Dunedin test a Dublin moment

There were echoes of Ireland 2013 about the way the All Blacks escaped the clutches of defeat in Dunedin and the value of that could be significant.

Famously in Dublin four years ago, the All Blacks conjured a matchwinning try three minutes after the hooter had sounded in what was the greatest example of calm under pressure world rugby has seen.

It became a pivotal moment in the development of the side that went on to win the World Cup two years later.

That late escape furnished the players with an incredible self-belief and confidence that if they trusted their skills, regardless of the situation, they could achieve their goal.

It was the perfect illustration of anything being possible if everyone stayed calm, task-focused to the point of being obsessed about process and oblivious to outcome.

The current team doesn’t have many Dublin survivors. Come the final five minutes of the second Bledisloe Cup test in Dunedin, there were only five players on the field who had also been on the park at the equivalent stage in Dublin: Brodie Retallick, Sam Whitelock, Kieran Read, Beauden Barrett and Ben Smith.

Aaron Smith, Dane Coles and Ryan Crotty were all on the field at the equivalent point in Dublin but not in Dunedin.

For the majority of the current All Blacks squad, Dublin 2013 was a moment they were living through vicariously. They had seen it from afar, conscious that it happened but, like all nearly miraculous events, their true power comes from being experienced.

And this All Blacks side needed their own Dublin moment. They needed to prove to themselves they could deliver under pressure; that the skill in doing that is not inherent within the All Blacks jersey, but dependent on the people wearing it.

The All Blacks of 2017 effectively needed that same stake in their own history rather than borrowing it from the 2013 side.

“I immediately thought of 2013,” said All Blacks coach Steve Hansen about the way his team conjured that late Barrett try to win 35-29. “With 77 minutes on the clock, Australia score, and to be able to keep their composure and come back from that and score will be massive for them. They will understand that it’s about staying in the moment and keeping your attention where you need to keep it.

“It is about doing the things you need to do to do things well that will be a great lesson for them. They will get some trust and belief out of that and grow stronger.”

Hansen is hopeful the enormity of those last few minutes in Dunedin will pay significant dividends.

Genuine adversity and difficult moments were in short supply last year and in truth, the All Blacks coaching team weren’t keen on seeing their team cruise through the Rugby Championship with such ease.

It gave a young, inexperienced group a false sense of security and left them underexposed to the moments that would truly test their character and resolve.

“After the World Cup, we lost about 800-900 test caps, and that is a massive amount to lose for us,” said Hansen. “It is about re-establishing who we are. Last year, we had an easy year from a hard-knocks point of view. We didn’t get many and we didn’t get asked too many questions.

“Apart from the Chicago one, and at 31-28, we probably should have won it. We were back in it and we went off the boil expecting it to happen. So we learned that lesson.

“[On Saturday,] I think we learned another one. At 17-0 down, the game is not over and if you just stay taskfocused, there is plenty of time and we have got the talent to do the job.”