Bledisloe retained, now for the hard part Selection posers for ABs in wake of emphatic victory
Talk about little brother embarrassing big brother.
Tasman rolled Canterbury 23-8 in Christchurch yesterday afternoon, grabbing bragging rights in the all-Crusaders region match for just the second time in the last eight clashes between the sides.
The comfortable win pushed the Mako clear at the top of the premiership standings with nine points from their first two matches, seven more than Canterbury.
Indeed, the red and blacks have made a rotten start to the new season, losing their first two matches of a new season for the first time since 1996.
The only consolation Canterbury might take from the defeat is the fact they aren’t the first – and won’t be the last team – to be on the receiving end of Tasman this year.
After all, their stacked lineup, which included eight of the 19 Crusaders on show on the day – would probably give most Super Rugby sides a tickle up.
No wonder Tasman fans are daring to believe this could finally be the year they snag their maiden national provincial championship.
However, as good as they were on their way to their first win in Christchurch since 2014, the ominous thing is there is still ample room for improvement. Steve Hansen will name his All Blacks World Cup squad in 10 days with plenty to think about between now and then, including some selection head-scratchers, an AC joint injury to Richie Mo’unga and just whether his phone will ring with Liam Squire on the other end.
The All Blacks brains trust certainly has a more positive environment in which to make their final cull of the season down to the 31 they will take to Japan for their tilt at World Cup history. That squad will be announced a week on Wednesday, and Hansen admitted that after Saturday’s outstanding 36-0 Bledisloe Cup victory over the Wallabies on Eden Park some decisions are clearer and others more clouded.
Hansen and his coaches rolled the dice on the back of the record defeat to the Wallabies in Perth by dropping three established players in Ben Smith, Rieko Ioane and Owen Franks and ushering in younger, less experience alternatives in George Bridge, Sevu Reece and Nepo Laulala. The gamble paid handsome dividends.
Sure, they outscored the hosts three tries to one, and had the upper hand in ever facet of the game, but they left plenty of points on Orangetheory Stadium and will be disappointed not to have snared a bonus point.
Nevertheless, they were never in danger of losing the match they
‘‘In some ways it makes it easier because some people really put their hand up last night,’’ said Hansen of looming World Cup selections. He said starting No 10 Mo’unga had suffered an AC joint injury in his shoulder which would leave him sore for a couple of weeks but was not expected to have World Cup ramifications.
‘‘Where we had question marks, you no longer have question marks,’’ he added. ‘‘But in other ways it makes it a bit tougher too. There are always tough calls. Every time you name the team somebody misses out and it’s the end of their dream, and this is a pretty big one going to a World Cup.’’ led 18-3 at halftime, and 23-8 just five minutes into the second half.
The only try they conceded was on the counter-attack, after Ere Enari ripped the ball from Will Jordan and fed fullback Josh McKay, who dashed 95 metres in the 42nd minute.
But, released by the All Blacks a fortnight ago, lock Shannon Frizell finished off a rolling maul a few minutes later to restore Tasman’s buffer.
Canterbury were perhaps fortunate
The All Blacks coach said some established pecking orders were under review, especially after the composed and accurate way Bridge and Reece went about their business on the wings. ‘‘We saw lots of energy, we saw lots of intent, they were great under the high ball, great chasing kicks, so it’s a bit of pressure on the other guys now to front up. There’s the old saying ‘never give a sucker an even break because he’ll take it’. Now we’ve got some genuine competition, it will be good to see how it unfolds.’’
One selection issue could solve itself, with Brodie Retallick’s recovery from his shoulder dislocation likely to require a fourth specialist lock on deck to get them through the early matches in Japan. To that end, Patrick Tuipulotu answered some key questions on Saturday, with Hansen revealing a change in diet had
not to trail by more than 18-3 at the halfway mark.
Their lineout faltered, they slipped off numerous tackles, were toothless with ball in hand, and were simply outmuscled by the Mako in front of their fans.
It sure was a rare sight to see them spend so much time on the back foot, and only muster a sole Brett Cameron penalty goal in the first 40 minutes.
They missed nine tackles, four of them alone during Tasman wing Leicester Fainga’anuku’s bulldozing 60m run in the 16th minute of the match.
Luke Whitelock, Ngane Punivai, Brett Cameron and Josh McKay certainly won’t be rushing to watch a replay, given they all failed to bring the left-wing down.
It followed Levi Aumua’s fifth minute try, the result of Jordan and David Havili punishing a poor Enari box kick from inside his 22.
Tasman first five-eighth Mitch Hunt added a couple of penalty goals to stretch their lead, before Canterbury – after 35 minutes – finally found themselves inside the Mako 22.
However, the visitors’ stifled the red and blacks with their stubborn goal-line defence. produced some startling results.
‘‘We changed what he took in from an energy intake prior to this game because we know he’s fit and been running out of energy pretty early in games. Last night he went deep into the game and played really well,’’ said Hansen.
Squire remains an outside chance of becoming a late callup.
He is playing provincial rugby for Tasman after withdrawing from consideration for the All Blacks because he didn’t feel he was ready for test rugby on the back of an injury-plagued season.
Hansen confirmed the ball was now in Squire’s court if he wanted to be considered for the World Cup.
‘‘We’ve got an understanding: if he’s keen, he’ll let me know,’’ explained the coach . . . That means he rings me.
‘‘We’ve got 10 days till we name [the squad]. We’ll have plenty of discussions between now and then, but a lot of the robust ones have been had. We’ve baked a lot of the cake, now it’s about getting it out of the oven and putting a bit of icing on it.’’ MORE STORIES P26-27, P30-31