Judge Barrett when the pack fires Maori must raise game for Lions
OPINION: Whatever happened in Dublin this morning, don’t expect the debate over Beauden Barrett and Aaron Cruden to end in a hurry.
Most of us took the defeat in Chicago on the chin, a case of a well coached, fired up, fiercely committed Irish side clearly beating an off key, strangely passive All Black team.
But keyboard warriors here were waiting to pounce, and a lot of the vitriol was dumped on Barrett, especially after Cruden had an outstanding game against Italy.
Barrett’s stunning performances earlier in the season, which I’d consider the best displays of attacking rugby by a test first-five in the last 50 years, were almost forgotten.
Instead Barrett had suddenly, according to some, transformed into a player who compared to Cruden was not as smart tactically, was a lateral attacker, a much poorer kicker, unable to vary his tactics, poor at drop outs, and possibly, the way the criticism was heading, very lax about keeping in touch with his family while on tour.
The basis for most of the bagging was that Barrett was at best average against Ireland, while Cruden was excellent against Italy. In both cases that’s true. You could add that Barrett’s goal kicking in Chicago was actually well below average, while Cruden’s kicking in Rome was brilliant.
Back the truck up just a fraction though, and you could fairly say that most of the All Blacks looked average in Chicago, and most looked excellent in Rome.
Could that perhaps be because Ireland were skilled, aggressive, and attacking minded, while the Italian side played like men who were beaten before they walked on the field.
Italy were the most negative, spineless side the All Blacks have played for years, so of course most of the New Zealanders looked a million dollars.
Please don’t take this in any way as criticism of Cruden. He’s a terrific player, smart, fast, skilled, and brave. But when he’s behind a pack winning good ball, Barrett has shown this year that he’s even better.
It’s not the first time there’s been fierce debate over who should be the starting first-five for the All Blacks. In the late 1990s and early 2000s you could start a genuinely bitter argument, especially in Christchurch, just by comparing Carlos Spencer and Andrew Mehrtens. There was a much sharper contrast between Spencer and Mehrtens than between Barrett and Cruden.
On the field Spencer (who oddly enough was the more retiring character off it) was a one man Cirque Du Soleil. He famously scored a brilliant length of the field try for the Blues in a 2004 win over the Crusaders in Christchurch, then deliberately ran from between the posts to near the touchline, before putting the ball down. He kicked the conversion he’d made so difficult for himself, and jabbed a middle finger at the crowd screaming abuse at him. ‘‘We’ve been singing his praises all night, and now he’s behaving like an absolute dickhead,’’ said the local radio commentator, Brian Ashby.
On the flip side, Spencer could also be wildly erratic. Even in Auckland the news he’d bought a downtown coffee shop was marked by Metro magazine with the question: ‘‘If you buy a coffee from Carlos Spencer, will it be great one day, and shit the next?’’
Mehrtens, by comparison, was highly reliable, both in his general play and, especially, with his goal kicking. All Black selectors in the main waxed and waned with the pair. Mehrtens helped the All Blacks to the ‘95 World Cup final, and then, when both were in contention, Mehrtens was the choice for the ‘99 World Cup, Spencer for the cup in ‘03. In both cases the All Blacks lost in the semis.
In 2016, where Steve Hansen and co. go from here, especially with the Lions looming, will be source of huge interest.
There are whispers that Barrett is better when he has the solidity of Ryan Crotty alongside him, while Cruden has experience at the Chiefs with the wildly exciting Anton Lienert-Brown.
And, if your taste runs to wildcards, who would suit best if Sonny Bill Williams makes a full recovery and takes over at No.12? OPINION: New Zealand Rugby sits where it does in large part due to the expectations, internal and external, placed upon the national game. Colin Cooper’s New Zealand Maori did not live up to those on their three-match tour.
Bear in mind matches against the USA, Munster and Harlequins were very much viewed as a chance to cement personnel and strategies ahead of next year’s once-ina-career date with the British and Irish Lions.
Upon review, unless significant improvements or recruitments are made, Cooper will realise his team have little hope of repeating the historic feats of Matt Te Pou’s 2005 men. Memories of that 19-13 triumph in Hamilton stick firmly in the memory.
Next year’s clash between the Maori and Lions in Rotorua could potentially be the game of the tour. The fourth non-official test is certainly set up for another occasion to savour.
But to live up to its billing, the Maori must lift standards. Tactically they were given a wake-up call in the UK. And the Lions are sure to have taken note.
Two wins, one loss, make for credible reading on paper. But given the calibre of opposition, results alone do not paint a true picture.
First up, the Maori hammered a weak USA team. As it is the Americans are ranked 17th in the world; just above Namibia, just below Romania.
With the match scheduled outside a test window, John Mitchell did not have access to his offshorebased professionals. Meanwhile the Maori were boosted by the All Blacks releasing Damian McKenzie, Rieko Ioane, Tawera Kerr-Barlow and Elliot Dixon for a jaunt. Despite being sold otherwise it was never a fair fight. The Maori won 54-7. But there was little for either team to celebrate.
Next up the Maori ventured to Limerick, where they met a secondstring Munster side admittedly inspired by a sell-out crowd after the death of their coach Anthony Foley.
In difficult conditions the Maori were brutally exposed. They did not change tactics and adopt a wet weather mindset; seemed bemused when it came to defending the rolling maul and were found wanting under the high ball. They were also dominated physically. The visitor’s biggest impact came prior to kickoff, with the gifting of a jersey sporting Foley’s initials on the back.
Munster were missing several regulars – former All Blacks midfielder Francis Saili and Crusaders first five-eighth Tyler Bleyendaal among them – and still cruised to a comfortable 27-14 win.
In their final match the Maori piled on 26 points in the same number of minutes but did not score again against a Harlequins team that featured four ‘‘guest’’ players. Nick Evans, James Horwill and Marland Yarde, the English wing who once stormed through Richie McCaw, and a host of other frontline players were nowhere to be seen for Quins.
The 26-10 win was a flat way end an underwhelming tour.
The Maori team are much more than a celebration of New Zealand’s cultural heritage. They are a high performance unit that must be held to the same standards and expectations imposed on all others. Their 10-strong management crew on this tour included Cooper, Tana Umaga and Carl Hoeft.
In their defence, they have limited time with the squad. But the same will be true next year. to