‘Dead rubber’ very much alive
We know what we need to do to fix our problems this week.
FOR the first time since 2007 the Bledisloe Cup is 80 minutes from switching sides of the Tasman, and the All Blacks are feeling that pressure ahead of their last hitout before the Rugby World Cup.
Well, that and the bristling indignation of having been outplayed in some fundamental areas of the game that they normally pride themselves on. Combined, it’s set up a week in Auckland with a real edge to it for Steve Hansen and his men.
If things had gone to plan in Bledisloe I in Sydney, this could have been a funny test to get up for, with not a lot to play for apart from that fabulous winning streak on Eden Park. The All Blacks haven’t lost there since 1994 (to France) and the Wallabies haven’t won there since 1986 (when David Campese, Nick Farr-Jones and co thumped the post-Baby Blacks side 22-9).
But an Australian breakdown blitz and a nerveless finish on Saturday night saw the Wallabies clinch the abbreviated Rugby Championship with a 27-19 victory that has given them their best shot at the Bledisloe since Robbie Deans’ 2007 side ran out and thumped the New Zealanders in Melbourne to raise a false-dawn in the trans-Tasman rivalry.
Now, instead of Saturday being a dead rubber final World Cup shakedown, it’s a serious test of the All Blacks’ mettle as they bid to retain the trophy they pride above all but one other.
‘‘If you look at it that way it’s a massive test,’’ agreed veteran loose forward Liam Messam.
‘‘[It] means a lot to this team, and we want to keep it. It’s an exciting challenge, and you could see that in the way the boys turned up to the gym really excited about starting this week fresh.’’
Added lock Brodie Retallick: ‘‘It’s take it or leave it, pretty much. If we really want to win it we’ll see how much it means to us. It’s something we want to hold on to, but we’ll need to put in maximum effort to try stop it [going].’’
The stakes really have changed drastically on the back of one semi-impressive Australian effort, and one pretty sub-standard one from the All Blacks.
Missed tackles, poor scrummaging, a breakdown battering
Liam Messam and some ordinary attacking execution have put the ball firmly in New Zealand’s court.
They are the ones who have to respond now.
Plus the World Cup hovers. Who make that final cut for August 30? And within that who are the big-boppers who will start the pivotal tests in England?
If Hansen was a knee-jerk guy he’d be having second thoughts about his Dan Carter plan, about his midfield mix and maybe his front-row one on the back of Sydney. He might even be wondering whether he should also play smallball and pair Sam Cane with Richie McCaw.
Ma’a Nonu will almost certainly return at No 12, with Sonny Bill Williams’ body as bruised as his ego. But will he be paired with Conrad Smith in a nostalgic test farewell, or Malakai Fekitoa in a tandem of more dynamic virtues?
Also, does Charles Piutau come back on to the wing? Or does rookie Nehe Milner-Skudder get another crack on the basis of being the best All Black on the paddock in Sydney?
Tony Woodcock and Owen Franks made little impact up front, and could be ‘‘rested’’. Jerome Kaino could also make way for either Messam or Cane and Sam Whitelock will return to start in the second row.
But Hansen will not change willy-nilly. That’s not his style. The cardinal All Black rule after a defeat like Saturday’s is to send most of the troops back out for a chance to atone.
He will also want to see how his main men respond to an honesty session like yesterday’s game review. Some good footballers played pretty poorly, and they’ve been challenged.
‘‘We know what we need to do to fix our problems this week,’’ Messam said.
There are a lot of reasons for the All Blacks to respond in style. It will be the final home tests for McCaw, Carter, Conrad Smith and the others on their never-ending farewell tour. They won’t want to finish World Cup preparations with back-to-back defeats – though it didn’t do 2011’s team any harm – and they treasure that Eden Park win streak.
But one big one
shines above them all.
‘‘I’m sure all the players leaving will be with me in saying the [Bledisloe] Cup means more than sending off an individual,’’ declared Messam.
‘‘This is a very
close
team, a family, and we’ve got to make sure we do things right to keep that cup here in New Zealand.’’
These All Blacks don’t often get outplayed, but twice in a fortnight and once at their home citadel is nigh on unthinkable.