Time for all teams to express themselves
Do not despair rugby fans - the new generation of All Blacks are not playing the same tune that has been the foundation of the game for as long as we can remember.
They’ve moved on. Making mistakes and producing inaccuracies is simply a byproduct of expressing themselves, as they search for attacking opportunities regardless of field position or state of the game.
Any situation with the ball in hand is a possible attacking opportunity for these highly skilled and seemingly fearless players.
Cross-kicking to the wing in front of their own goalposts, passing behind the back, offloads in congested areas, attacking from inside the defensive 22 - these are but a few tactics that would once have had players dropped from the team.
I can only imagine what my first Taranaki coach, Don Carlson, would have had to say.
It’s about discarding the fear of losing and backing a relentless attacking mindset. The lesson was learned in the British and Irish Lions series.
When the All Blacks kicked for goal from penalties at the outset, that sent a message that the All
Blacks were not confident about winning. That permeated the series, so the Lions were able to go back home thinking they were pretty good.
Don’t be surprised now if the lack of fear among the All Blacks occasionally causes a few problems. Just be thankful that you’re seeing something special when they play.
It would be great now to see Mitre 10 Cup coaches, school and club coaches and coaches in general, following the trend.
The basis of our game has been constant hitting up from halfback passes, patterns that crash in to midfield, ruck after ruck, with no passing inside the 22. Players are consumed by an approach that doesn’t allow individual creativity.
I recently attended a high-profile coaching week involving some of the best secondary school rugby players in the country. There was plenty of good advice and skill tuition.
But missing was an opportunity for these players to put their talent on display.
The games at the end of the week could have been full of zoom and zest and rapid-fire action, but it was another display of hustle and bustle and big hits.
A game plan that went to midfield, then back to forwards on the short side, then forwards hitting up in midfield before the backs had a crack, was as suffocating as the constant setting of rucks and big lads running in to each other.
Some of these lads will be future All Blacks. Now is the time to start teaching them the additional skills on top of the core requirements but more importantly a game understanding that stretches them beyond the current accepted strategies.
Much of the Mitre 10 Cup is the same and can be a hard watch. The challenge for the coaches is to come up with innovative aspects to their plan. They owe it to the players and the public. There is nothing like trying to play like the All Blacks.