Half empty
While Smith shines at No 9, Perenara and Kerr-Barlow are talented but not yet ready, Gregor Paul reports from Johannesburg.
No 9 is shaping as an issue for the All Blacks, as the bench halfbacks struggle to step up,
This time last year, the All Blacks had one test-ready halfback and two raw-but-talented others. Now they have one world-class halfback and two still raw-but-talented others.
They are delighted by the continued growth and influence of Aaron Smith but a little troubled that neither TJ Perenara nor Tawera Kerr-Barlow have travelled too far in the direction of ready from rough.
It’s not a situation that has them pulling their hair out but it is one they continue to monitor and keep an open mind about. That is — the three halfbacks they have used since August 2013, may not necessarily be the three they take to the World Cup next year.
They probably will — but both Perenara and Kerr-Barlow need to refine and polish their core skills and prove more convincingly they can deliver accuracy with both their execution and decision-making when they get on the field.
The situation is intriguingly poised. Smith has made himself one of the most important players in the squad. His ability to whip the ball off the deck with such speed, precision and length has a significant bearing on the width and tempo at which the All Black can play.
It’s not just the relentless accuracy of his passing either, it’s his speed of thought and movement as well.
Smith has become an outstanding decision-maker — something which is perhaps not fully appreciated.
His pass grabs all the attention — it is, after all, a thing of natural beauty — but he doesn’t just fire bullets and hope.
He varies his options around the ruck. He holds up defenders by using short balls. He knows when to run and attack the blind and his kicking game has improved out of sight.
Smith is well on his way towards being one of the best No 9s New Zealand has produced. More importantly, however, he possesses a range of skills no one else does and the All Blacks aren’t quite able to play the same way without him. That’s why he had averaged 75 minutes per game in the Rugby Championship. But it leaves the All Blacks in a position they don’t like; too dependent on one man in one position.
Come the World Cup, it will be tough for Smith to play 75 minutes seven times in five weeks.
And what if he gets injured? That’s the bigger concern. Perenara, at this stage of his development, is not ready to start a test.
When he came on in La Plata, he was high energy but a touch erratic. As a natural athlete, he is superb. His passing in Argentina wasn’t sharp enough. His decision-making was troubling and he leaves the coaches trying to determine whether they get more good than bad from him.
Kerr-Barlow is similar in that he’s in supreme shape. He’s strong and rugged around the fringes and can institute an effective pick and go game from the forwards.
He too, though, doesn’t deliver that passing accuracy. Nor does he read the game so well in terms of taking his options.
As was made clear leading into this morning’s test, the All Blacks are prepared to be patient with both Perenara and Kerr Barlow and give them a bit of time to develop.
“Probably time we had a look,” said All Black coach Steve Hansen in regard to why Kerr-Barlow was on the bench at Ellis Park and not Perenara. “The other boy came on [against Argentina] and did some nice things so it is time to give him a wee breather and let him think about the things he can work on.
“Both of them are a bit of a project and Smith is going to play most of the game because he is playing so well. TKB is working away really hard and deserves a crack.”
There are 10 more tests before the All Blacks have to pick their World Cup squad and given the investment they have already made, the selectors will use as much of that as they can to refine the respective portfolios of Perenara and Kerr-Barlow.
But it might be that they decide they can’t risk taking both to England. It might be they don’t see enough progress from one and feel they need a proven performer, such as Andy Ellis, in the mix. Ellis is the consummate professional and has played tidy and clever rugby consistently for the Crusaders since the last World Cup. He’s got all the experience and composure required to come on late in a test and see the All Blacks home.
That’s the attraction — a steady, reliable performer to have in reserve for big games. Ellis can’t match the athleticism of Perenara or Kerr-Barlow but he can provide a level head and the accurate execution they haven’t yet delivered.