FIVE TALKING POINTS FROM THE WIN OVER WALES
Kepu faces ban after red card in heavy Wallaby defeat
OPINION:
Just as well the All Blacks can hang up their boots and kick back and relax for the rest of the year.
Because you get the feeling one more match, particularly if it were against England at Twickenham, would be a bridge too far for this obviously exhausted mob of men.
They were already fading before their 33-18 win against Wales in Cardiff yesterday, a match they spent the majority of tackling themselves to a standstill.
The All Blacks were forced to make 148 tackles to Wales’ 86, and only got their mitts on the ball for 36 per cent of the match. Here’s some of the talking points from the game: Sekope Kepu became the fifth Wallaby in 118 years to be shown a red card and could miss the first few matches of the NSW Waratahs’ Super Rugby campaign after his nasty hit against Scotland.
In the shadows of halftime in Edinburgh yesterday, Kepu tried to clear out Scotland defender Hamish Watson but got his timing and accuracy wrong as the prop’s shoulder crashed into the head of Watson. It was a shuddering hit that gave referee Pascal Gauzere no option but to send the 91-test veteran from the field.
Scotland recorded their biggest victory against Australia in 90 years, 53-24.
Kepu and captain Michael Hooper did not remonstrate with the on-field official because they knew the 31-year-old was in the wrong.
Even Wallabies coach Michael Cheika said: ‘‘The referee really didn’t have much alternative’’.
Tevita Kuridrani, who scored two tries for the Wallabies on Saturday, was the last player to receive a red card. In 2013, Kuridrani was given his marching
Rieko Ioane
Name a better All Black than left wing Rieko Ioane this year.
Flanker Sam Cane or lock Sam Whitelock might go close. Lock Brodie Retallick wouldn’t have been too far away if he’d played the entire season.
But the 20-year-old Ioane trumps all, and comfortably if you’re only talking about players numbered nine through to 15.
Ioane tore up the Welsh in Cardiff. Including a 45m intercept, he racked up 113m on 10 carries and scored a double to take his try-scoring tally to 11 from just 13 tests. He also setup Anton Lienert-Brown’s second half try with a break down the left-hand flank. orders after a nasty lifting tackle on Ireland’s Peter O’Mahony.
The centre was suspended for five weeks and, while it is not expected Kepu will receive a ban that long, he is in danger of missing early Super Rugby matches in 2018 as these count towards a suspension. Kepu’s red card has automatically been referred to a disciplinary panel.
While Cheika accepted Kepu
Another yellow card
It wouldn’t be an All Blacks test match if they didn’t play at least 10 minutes with 14 men.
Last week it was Cane and Wyatt Crockett, the week before it was Sonny Bill Williams, and this week it was Sam Whitelock cooling his heels on the sidelines.
Referee Wayne Barnes flashed Whitelock a yellow card in the 67th minute after he was penalised for a ruck infringement. Wales wasted little time scoring and pulling to within 26-18.
In their three end-of-year tests, the All Blacks conceded 41 penalties (14 v France, 16 v Scotland and 11 v Wales) and four yellow cards. probably had to be sent off for the hit, he argued Watson was slipping over and therefore that is why the Australian crashed into the head region.
However, replays show that while Watson was perhaps off balance at the moment of contact, he did not fall down and there is even an argument his head was higher than when Kepu began his drive.
‘‘He’s got no intent to take the
Player development
Anyone who thinks the All Blacks were at their best this year should stick their head under a cold tap for 10 minutes.
They were far from it and nobody can say they’re peaking between World Cups. Yet they still did enough to finish the season with 11 wins, two losses and a draw.
Even coach Steve Hansen admitted it was a tough year post match in Cardiff, but not one without its benefits.
A raft of injuries to players such as Joe Moody, Owen Franks and Israel Dagg, plus Ben Smith’s sabbatical, provided others a sniff, while a bunch of new players got a taste of the player in the head,’’ Cheika said. ‘‘The player when you watch him, his back leg slips underneath him, so he gets lowered, he goes low, lower than where Kepu is aiming ... that’s where the contact was made but there’s no intent for Kepu to go there.
‘‘That’s seen by the player not even going to the HIA [Head Injury Assessment], it’s not a strong hit. He gets back up and keeps playing. The impact of the contact is not hard. I don’t think there’s any complaints.’’
After Kepu was sent off, the Wallabies conceded a try on halftime but were locked at 17-17 with Scotland until the 46th minute.
From there, the hosts made the most of another player on the field and ran away with 36 points to Australia’s seven to seal a memorable win.
Four tries in a dazzling 15-minute spell sent the home environment. Props Kane Hames and Nepo Laulala will be much better for the ample game-time they’ve had this season, while the sample size of Damian McKenzie playing fullback at the top level is big enough to properly evaluate moving into 2018.
The gap
Have the All Blacks regressed or is the rest of the rugby world catching up? It could be a bit of both.
There’s been plenty of talk around the subject this year, particularly during the scratchy northern tour and the three unconvincing wins we’ve been put through.
What’s easy to forget is the All Blacks don’t always romp to victories crowd into a frenzy as Scotland, led by fill-in fullback Sean Maitland, a late replacement for Stuart Hogg who was injured in the warmup, ran away with the match in the second half.
Maitland grabbed the first after rampaging down the left flank with Jonny Gray and lock Huw Jones crossing before winger Byron McGuigan added to his first-half opener to leave the Wallabies shellshocked.
Retiring former Wallabies skipper Stephen Moore was given a warm reception by the Murrayfield crowd when he exited the field for the last time just before the hour mark, before Lopeti Timani added some respectability to the score with a closerange five-pointer that was converted by Bernard Foley.
But the misery continued for Cheika, whose side finished with 13 men after Kurtley Beale was sinbinned, with skipper John Barclay and Stuart McInally going over to bring up the half-century for Scotland.
The result was the Wallabies’ biggest loss of 2017 and largest against a team outside of New Zealand since 2008 when they were smashed by South Africa 53-8. on these northern tours. Last year, on the back of an outstanding southern hemisphere season, they lost to Ireland and barely eked out a win against France.
It’s safe to say injuries and the unavailability of Ben Smith and Brodie Retallick (personal reasons) hasn’t helped. All up, they were without 11 frontline players against Wales.
However, even with almost everyone available earlier in the season, the All Blacks haven’t quite been there this year. The high error count and and a drop off in their finishing has been a constant headscratcher.
❚
Naholo).
(19th minute for Crotty) Unlucky not to have played more on tour but had an excellent night after replacing Crotty. Ran hard, offloaded well as ever, and showed good hands to take his try well.
"The referee really didn't have much alternative".
Wallaby coach Michael Cheika on the sending off