doesnt inspire sympathy in any genuine rugby fan, no matter who their favourite team is, then I dont know.. Get well soon ABs- Bok fan.

M
Martin 829 days ago

Just another thought ..
There is saying " Sales hide your sins"
Maybe in Super Rugby it's "Tries hide our sins"

M
Martin 829 days ago

Agree must produce Test players.
More pressure on the system.
Who can lead this is my question.
And are they going to listen.

j
john 829 days ago

Spot on. Too many show ponies in the team - came through as huge college stars and even at rep level but these guys never did the hard yards and now find it beyond them at test level. But in the backs too we are lacking. Genuine 12s and 13s - where are they?

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Euan 829 days ago

They need to study how the Boks and others protect and win their ball at the breakdown, and study it and imitate it. No more one player crashing into a bunch of Bok forwards and losing the ball, or collecting a penalty. Also get rid of players who continually give away penalties. Also, the scrum was meant to restart play, not a penalty machine.

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J
JPM 47 minutes ago
Forget Ireland, the All Blacks face the real alpha of Europe next

Unfortunately you don't know anything about French rugby, coaches and players but still making a lot of assumptions and judgements to push your prefabricated and simplistic point of view that Dupont is manipulating everything and is a bad guy. I am not a NZ rugby specialist and wouldn't dare make such theories about what is going on within the ABs team. Therefore my advice to you is to do like Dupont and stay humble when you don't know all the background of the issues !!!


Firstly if you knew a bit of Galthié, he is not the type of coach who is going to ask advice to his players and even his captain about team selection. He is as stubborn as you...


Second Ramos has played a lot of times as 10 with Toulouse and therefore Dupont (in particular when Ntamack is injured and unfortunately it has often happened recently and for long periods). He even played 10 during the last 3 games of the 2024 6N and this was far better performance than the first two games with Jalibert as 10.


Thirdly Jalibert lacked of respect to a La Rochelle player so your theory is once again out.


Fourth as I explained to you Galthié went for a 6-2 bench and Jalibert can only play 10 which doesn't fit that plan. Furthermore as 15 Buros is better under high balls than Ramos and everybody is prepared for a tactical kicking game.


So you can blame Galthié for a lot of things (as you clearly enjoy doing at the end of your post and you should be very happy as an AB fan) but certainly not Dupont. Sorry once more for your conspiracy theory.


And don't worry about potential disharmony in the French team; they are excellent mates around their captain. Jalibert is well known in the French rugby circles to have not a strong character (and we saw that in the WC quarter finals as he is very nervous in any decisive international game unlike Ntamack and Ramos as for his late penalty kick vs England this year).


In conclusion enjoy the game tmrw night. It is good that the ABs are very upset; we should watch a great game of rugby. I hope for running rugby and not too much kicking. With 5 key players injured on our side (Ntamack, Baille, Atonio, Cros and Penaud) and 2 on your side I and various French fans see you as favourites. I obviously hope for another result.


If you are interested you can read a good article in the Guardian on the subject of France-NZ games.

92 Go to comments
K
KB 49 minutes ago
The 'one difference' between Boks and the back-to-back All Blacks

Consistency hasnt been there they have many great players SA were also not unbeaten in the 2023 WC - NZ were in 2015 WC McCaw and Carter Nonu and Smith - SA did not have those Marque players in those postions in 2019 or 2023 - I wouldnt rank them ahead of the 20I5 ABs - They clocked up 60 points against France in the QF - Furthermore I do not believe for one moment SA won 2023 fairly no way - they were so favoured it became obvious that behind the scenes SA the nation bought the title - Their last 3 matches were won by a solitary point there were many contentious decisions that went their way that it became obvious it wasnt coincidence - Sport has been hijacked by a satanic cult just as is Politics

Some players coaches officials and sponsors are involved - they know who they are - its called Freemasonry - any sport that allows betting is corrupt - its not all about money either for these parasites its also about control - Lots of American NFL players have spoken openly about games being scripted - Football is also rigged Referees have been caught on film showing freemason hand signs - The 95 RWC final ranks as the highest and most obvious attempt at cheating There was no way SA were going to allow NZ to gate crash Nelson Mandelas reunification party - NZ were so good they had to posion almost the entire team to get a 3 point win - a Hollywood Movie ( theres your Red Flag ) was made about SAs triumph called Invictus


William Henley wrote a poem called Invictus


It starts


Out of the night that covers me BLACK ( All Blacks ) as the pit from pole to pole, I thank whatever GODS maybe for my unconquerable Soul ...( Olan says INVICTUS is an evil Malevolent entity who corrupted the Titans ... this is Mandelas double meaning speech ( hes a fraud ) - of thanks for helping overcome SA's adversary NZ - There is only ONE true God Yahuah - Only a false god would be complicit in Cheating Corruption and Harming others to win a RWC for a sick and sinful Nation ) the poem ends with


I am the CAPTAIN of my soul


SA will forever bear the stain of guilt and disgrace over their involvement in poisoning the ABs a day before the 95 RWC Final

11 Go to comments
C
CO 1 hour ago
Forget Ireland, the All Blacks face the real alpha of Europe next

I cannot believe that you don't think the French rugby team coach and captain are not discussing putting Jalibert on the bench in favour of Duponts club teammate that doesn't even play at 10.


This is a terrible, massive insult to a 10 and I'm sure Dupont would also be very enraged if benched for a player that doesn't even play halfback.


A good captain would've insisted to the coach that it was an idea of madness and either select Jalibert or replace him with another 10 if you want him to be reserve.


Jalibert may not be the world's finest tacklers but that's often not a tens main strength that the loose forwards and second five cover. An intercept pass is never great but they happen.


When any player is playing for his club then it's club first, respect doesn't need to be shown to opposition players simply because they're internationals.


Who exactly are you claiming Jalibert hasn't respected? If it's Toulouse international players then it doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure this bench demotion out.


The outcome of selecting Jalibert to the bench and he then throwing his croissants out the window of the team bus immediately prior to playing the Allblacks is a disaster that will be team disharmony as any team mates of Jalibert are in a state of anger and revolt so a performance that will be sub optimal against a team that is thirsting for revenge against France.


I don't know about you but the Allblacks are very upset they've lost twice in a row to France and want to put out a statement performance so this preparation by Galthie of creating havoc looks to me like a coach that is clueless.

92 Go to comments
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