All Blacks watch: Taylor, Ardie Savea, Proctor shine

In a weekly segment, Liam Napier runs the rule over how the All Blacks, and some of the contenders for the jersey, are performing this Super Rugby season. Aussies believe they’re inferior - Kafer

Fekitoa took an upward turn but it was Whitelock who stole the show where it mattered for the Highlanders against the truly awful Rebels, whose defence would be laughed out of club rugby. The All Blacks want their loose forwards to dominate physically and that’s exactly what Whitelock is doing. One tackle in particular around the midriff jolted the ball clear. Whitelock is strong at the lineout, safe off the back of the scrum, and a much more mature player now than in 2013.

Scott Barrett (Crusaders)

Could easily appear in this section every week. Has long gone past Luke Romano in both the Crusaders and All Blacks locking stocks that it’s now not even a talking point. How rapid his rise has been since starting last year’s end of season tour as injury cover. This year he’s picked up where he left off, and also shown he’s more than comfortable on the side of the scrum if needed.

Ardie Savea (Hurricanes)

It’s a crying shame a calf injury has struck Savea down. All we can do is hope he’s not sidelined for too long. No-one could ask anything more than he’s been consistently producing for the Hurricanes this year, both from No 8 and openside. In Brisbane he was everywhere. On attack the leg drive was pumping. Tackles were made, and he frequently popped up in support. Superb stuff.

Matt Proctor (Hurricanes)

On the All Blacks radar as a utility previously but now, from centre, has found a home and is starting to offer a compelling case. Midfield presents a log-jam for the All Blacks but they could do worse than consider Proctor. Alongside Ngani Laumape he’s ticked all the boxes - against the Reds he beat Australian rugby players are starting to believe they are inferior to their trans-tasman counterparts according to respected analyst and former Wallaby Rod Kafer.

Although he supports calls to cut one of Australia’s five Super Rugby teams, Kafer believes the country’s disastrous record against New Zealand teams this season runs deeper than an overstretched player base.

‘‘All the players hear is how far ahead the Kiwi teams are and eventually, as resistant as you try to be as a player, those things over time seep in, through the smallest cracks in a player’s psyche,’’ he said.

‘‘You get the sense that our decline in performance, particularly against New Zealand sides, has unfortunately been consistent over

seven defenders and has missed just three of 42 tackles this year.

Damian Mckenzie (Chiefs)

It wasn’t what you’d call a the past three years. It’s almost in the Australian psyche now, that deferment to New Zealand, and it becomes self-perpetuating.

‘‘What we have to do is find a way to break that cycle and remove their grip from our throats.’’

With the code paralysed by the prospect of a fourth week of silence on the future of the 18-team competition, Kafer rejected suggestions the uncertainty had caused Australian teams’ poor results.

‘‘Of course there’s going to be uncertainty around the competition but if anything that gives the players opportunities to be inspired and to play as if their lives depended on it.’’

Kafer’s comments come amid calls from former Wallabies coach and veteran broadcaster Alan Jones for Australia to pull out of Super Rugby altogether and pursue a trans-tasman competition with New Zealand.

‘‘The cost of transport alone, plane fares and hotels, is enough to break the Bank of England,’’ Jones told Fox Sports.

‘‘We’re not spending enough money on the schoolboy stuff, it’s almost forgotten and unacknowledged, the club side is basically abandoned by [the ARU], the provincial stuff [Super Rugby] is awful.’’

Kafer said administrators were at risk of placing too much emphasis on aping the New Zealand highperformance model without tweaking it to fit Australia’s unique needs or recognising what Australians do well. way Mckenzie burst onto Tawera Kerr-barlow’s pin-point kick proved the highlight. How blessed New Zealand rugby is to have two men of Mckenzie’s and Jordie Barrett’s talents occupying the fullback roles under Ben Smith.

Ioane brothers (Blues)

Need more consistency from both Rieko and Akira but Saturday’s combined efforts off the bench helped spark the Blues for a brief period in the second half. After being dropped for poor work-rate, this was Akira’s best performance of the season.

Under pressure: Wyatt Crockett

It seems rude to single out a man who just became Super Rugby’s most capped player, drawing level on 175 appearances with Keven Mealamu. That being said, Crockett must be looking over his shoulder at Pauliasi Manu who is scrummaging the house down for the Blues, and improving his work-rate around the field. There’s also the five year age gap.