1
The All Blacks looked like Ireland against Argentina
Don’t know about you, but I’m definitely enthused.
The start of The Rugby Championship served as a timely reminder of why we love Test match footy.
ADVERTISEMENT
With due respect to all involved, we haven’t really enjoyed a scintillating start to the rugby season.
Super Rugby Pacific was fine. Not appointment viewing necessarily, but definitely something to keep tabs on.
But you wouldn’t miss this Saturday’s clash between New Zealand and South Africa for quids.
The All Blacks look all right. I sort of want to say that quietly, for fear of going too hard, too early.
But Sunday morning’s 41-12 win over Argentina was as encouraging as I’ve seen in a long time.
Kickoff receptions weren’t perfect and the lineout occasionally fallible, but there was vigour and guile and pace about everything else.
ADVERTISEMENT
What a joy to see the All Blacks using the ball to beat the man and to have attackers committing defenders before offloading. It felt like I was watching Ireland, during their series-winning tour of New Zealand a year ago.
And maybe I was.
Plan A for many All Blacks backs of recent vintage has been to try and run over defenders. If that works, great. If not, Plan B has been to shuffle the ball sideways.
Plan C inevitably involved a crossfield kick of some sort.
Neither B nor C ever committed a defender, while A always came unstuck against opponents who were prepared to tackle.
But Sunday was different. Sunday saw the All Blacks use a sleight of hand and a degree of thought and awareness that I wasn’t sure the team was capable of.
ADVERTISEMENT
For that – and, again, I’m going to whisper it – I credit Joe Schmidt.
The former Ireland head coach was always the intangible, when assessing the Rugby World Cup chances of this team.
If he had an impact, after joining New Zealand’s coaching staff last year, it wasn’t immediately evident.
But you always assumed, rightly or wrongly, that he had the nous to fundamentally change how the All Blacks attacked.
Sunday was a very small sample size, but the signs for 2023 are promising.
Lots of little things stood out: the tackling of props Tyrel Lomax and Ethan de Groot for instance, centre Rieko Ioane actually passing the ball, hooker Dane Coles not pulling a calf muscle.
Heck, even fullback Beauden Barrett took the ball into contact a couple of times.
Actually, I shouldn’t be flippant about that.
I mentioned Barrett and New Zealand Warriors halfback Shaun Johnson in the same sentence, a few weeks back.
Johnson is a playmaker transformed in 2023, in large part because he has stopped shying away from physicality. As Johnson’s confidence in the contact areas has grown, so has his command of the game.
I still believe Barrett is capable of making a similar impact with the All Blacks.
South Africa, meanwhile, were just as impressive in disposing of Australia 43-12.
We don’t know how travelling back from Argentina will affect the All Blacks. Just as we’re not sure whether the Springboks’ decision to send an advanced party to Auckland was the right one.
But we’re all counting down the days till kickoff and it’s nice to feel optimistic and excited about watching the All Blacks again.
It's taken them a while but they have finally graduated from "creating space" to punching holes. The latter worked great for many years but was built for different players in a different time.
They have made huge improvements all around the park (breakdown accuracy in particular - allowing us to actually retain the ball) but seeing the offensive line up flat and providing the 9/10 with multiple viable passing options has put some life back into an attack that has been faltering badly since 2017.
Lets see how the AB's fare against a patchwork Bok side without their regular captain, their first choice 10, possibly without Etzebeth, and a lightweight loosie combo. At home.
If they lose this one, Fozzie really just needs to tie a stone around his neck and go jump off his tinny in the deep stuff around the Noises- he has great talent at his disposal and new assistants he can blame now, so really would be a catastrophe if they munt this one. Lets see some mana and mongrel, boys!
"It felt like I was watching Ireland...."
You we're mate. Pure copy and paste from Fozzie- totally bereft of his own ideas.
I’ll wait to pass judgment till I see them take on an aggressive rush defence and on form world class team e.g France, Ireland, South Africa
I’m not sure which coach has the most affect but Schmidt has definitely made his mark with forwards running & passing short balls after contact & having DMac flat on the line to create havoc for the defence! Finally we have big forwards ( sorry Savea who should be a seven ) to play a fast tempo game! Yes Ireland should be thankful that Schmidt was coach but now he has the ABS to work with & Jason Ryan and some decent players the ABS are still under the radar come World Cup!
I find it funny to see that the NZ discover that rugby is a game of contact AND avoidance. The teams that currently dominate rugby (Ireland, France & SA) are those that manage to master and alternate the two.
the Joe Schmidt philosophy is all about finding gaps. It's the same concept Wayne Smith, Fred Allen, Wayne Bennet, José Mourinho emphasized. Finding holes. It's the underlying principle of all running ball sports.
What a compliment, the All Blacks look like Ireland! Never thought I'd see the day! But yes Ireland is world number one after playing all the big teams at home.
I believe the biggest change has been made by Jason Ryan as forwards coach and selector.