EDITOR’S LETTER
IT’S NOT EASY to appreciate the value of tight-five forwards. We all kind of get that they are important and do a job that matters, but then a player like Beauden Barrett will wiggle his hips and we go all gaga for it.
That’s the nature of things, isn’t it? A big lock can graft away for 80 minutes, enduring unspeakable punishment and showing unbelievable commitment and skill to deliver the ball and receive not one word of praise or acknowledgement.
Yet a wing or a first-five can stand around looking pretty for 79 minutes and then produce two seconds of magic and be hailed the hero of the hour.
It’s the overt nature of X-factor – we all see it, we all get it, we all wish we had it. But if there is one thing that became apparent late last year, it was that X-factor only works, is only possible, if there is grunt factor to support it.
And there are no finer exponents of grunt work than Sam Whitelock and Brodie Retallick. These two have become a special combination and an absolutely critical part of the All Blacks.
As was evidenced in Chicago last year, the All Blacks aren’t the same team without these two. When they were both injured for that game, the All Blacks lineout fell apart.
The collisions were won by Ireland. No one carried the ball up the middle of the park with the same venom and New Zealand looked a little vulnerable.
It was a good reminder, though. A chance to actually appreciate what the country has in these two men. A chance to fully appreciate the grunt work they do and get a better handle on what the All Blacks are about.
Despite appearances to the contrary, the All Blacks aren’t in actual fact a flashy, showy side that thrive on the brilliance of the likes of Barrett, Sonny Bill Williams and Ben Smith. Of course these men are all part of the package and do amazing things. But they are able to do those amazing things because in front of them, Whitelock and Retallick are doing equally amazing things. Maybe not as overtly or as dramatically, but just as effectively.
Probably, Whitelock is the best lineout forward in the world. He took that mantle in 2015 when he had one of those moments that served almost as a coronation.
The All Blacks were just two points in front in the World Cup semifinal and vulnerable to conceding a penalty and being knocked out. That thought was increasingly hard to keep at bay when the Springboks had a lineout 10 metres inside All Blacks’ territory. They would surely win the ball, drive it and look to force the collapse.
A nation held its breath. Not Whitelock. He watched, studied and then brilliantly timed his jump to get in front of his opposite, Victor Matfield, and steal the ball.
It went to Daniel Carter who booted it up the field and the pressure was back on the Boks. They never got close after that and it was all because of Whitelock. It was poignant because up until then Matfield had been the best lineout forward in the world.
Whitelock is more than just a jumper, though. He carries the ball, hits rucks hard, tackles a lot and is just a phenomenal presence.
As for Retallick, he has an engine almost as good as Richie McCaw’s. He gets everywhere and never stops.
Yes, he can win lineout ball, scrum and tackle. And yes, he can clean men out and look after himself. What he can also do is make himself one of the best first receivers in the game.
He carries the ball a lot off the ruck and he’s brilliant at it. He picks smart angles, hammers in hard and has soft hands and great awareness. The juxtaposition of a big man with such good skills is a rare mix and explains why Retallick was World Player of the Year in 2014.
Together these two read each other perfectly and work in tandem to give the All Blacks everything they need and more.
Their contribution against the Lions is going to be huge. It needs to be huge because the visitors have this crazy idea that the All Blacks are vulnerable at set piece and not so good at the contact area.
Where they got this idea is hard to know but Whitelock and Retallick will be quite happy to disabuse them of it.
This test series could be their moment to stamp their place in history as New Zealand’s best lock pairing of all time. They have been at the coalface together since 2012 and are in their absolute prime.
They will love being challenged by the big men and love being asked to show if they have the mental fortitude to stand up to what should be a relentless physical assault.
Whether the Lions love the way they respond is a different matter all together. What will matter is that by July, it should be a little easier for everyone to appreciate the value of high quality tight forwards.