1
The slight tactical fix for the All Blacks to make is an easy one
By
Ben Smith
The tactical adjustment for the All Blacks this week is an easy one to make to improve their chances of beating Los Pumas.
ADVERTISEMENT
It is clear the Argentinians are superior up front in strength, size and are well versed in the wrestle required to dismantle a carry-heavy game.
The All Blacks haven’t been all that strong at the breakdown in terms of generating quick ball, particularly when their ball carriers are met with multiple tacklers in contact.
With 6o per cent possession they had nearly double the number of rucks as Argentina (107 vs 54) but could only find three points in the second half.
With only 15 kicks out of hand in Christchurch, the All Blacks need to find a better balance to vary their game and looking for more attacking kicks is the way to do that.
What we saw by the All Blacks against Los Pumas trended towards a Joe Schmidt-style phase attack.
Schmidt’s game plan with Ireland was very much a high possession game, cycling through a lot of phases and retaining the ball with few offloads.
ADVERTISEMENT
The launch plays were articulately designed with running lines that required exquisite timing.
The attack opened up the defence most of the time based on planned scheme rather than instinctual opportunity or the use of promoting the ball in the tackle.
It was brilliant and worked in part because mastermind Johnny Sexton was pulling the strings.
However, the detail required to pull Schmidt’s game off is not within the capability of this All Blacks team right now.
Their ruck work is too inefficient, the players are not used to executing running lines with timing to perfection they way Irish players are trained to.
ADVERTISEMENT
And they don’t have a No 10 who demands as such, with neither Richie Mo’unga or Beauden Barrett at the level of Sexton’s ball playing or command running a complex attack.
They have other strengths that Sexton doesn’t, but cannot replicate his genius in running a similar structured attacking game. He ensures others know their role as much as his own and that is integral to making it click.
While it takes time to lift the standards of the All Blacks’ play with ball-in-hand, smarter game management is required to turn teams around, particularly Los Pumas.
Their strength in contact and the ground has to be negated, which means steering clear of too much contact in close and spending too much time trying to break down a brick wall.
The All Blacks need to spread them out with a game that goes from tramline-to-tramline quickly and then get boot to ball when it doesn’t work.
Run the launch plays as planned, but after the strike look to the air or in behind to force the Pumas backfield to cover contestable chips, grubbers, or bombs.
Argentina have imploded in the past against the All Blacks, playing a hand in their own downfall trying to play too much.
The helter-skelter style they played in the past would give turnover opportunities for the All Blacks to dine on.
In 2017 they were leading 22-15 in New Plymouth before a Pumas turnover from a failed exit was spun wide to blindside flanker Vaea Fifita who scored a blistering try to change the game.
In 2018 in Buenos Aires the ball spilled out of a ruck after Batista Delguy was unfortunately concussed running it out from deep and Rieko Ioane scooped up the turnover to put the All Blacks up 21-3 at halftime.
Nico Sanchez gave up a 50-metre intercept try to Brodie Retallick in 2019 right before halftime and they ended up losing the test 20-16 with that try being the difference.
In the 2020 rematch won 38-0 by the All Blacks it was two quick tries to Will Jordan, one off a dropped Pumas’ pass and another from an intercept, that broke the game open.
Argentina have decided not to overplay their hand with a more conservative approach so those type of turnovers have dried up, but if they have to clean up a few more kicks, they will be forced to scramble more and anything can happen.
Lucio Cinti, Emiliano Boffelli and Juan Cruz Mallia are not the most experienced back three together, while Boffelli is a fullback playing right wing.
Caleb Clarke’s try came after exposing his sliding hesitant defence on the right flank. Once you identify a tendency, you have to go after it and the home side did not do that in Christchurch.
The ability to adapt to the situation in-game has been lacking for this All Blacks team, along with inconsistent decision-making.
After a missed Jordie Barrett penalty early in search of three points to opening their account, the next penalty was kicked to the corner and successfully resulted in a maul try.
On one hand they wanted three, moments later they wanted a try.
Later on in the match a low percentage 60-metre attempt was taken, yet deep into the game with the Pumas nursing a small lead, the All Blacks kicked to the sideline instead of trying to narrow the lead with threes after struggling to make inroads previously.
Codie Taylor’s subsequent throws spoiled the opportunities but the decision-making throughout the game was all over the shop.
As the bout entered the late rounds, the All Blacks weren’t willing to win the test ugly like the visitors were, who kept ticking over the scoreboard with six penalties and only bagged one opportunist try.
If the test plays out like that again they have to win by the means necessary and that means chipping away at the lead if most of the shots have fired blanks to that point.
I just read Aaron Smith talking about getting focused on playing our game and that Argentina don't want to play. On Newshub. This is our problem we are stuck in past glories, the game has changed and we are not adapting. Argentina play to win period while we seem focused on aesthetic issues. We need to focus on the opposition method and break it down. This is not new for the AB's but a long period of dominance has made us arrogant.
The solution is obvious..Problem is we don't have a 1/5 with a decent tactical kicking game..Once a basic skill of a Game Manager/playmaker.