All Blacks brace for gut-check time
Short week, measuringstick opponent, niggly coach on the other side, final test of a highly challenging year ... the All Blacks don’t need reminding there is a lot on this matchup against Eddie Jones’ England that will bring the curtain down on their season.
As the New Zealanders made the short hop from Edinburgh to London for the final leg of their four-week northern tour, there was a defining feel around what is about to unfold in the matchup against England at Twickenham on Sunday (6.30am kickoff NZ time).
Ian Foster’s All Blacks are on the precipice of changing the narrative of this season that opened with three defeats in their first four tests. Yes, their performance levels remain erratic but a seventh straight win to sign off on would erase a lot of the doubts that have hovered over this team throughout 2022.
That said, the All Blacks’ problems haven’t gone away. They are still inconsistent as heck (not what you need for a World Cup), and are prone to discipline issues and mental lapses. The lineout has wobbled and there can be a lack of clarity around the attack.
So England at Twickenham looms as a barometer heading into World Cup year. Seven wins on the bounce, capped off by statement victory over a genuine contender, would provide an indication the corner has been turned. Defeat, and those proverbial rocks will be under the beach towels for summer.
Foster was certainly buoyant as his All Blacks departed Edinburgh, helped possibly by a clean bill of health after the 31-23 victory over Gregor Townsend’s men, and also by the prospect of such a tantalising matchup to end on.
‘‘There is extra excitement,’’ he said of the six-day turnaround. ‘‘Playing at Twickenham is always a special occasion, and particularly the way we came through yesterday’s game . . . it was a tough test and to come through with the win means we’re in a great position.
‘‘There are no injuries, and whilst we’ve got a lot of sore bodies, if we get the recovery right there will be plenty of enthusiasm. We can’t wait for it.’’
Foster took a minor gamble against Scotland, giving frontliners Richie Mo’unga, Aaron Smith and Tyrel Lomax a rest, and lessening the load on Shannon Frizell and Rieko Ioane. They will all have a key element of freshness this week.
He also added to his depth chart on the wing with the decision to give Mark Telea a first crack in the test arena – a roll of the dice that came up a winner when the North Harbour flyer delivered an outstanding two-try effort. It was a similar story with veteran halfback TJ Perenara, whose sharp cameo off the bench puts him in the picture for a repeat assignment this week.
Foster also clarified ‘‘discipline’’ issues that were raised by he and skipper Sam Whitelock in the aftermath of the comeback victory that finished on a 17-0 lastquarter run.
‘‘Discipline is a big word . . . we just lacked accuracy at key times,’’ said Foster. ‘‘A lot of that was overenthusiasm. We were desperate to stop the momentum Scotland were getting and just rushed a few things, be it offside or decisionmaking round the breakdown.
‘‘It came from a good space, with guys working hard to wrestle back the momentum, but if you’re not accurate, it hurts you. We got frustrated at scrum time, and once we got on top of that, the correct pictures started to emerge. That was good problem-solving.’’