Loss will be a handbrake
Columnist says the All Blacks must slow down their game to allow brains to catch up
Will New Zealand’s quest to push the limits in test rugby be halted in the wake of their 36-34 loss to South Africa in Wellington at the weekend?
Times columnist and former British & Irish Lion and England fiveeighth Stuart Barnes believes it will.
“With a rematch against South Africa in Pretoria — before the two sides meet on the first weekend of the World Cup — the All Blacks will want to remind the old foe exactly who is boss.
“To do that, they must cut out some of the mistakes. To cut the mistakes, they should rein back from their 80-minute overdrive. They conceded 17 soft points due to the destabilising pace of their own game. Jordie Barrett threw a ridiculous quick lineout that led to a Willie le Roux try and the South African lead.
“With the focus on the kicking, few are pointing out that New Zealand spun out of control. This is a team who have set new standards in the pursuit of creativity. The limits have been perpetually pushed, [Steve] Hansen has encouraged them to play at their startling pace.
“But the speed of their thought couldn’t match the speed of movement, hence they lost the match. Hansen’s role is to take them back to where they are more comfortable and the opposition are still struggling.
“That means moving one step away from creativity back towards some sort of conformity. Other teams are obsessed with efficiency, not New Zealand. But limits have to be drawn at some stage if 2007 is not to be picked all over again,” he said.
However, he said the losers in Wellington are more likely to prove the long-term winners as the testing of limits is replaced by the quest for controlled excellence.
“There’s not much poetry in ‘ efficiency’ but when it comes to World Cups a balance is required. Hansen will be hammering home that point. New Zealand’s voyage of discovery may be over. That is sad,” he said.
Barnes also felt some of the All Blacks’ decision-making was “crass”. The failure to kicked a dropped goal came in for criticism, because it was the obvious way to win but the All Blacks ignored it.
Yet he felt the loss could be reflected in New Zealand winning next year’s World Cup.
“A year out from the World Cup and with seven away games to come, now is the time to learn lessons. One defeat does no damage to their prospects in Japan.” — allblacks.com