Foster’s men escape with a little help from unlikely source
We’re often told by the All Blacks that they aren’t afraid to sling arrows at each other during postmatch reviews.
Good. Let’s be having that honesty. When the investigation into why they almost came a cropper to the Wallabies in Melbourne is delivered, it should be accompanied by a couple of spoonfuls of strong medicine.
Once All Blacks coach Ian Foster and his squad have come down from the high of the epic 39-37 win to retain the Bledisloe Cup, they should demand a thorough post-match analysis that digs deep into every detail of the wild and spectacular match at Marvel Stadium.
Firstly, fair play to the All Blacks. They had the tenacity to trash the Wallabies’ party in spectacular fashion, when everything seemed lost.
Yes, they surrendered a 31-13 lead midway through the second half, but they also found a way to get out of that mess.
Sam Whitelock, who took over the captaincy duties because Sam Cane failed an HIA in the first half, had the fortitude to not take the soft option in the final minutes.
Whitelock could have told Richie Mo’unga to attempt a kickable penalty and level the scores, instead of punting for the corner to set up a lineout drive.
The tactic failed when the
Wallabies won a penalty, but it ultimately proved decisive when referee Mathieu Raynal bizarrely punished Bernard Foley for dithering.
The rest is history. Jordie Barrett’s try near the right-hand corner flag after the fulltime siren sealed the memorable win for the All Blacks and, as a consequence, the rematch at Eden Park in Auckland this weekend will be a dead rubber.
Make no mistake, luck was on the All Blacks’ side. Had Raynal not taken the penalty off the Wallabies, the final chapter would have been rewritten.
It could also be argued the Wallabies shouldn’t have been awarded a try to Andrew Kellaway following a forward pass, or that substitute lock Darcy Swain should have got a red card, not yellow, for his nasty work on Quinn Tupaea.
The key question for the All Blacks is this. Why did they have to rely on Raynal to save them from embarrassment after blowing an 18-point lead?
Richie Mo’unga kicking a restart out on the full, Hoskins Sotutu not locking a shoulder on to Foley prior him passing to Kellaway and Will Jordan missing a tackle on Pete Samu during the lead-up to his try were costly.
This was a Wallabies team forced to recruit Foley, who hadn’t played for his country since the 2019 World Cup and had been playing in Japan, because of injuries to their playmakers. Yet he very nearly made a fairytale comeback.
In the end if it was the All Blacks who created their own luck by masterminding the crucial try to Barrett, and in doing so logged consecutive wins for the first time in 2022.
Had it not been for Raynal’s controversial decision, however, a defeat was imminent and the Bledisloe Cup would still be up for grabs at Eden Park in Auckland.
Foster, who last month was so close to being sacked by NZ Rugby, won’t need reminding of how narrow the margins can be at this level.
The All Blacks are now wellplaced to retain the Rugby Championship, even if they may have to find replacements for captain Sam Cane and David Havili after they suffered head knocks, and for Tupaea, who is set to be sidelined for around three months.
What Foster will ask himself and his players, was whether the triumph in Melbourne was a step forward from the 53-3 win over Argentina in Hamilton on September 3.
If they’re honest with themselves and each other, their answer would be negative.
There’s work to do during the dead rubber at Eden Park.