A perfect game
put a mate into a gap, and when it’s all flowing it is a sight to behold.
Napier: Only once this year did the All Blacks truly drop their guard.
In Chicago, city of distractions during the Cubs’ droughtbreaking triumph, the Irish ambush snuck five tries past the All Blacks.
It proved an aberration. Ireland failed to cross the line in Dublin during the return assignment, and the All Blacks only conceded 18 tries in 14 tests this year.
For perspective they scored 79 – nine each against South Africa in Durban and Italy in Rome.
Now in their second season, Wayne Smith’s defensive systems largely held firm.
Smith is a perfectionist, and won’t be entirely happy.
But when their heads were switched on, the All Blacks brought the right attitude towards defence.
Props Owen Franks and Joe Moody were exposed at times but, collectively, few other teams could withstand the pressure they did, particularly on the northern tour.
And where is there still room for improvement?
Napier: Tactical ploy or otherwise, the All Blacks were guilty of kicking away far too much ball in their final four tests. No one player could be singled out – many culprits put boot to ball unnecessarily or inaccurately.
That, combined with illdiscipline, forced them to live without the pill for prolonged periods, sapping energy levels.
Crossfield kicks worked a treat at times and kicking for territory remains a big part of the game but the All Blacks look their best when they are patient and build phases.
Two other areas need amending: ruck defence and lack of numbers at the breakdown.
The northern teams contest the breakdown in their droves and were successful at slowing possession and interfering with the halfback.
Creating clean, quick ball is crucial to the All Blacks attack and they didn’t get the balance right up north.
Utilising forwards in the wide channels only works if the ball gets there with speed. Argentina, Ireland and France also found success with inside balls targeting the men closest to the All Blacks ruck. It proved an ongoing problem.
Hinton: There’s no doubt they weren’t there mentally for the northern tour, and that may need to be addressed by the leadership group. Also depth at lock will need to be looked at.
Losing both locks Brodie Retallick and Sam Whitelock exposed them painfully.
Of a more practical nature, their discipline, a tendency to over-kick, possession struggles up front, defence down the inside channels and numbers at the breakdown could all be targeted for some attention.
Against Ireland and France, those big packs were able to strangle the All Blacks a little up front, deny them the possession platforms they thrive on and dictate terms a little too easily.
You lose one test out of 14, clearly deficiencies are at a minimum. But these guys are perfectionists, and they’ll be looking hard at being as ready as they can for the combined northern assault next June-July.
Here’s a goodie: The Donald Trump, ‘I didn’t see that coming’, sideshow of the year?
Hinton: We’ve covered off the Aaron Smith debacle, so I’m going to go the ‘thugby’’ media campaign to portray the All Blacks as soulless brutes intent on removing heads from shoulders in the wake of the Dublin test victory.
It had an orchestrated whiff about it, so co-ordinated did it appear to be as Irish media and ex-players lined up to take their shots at a New Zealand side that had two players yellow-carded for high shots in their 21-9 victory. Supposedly, 11 of the 12 incidents referred to the citing commissioner were acts by the men in black.
What followed was an outcry of extraordinary proportions, demonstrating palpably the strength of message that can be put together in the northern media.
Translation: get used to it men, as more is coming next year when the Lions visit.
Oh, and by the way, it was absolute garbage.
Napier: Mad Michael Cheika and his temper tantrums first made false accusations in Wellington, then overshadowed the All Blacks’ record-breaking feats at Eden Park.
Deflection at its most obvious, Cheika felt backed into a corner after the Wallabies were embarrassed in Sydney and came out swinging like he was still at No 8 for Randwick. Cheika was lucky not to be sanctioned by World Rugby after wrongly accusing Steve Hansen of meeting with referee Romain Poite.
Just when you thought he couldn’t overstep the mark anymore he fell off the rocker completely in Auckland, this time stating the All Blacks had a hand in a newspaper cartoon depicting him as a clown.
Controlling emotions might be a suitable New Year’s resolution.