Few shine in scratchy All Blacks win
OPINION: The All Blacks’ win over the Barbarians was dominated by players failing to take their opportunities.
Three second-half tries ensured New Zealand’s 31-22 win, but the regular test starters sitting on the sidelines can breathe a sigh of relief after a match that featured few standouts in the black jersey.
It is not that anyone played poorly, just that there were few to take their chance to pressure the incumbents.
With the amount of Kiwis in Barbarians, the match resembled an All Blacks trial - perhaps it should have been renamed Probables v Possibles.
And just like any trial match, some of those in the lesser-rated side made the better of their chance. Prop Atu Moli, an apprentice with the All Blacks during the Rugby Championship, was one of those.
Moli will link with the All Blacks for their French leg of the tour and if he can continue his form, then a test cap could come his way sooner rather than later.
The Waikato man held up his side of the scrum well and outshone his All Blacks counterparts in the loose.
Richie Mo’unga looked assured at No 10 while playing the unorthodox Barbarians style of play, while lock Dominic Bird was also strong.
From an All Blacks perspective, Waisake Naholo was strong on the right wing, while Luke Romano put in plenty of work at lock. But that was about it.
Ofa Tu’ungafasi, TJ Perenara, Anton Lienert-brown, Nathan Harris, Jerome Kaino and David Havili had chances to fight for more game time, but their performances were just OK.
Ngani Laumape had trouble imposing himself on the game, but his second half try when he ran over Mo’unga at least meant he had a moment to prove his potential.
Vaea Fifita continues to look an exciting prospect, but there are still rough edges to be smoothed out, especially his workrate.
His 40m break in the first half was one of the runs of the match, if only he passed the ball back to Laumape, the man who put him into space in the first place, rather than running away from support.
On the other side of the ledger, Julian Savea had a prime chance to stamp his claim back on the All Blacks’ jersey.
Instead he ended the match as the fourth best wing on the field and never really looked threatening.
Best on the field was South African Kwagga Smith. The flanker set the tone on defence as the Barbarians opted for the rush defence that has caused the All Blacks issues in the past.
They were pretty proficient with it considering they are an invitational team with limited preparation time.
Granted the Barbarians spent much of the match offside, but the All Blacks still seem to have issues exposing holes in the scheme.
Hats off to the Barbarians players for playing in the spirit of the club as it marks 125 years.
The New Zealand style and the Barbarians style can often be confused as the same thing.
While New Zealand implement a strong attack-first mentality, Barbarians rugby goes a step further.
Barbarians rugby effectively shuns all tactical kicking, embraces spreading the ball wide and opting to kick a penalty is blasphemous. But they are also all about innovation and unique attacking structures, much like their final try, which was set up from a placed-kicked penalty, or Taniela Tupou’s disallowed ballup-the-jersey try against the Wallabies last week.
The Barbarians may not have the best winning record, but they are also one of the best teams to watch.