Clean sweep a Hansen win as ABs manage to stay ahead
OPINION: There must have been a great deal of satisfaction in the All Blacks’ coaching box when Rieko Ioane finished off a slick setpiece move in the final five minutes in the tough win against Wales.
The move was a great example of how to manipulate defenders and find space, exploiting an unfamiliar Welsh midfield which by that stage had pushed second five-eighth Owen Williams out to centre to accommodate Jamie Roberts.
It was an exclamation mark on a win that showed the All Blacks’ strategy of resting players earlier in the year had paid off.
Two of the men who did not board the plane for the Argentina leg of the Rugby Championship were Sam Whitelock and Sam Cane. They were both standouts in Cardiff. Steve Hansen and co had got this right.
It was timely. The All Blacks coaches have had a hard job convincing a restive public that all of the All Blacks’ issues have been down to injuries this year.
Even former All Blacks Jeff Wilson and Justin Marshall were taking a harder line in pre-match comments before the Wales game. They were not critical outright but they were certainly quizzical.
And there were plenty of things in the Wales game that again invited chagrin. The All Blacks have had to make so many tackles of late because their kicking game has not been up to it, no matter who has been wearing the No 10 jersey.
A loose pass here or there and a tricky offload that did not need to be made also meant the All Blacks starved themselves of possession.
Yet, despite a number of selfinflicted wounds, the All Blacks dug in and resisted.
It would not have been the case 12 months ago, when the All Blacks were so obviously in bits by the time they reached Paris to play the season finale against France.
Fatigue on the end-of-year tour had clearly become a concern for the All Blacks coaches and they took steps to address it.
Put simply, had the All Blacks not managed their season in the way they did during the Rugby Championship, they would have lost to either the Scots or the Welsh.
Cane, in particular, was everywhere.
The modern No 7 must tread a very fine line. They must be muscular and have the size to be dominant, yet that must not come at the cost of endurance or speed. Cane must be pretty close to that sweet spot, with his try against France in Paris showing he has lost not his ability as a support runner.
Whitelock, too, played with enough impressive industry to suggest the resting strategy had worked.
This is a difficult All Blacks year to assess.
There have been times they have not played to the potential of the players on the paddock.
New Zealand remains the deepest well for rugby talent in the world but watching the All Blacks has not always felt that way. That is something the coaches will no doubt address away from the hue and cry.
But enough of the critical stuff. The year closed with the sight of Ioane cutting apart the Welsh. He is a thrilling sight.
It was reminder of why the All Blacks still lead the pack, in a game that confirmed their coaches still retain the capacity to learn from experience. That’s the greatest trait to have.