Slippery when wet: SBW likely to give the ABs grip
The Oita Stadium roof will be closed when the All Blacks play Canada tonight. But that isn’t to say there won’t be wet and difficult conditions as anyone who saw Scotland slide their way to victory over Manu Samoa at the enclosed Kobe Misake Stadium will attest.
That match, won 34-0 by Scotland and badly affected by high humidity inside the stadium, highlighted the importance of being direct when necessary and adaptable, too. The Scots changed their game to suit the conditions whereas the Samoans couldn’t or wouldn’t.
All of which brings us to the All Blacks here and their approach against Canada, a nation ranked 22nd in the world they should beat comfortably without trying anything too out of the ordinary.
It’s here Sonny Bill Williams may be especially prominent, with the big second-five starting outside playmaker Richie Mo’unga for the third time and able to provide momentum like few others.
Williams celebrated the start of his third World Cup when linking with No 10 Mo’unga in playing 30 minutes off the bench during the win over the Boks in Yokohama. After starting alongside the little Crusader against the Boks in Wellington and Wallabies at Eden Park, the 1.94m Williams gets another chance to push his case and is likely to do so in the most physical way imaginable.
The Canadian inside back duo of Peter Nelson and Ciaran Hearn must be preparing their shoulders for the
worst-case scenario either with or without the ball.
“It’s a reality check to how small I am, actually, playing with someone like Sonny,” Mo’unga, who stands 1.76m, said. “Playing alongside Crotts isn’t too bad as we’re both a similar height. Sonny is awesome, he’s world class. He’s very genuine with his preparation and when I play with him he’s very genuine in asking me if there’s anything he can do to help make my job easier.
“I love playing inside Sonny — having a big body there . . . he doesn’t
I love playing inside Sonny — he doesn’t mind making tackles for me. Richie Mo’unga
mind coming in and making tackles for me.”
Twin playmakers Mo’unga and Beauden Barrett have roomed together in Beppu this week and this match against Canada, which comes four days before the All Blacks play Namibia in Tokyo, is another chance to strengthen their on-field bond.
But, as All Blacks assistant coach Ian Foster said, this match is ideally also about cementing combinations throughout the squad and getting much-needed game time into men such as the Jack Goodhue, who is returning from a hamstring strain, and Matt Todd, back from a shoulder problem. Neither Rieko Ioane nor Jordie Barrett are likely to lack energy, either.
“I know everyone’s excited and talking about these two and the roles they play but it’s how we fit the whole team into the attacking model we want to play,” Foster said. “It’s not just connecting two players, it’s about connecting 15, and particularly our midfield who play a pretty important role with our decision-making. We’re just trying to keep building the combinations we have and the permutations we think we need through this tournament.
“We’ve got Jack Goodhue coming back after being out for a while. We wanted to give the team some consistency but also grow Sonny and Jack and have them fit in well and see what they can contribute.”
Barrett said: “We’d like to think that every back is a playmaker so we all have that ability to make good, smart decisions. We all have the skill sets to run, pass or kick.”