Two wins away
ABs march on
Although some current players weren’t born when the All Blacks last played England in a World Cup semifinal, it would beggar belief if they knew nothing about the famous battle in Cape Town in 1995.
After their 46-14 demolition of Ireland in the World Cup quarterfinal in Tokyo on Saturday, the All Blacks, should they require extra motivation, could do some history lessons ahead of the semifinal against England in Yokohama next weekend.
In 1995 the All Blacks, captained by Sean Fitzpatrick, beat England 45-29 at Newlands and while the late Jonah Lomu starred by scoring four tries it would be seriously misguided to underestimate the contribution of his team-mates that day.
Under coach Laurie Mains the All Blacks put immense pressure on their opponents by electing to use their superior fitness to play at pace, quickly flick the ball through the hands and maintain continuity in a breathtaking manner.
If it sounds familiar, that will be of no surprise.
The attacking philosophies current coach Steve Hansen has instilled in his team, which blew apart Ireland’s hopes of advancing into the semis for the first time, were once again on display as they scored seven tries to two at Tokyo Stadium.
All Blacks left wing George Bridge, who scored a late try against the Irish, was less than three months old when Fitzpatrick’s team recorded their famous win over the English but that game plan will resonate with him in the days ahead.
Bridge appears certain to get his first crack at playing the English, who beat Australia 40-16 in the quarterfinal in Oita, as Hansen sticks with his top lineup.
No-one should expect the Eddie Jones-coached England team to be as passive as the Irish, but there are questions as to whether they can stick with the All Blacks if they can crank their attacking game into top gear.
Bridge described the efforts of his forward pack as ‘‘unreal’’.
‘‘To be outside that was pretty special, to watch them winning the collision areas and opening up the space outside for guys like me and the outside backs,’’ Bridge said.
England’s forward pack, which is mentored by former All Blacks coach John Mitchell, won’t wilt as easily against the Irish and the back row is every bit as good – if not better.
Some big bundles of British beef are loaded in the men numbered one to eight, and they will know how crucial it will be to stop the All Blacks from providing fast ball for men like Bridge.
The All Blacks’ discipline will need to be better against the English; they are unlikely to be as sloppy as Irish first five-eighth Johnny Sexton who butchered several scoring chances by failing to miss touch after penalties.
The All Blacks conceded 13 penalties against the Irish, and referee Nigel Owens yellow carded replacement flanker Matt Todd late in the game after awarding a penalty try.
England should have beaten the All Blacks in London last November, but a try to flanker Sam Underhill in the final minutes was disallowed by the TMO.
After trailing 15-0 the New Zealanders did well to win 16-15, and neither team will have forgotten that scrape.
Bridge, speaking immediately after the win in Tokyo, hadn’t had a chance to watch England’s win over Australia.
Asked if he was surprised by the score, he was diplomatic.
‘‘Ah, well. It was always going to be a tough battle. I can’t answer that. To be honest, I haven’t really looked too far into the English side so far.
‘‘I just know they are a bloody quality side.’’
Having watched Kieran Read exterminate the ghosts of Dublin, All Blacks coach Steve Hansen didn’t waste the chance to deliver some retribution of his own.
All Blacks skipper Read found himself in the crosshairs when his fiercest critics demanded he be sacked following the 16-9 loss to Ireland last November, saying age and injuries had finally caught up with him.
If the No 8 was thinking about the stinging attacks before the All Blacks walloped Ireland 46-14 in their World Cup quarterfinal i on Saturday, he wasn’t letting on.
Hansen, though, hadn’t forgotten. After acknowledging the contributions that departing Ireland coach Joe Schmidt and his captain Rory Best had made to the sport during their careers, Hansen decided it was time to praise Read and have a dig at those who said he was washed up.
‘‘The next thing I would like to acknowledge is the big fellow beside me, here,’’ Hansen, who was seated beside Read at the post-match conference, said.
‘‘He came back from a back injury, he copped a lot of flak from some people about his form. But as his injury got better and better, so has his play.’’
Read, who will turn 34 later this month, required spinal surgery in late 2017, sparking fears his rugby career was over.
After a lengthy layoff in which he didn’t return to the Crusaders until late in the Super Rugby season and skipped the domestic series against France, Read came back to lead the All Blacks later in 2018.
The loss to Ireland in Dublin on the northern tour would have stung Hansen and Read. Not just because they lost and Read blew a near-certain try when he dropped the ball with the line in the distance, but because it fuelled calls for the captain to be dumped.
Read, who played his 125th test in the quarterfinal, gave the Irish something to think about with his effort against them; he produced a blinder at Tokyo Stadium as he led his forwards into dominating the opening exchanges, and was repeatedly calling for the ball on attack.
By keeping the ball alive in the tackle, the All Blacks destroyed Ireland’s vaulted rush defence by scoring seven tries and Read was in the thick of the action.
‘‘He has led the team really, really well and I think he’s even got to a higher level at the World Cup,’’ Hansen added.
‘‘So I would like to congratulate you, Reado.’’
Read, who will retire from the All Blacks to play club footy in Japan after the tournament, almost squirmed with discomfort when asked to respond to Hansen’s compliment.
‘‘The coach saying that – it’s a good thing I guess,’’ Read said.
He then tried to deflect the attention by saying he hoped Hansen was in such a good mood if they can go all the way and retain the Webb Ellis Cup.
‘‘I reckon in a couple of weeks time it will be better for him to say it.’’