All Blacks must go up a gear
When the All Blacks-Ireland series was confirmed, conventional wisdom dictated that the home side would be most vulnerable in the first test.
But you can toss conventional wisdom in the bin, because there is so much about this series that is unconventional, and all the evidence points to the second test in Dunedin as being the game where the two sides truly go toe-to-toe.
For a start, Ireland’s games against the Ma¯ ori All Blacks before the first and third tests means that they have only one week that looks like a traditional test week – and this is the week.
The All Blacks’ issues with Covid-19 and concussion are
another factor, particularly with Sam Whitelock’s absence prompting a not-insignificant reshuffle of the pack.
Add in the All Blacks’ challenge of matching last weekend’s emotional heights, and there is little wonder that captain Sam Cane was slightly guarded about the challenge ahead.
‘‘It’s never easy to get up for a test match straight after another one,’’ Cane said this week. ‘‘There’s always that day or two of soreness and a wee bit of mental fatigue, I suppose.
‘‘And then you pick yourself up and get excited again for what’s coming.’’
Cane also made the point that they had moved on quickly from the Eden Park test and were looking forward to playing under the roof at Forsyth Barr Stadium, but they certainly know what’s coming from Ireland this weekend.
If they were under any illusions about that, Ireland’s
selection of Johnny Sexton – signposted early by coach Andy Farrell – would have shattered
them.
The Irish have gone all in on winning a test on New Zealand soil for the first time, and this is the test they’ll be targeting.
‘‘To be honest, the lads are in a good place,’’ Farrell said. ‘‘I suppose there’s a there’s a bit of doubt that creeps in when you don’t know the answers, but they know the answers. ‘‘They know the bits that they need to get right. They know the access they give the All Blacks and they understand that you can’t do that because they know first-hand now that you’ll be behind your own posts.’’
Farrell’s quiet sense of confidence stems from Ireland’s belief they were their own worst enemies at Eden Park, with many of the All Blacks’ points stemming from their own errors.
However, the All Blacks also have the capacity to change the pictures they present in Dunedin. In fact, head coach Ian Foster acknowledged they would have to in the wake of shifting Scott Barrett back into a locking position beside Brodie Retallick.
‘‘It just changes the way that we have to go about it,’’ Foster said. ‘‘It’s not the same sort of mix, but we’ve got to be good enough to adapt to that.
‘‘The second week is always tough like that. This is a series we wanted because there’s a chance for us to test some things against a quality northern hemisphere team. The nice thing is that we know how much they want it. We shouldn’t be surprised that we’re going have to go up [a level] and progress.
‘‘So, we’ve spoken about that. Talking is one thing and doing is another thing, but we’re pretty determined.’’
The scene is therefore set. An All Blacks side that has had to come down from a good win and rejig their lineup, versus the desperate Irish who are about to throw everything at them. It should be the game of the series.
‘‘It’s never easy to get up for a test match straight after another one.’’ Sam Cane All Blacks captain