‘QUIT SOCIAL MEDIA’
Captain Kieran’s orders to young ABs ahead of Italy
All Blacks captain Keiran Read worries some of his younger teammates risk losing confidence in themselves and the team by consuming too much social media.
Read says he doesn’t pay any attention to social media — or even mainstream media — and as a consequence hasn’t read any of the scathing criticism directed his way after his performance in the loss to Ireland last weekend.
While he has the strength of personality and experience to listen only to those he trusts and whose opinions he values, he’s concerned some of his younger teammates could have their confidence shaken or perspective shifted by negative influences — particularly as many are wedded to their phones and are voracious social media users.
“Everyone is their own person and uses it [social media] in different ways, and I am not judging on that,” Read said on the eve of New Zealand’s final test of the year, against Italy in Rome tomorrow.
“But what you can’t be doing is allowing that to affect your mood. That’s the biggest thing. For me, it’s a great tool to connect with the fans but I pay zero attention to what’s being plugged my way.
“But I think for a young kid, it is hard, because they maybe take more heed of that than an older player. The guys are different now. They are coming through at a different age. It’s 12 years since I came through and these guys are growing up in a completely different age to the one I grew up in.
“The pressures of social media are real — and that’s another part of this whole puzzle you’ve got to grasp with these guys.”
Thanks to his media blackout, Read was largely oblivious to the fact that his and the All Blacks’ performance copped some savage analysis this week.
“I literally do not read the media. And that’s how I best operate. There’s no point getting into all that.
“That’s just natural for the New Zealand public [to react after a loss] — it can be frustrating but I kind of stay away from that.”
If Read were to dip into the content, he would most likely be bemused by the assessment of his individual performance against Ireland.
“I felt it was fairly good,” he says with no hesitation or disingenuity. “It was fairly strong and I think I have operated the best I have all year on this tour.
“It was one of those games where it was hard to get going because it ended up being a bit of a stop-start affair. But I’m feeling like I’m putting some form out on the field now, so that’s nice.”
The disconnect between the All Blacks’ assessment of how they are tracking and the wider perspective is
Everyone is their own person and uses it in different ways . . . but what you can’t be doing is allowing that to affect your mood.
All Blacks captain Kieran Read
not uncommon. It happened at the last World Cup when the All Blacks held plenty back during the pool rounds and left those in New Zealand fearing disaster.
The All Blacks coaches were moderately encouraged by Read’s performance in Dublin, too.
He made a couple of glaring execution errors but they also saw him looking to get involved and take responsibility for carrying the ball late in the game. They saw him defend with a brutality that was telling and they know it was his voice that kept the team calm and focused in an intense atmosphere.
And that’s the curious nature of how things sit — the All Blacks coaching group and captain were disappointed by the loss but hardly distraught or broken by it, while there were calls back home for heads to roll and sudden claims this loss was only the tip of the iceberg.
There is another reason Read doesn’t and never has felt the need to take the mood of the nation in the wake of All Black defeats.
“Look, it’s natural,” he says of the often visceral reaction. “You lose in this black jersey and you know it’s coming.
“And to be honest, whatever comes your way is the least of your worries. Well, it’s not the last of your worries, but what you are feeling is so much worse than what anyone could be writing about you.
“When you lose in the All Blacks jersey, no matter who it’s against, it hurts and it stays with you.”
Whether there are degrees of hurt as such, there is no question the loss to South Africa in Wellington this year became a watershed defeat in the sense the team had an unusually long and significant review in its wake.
With hindsight, Read says the leadership group probably overdid the thinking, when the takeouts were relatively few and obvious.
“We may have over-analysed that game, reviewed it too hard. We weren’t as mentally strong as we needed to be and that was the biggest lesson we took out of it.
“Coach talked a lot about game management after it and they are things you can always work on and get better at, get right as a group.”
And what about the decision to not take a dropped goal? If Read had his time again, would he have imposed his will more intently as that scrum packed down in front of the Boks posts with a minute left? Would he have insisted Beauden Barrett try to drop a goal?
“Yeah, I would have,” says Read. “But it’s a funny one because you pack down the scrum and the call was made to drop the goal. But it didn’t happen but I also back him to make that decision because if D-Mac [Damian McKenzie] doesn’t get the ball knocked out out of his hands, he scores the try and we win the game.
“I think, though, if you look back and say if we’re in this position again, we drop the goal — especially in a game that really matters.”
And what about the Irish defeat and to a lesser extent the test against England the week before?
“The Irish were able to control the tempo of the game and they were able to go down with an injury break at almost every stoppage, and then it slows the tempo down and affects your momentum and doesn’t let you get into the game.
“They dictated that. That’s what teams are seeing and maybe they have a ploy to halt our momentum.”
Read is good enough to smile and accept the matter-of-fact statement that the All Blacks could give themselves a much easier ride at the World Cup if they start tests better than they have in recent weeks.
It’s not part of the All Blacks’ plan to be on the back foot but what Read has enjoyed most this season is that when his team have been behind, they have found a way to fight back.
They were a long way back in Wellington against the Boks and at least gave themselves a chance to win. They were all but dead in Pretoria at 31-18 down with 10 minutes left and they won, and at Twickenham, they were 15-0 down after 30 minutes but scrapped and fought to a 16-15 victory.
“You can only come back in those situations if you have guys who believe and who can show you the way. We have done that and we have guys in the team who can do that. You can’t panic. You just have to adjust and make the right decisions from that moment. It is pretty awesome to see when your team does it.”
Having shown that mental grit and played some memorably good football at times this year, as well as some average stuff, Read is moderately comfortable the team are tracking towards Japan as he would like.
“I think we’re in good shape,” he says. “We’ve got a squad that’s very strong. We have one of the best forward packs in the world. And look at our backs — I would say they’re the most talented in the world.
“The exciting thing is we can make some tweaks and get our game in even better shape than it is. It doesn’t take much to flick a switch and get a five per cent lift.”