DON’T PANIC!
AB coach urges calm
After reviewing the tape of the loss to Ireland, the All Blacks are confident there’s nothing to panic about and will keep tweaking their game with an eye on the World Cup next year.
Much has been made of the All Blacks’ attempt to change the way they play in order to counter stifling rush defences now common in the global game. Rather than reinvent the wheel they’ve tried to make small changes and that has resulted in their taking one step back in their quest to make two steps forward in 2019.
It has taken longer than expected for these subtle alterations to be ingrained against quality opposition on foreign soil but come next year’s World Cup, the All Blacks believe they will have multiple blueprints to roll out against contrasting opposition as a direct result of this difficult period.
The past fortnight in London and Dublin, while disappointing in terms of performance, could therefore prove invaluable.
“It’s not that we’ve got some sort of cunning plan to have this different game plan but we’re trying to be very open to what’s happening in front of us and what other teams are doing,” assistant coach Ian Foster said. “We might be making some changes but so are other teams.
“Other teams are defending differently and changing the way they play against us so we’ve got to try different things against different opposition and you learn from all those experiences.
“At a World Cup you’re playing very different teams with different styles. We need to be able to do two or three things well.
“We’ll be changing our game right through a World Cup. That’s what always happens. You’re always trying to add bits and pieces . . . the key is to get the components clear. Clearly, Ireland showed us up a little bit so we’ve got a bit of work to do against that type of team.”
Externally at least, one try in the past two tests has set off alarm bells given the rarity of such an occurrence for the All Blacks, a team with so many gifted attacking talents.
From suggestions of the backs being too flat to a belief in some quarters that Beauden Barrett should be shifted to fullback, there has been no shortage of theories on how to remedy struggles to create and convert attacking chances.
Though confident it will eventually click, Barrett spoke yesterday about the frustration of seeing many chances but being unable to get the ball to where it must go to execute in key moments.
Despite heavy rain expected to continue in Rome this week, the All Blacks are determined to finish the year with a statement performance against Italy by regaining their attacking mojo.
Even if they do, the challenge will be replicating that against stronger opposition.
“We’re not panicking about not scoring a try last week, we’re just disappointed with how we played,” Foster said. “Sometimes you’re going to get tight games and that sort of thing happens. We just want to play well and go away with a bit of confidence that the path we’re on is a good one.
“There’s always a lot of panic around us when we drop a game and that’s to be expected but it’s happened before and it’ll happen again. We just don’t want it to happen very often.
“We’ve got no issues with high expectations and disappointment when we don’t play to the levels that we want. That’s the passion of our supporters.
“For us it doesn’t change what we’re doing.
“We’re happy with the understanding of the group and the direction but we still haven’t got some habits to the degree we want them,” Smith said.
“Some of that is player understanding but also as a coaching group we’re analysing how we’re delivering it.”
Under-utilised to this point, Ngani Laumape could yet prove a game changer for the All Blacks. In their on-going battles to counteract smothering defences, the All Blacks have seen Sonny Bill Williams as the answer at second five-eighth.
Williams is supposed to be the hard-running, direct presence that consistently challenges, buckles the line and forces opposition to backpedal.
His well-noted offloading game brings another threatening element, while proven big-match temperament across two codes and strong voice are other valued qualities.
Williams may yet come right next year. As they did with Dan Carter before the 2015 World Cup, the All Blacks are likely to keep the faith and give the 33-year-old every chance to rekindle his best.
But with continued questions hovering over Williams’ fitness and form, Laumape is expected to get something of a second chance to stake his growing claims this week in Rome after initially being left on the outer. Laumape is an intriguing case. Just as he could easily emerge as the solution at No 12 so, too, could he miss the World Cup squad.
Anton Lienert-Brown’s ability to cover both midfield roles is a big tick, and while Ryan Crotty didn’t provide the desired impact against Ireland, the previous week at Twickenham he was key to helping regain backline poise after coming on 30 minutes in.
Jack Goodhue appears to have all but cemented his presence as the firstchoice centre and, so, if Laumape is to make the final World Cup cut next year, he probably needs to edge out one of Lienert-Brown, Williams or Crotty as carrying five midfielders may be a luxury.
That’s no easy task. There may also be a reluctance to start Laumape and Goodhue, given their inexperience, in a World Cup knockout match. Laumape can’t be discounted, though. He is a genuine point of difference; incredibly hard to handle, particularly for opposition first-fives, at full speed.
His compelling efforts in scoring three tries against Japan offered a glimpse into just how devastating he can be. And it’s been a long time since we’ve witnessed any form of comparable performance from Williams. Laumape’s efforts in Tokyo left an impression on the All Blacks, and they had no hesitation recalling him once Williams succumbed to a shoulder injury against England. Another quality outing combining raw pace and power this week could apply further selection pressure. “He’s had a pretty good year really. When he’s had the opportunity to come in with us he’s nailed everything we’ve wanted him to do, to be honest,” All Blacks assistant coach Ian Foster said.
“That’s why we’ve always said it’s an area we’ve got some really good choices. He clearly missed out on this tour but played the Japan test and I thought he was probably the best player on the park that day. “He’s continually adding a kicking game and first-receiver game which have been two areas we’ve really wanted him to grow in so he should be pretty proud of the way he developed those parts of his game. “He continues to bang on the door.” Laumape is not the finished article but, like Williams, always needed time to regain rugby rhythm after three years with the Warriors.
After impressing in the pressure cauldron of the third dig at the British and Irish Lions at Eden Park last year, Laumape’s test career has been a slow burn, starting just three times since.
The time has now come to let him loose. His potential upside for the All Blacks is too obvious to ignore.