Foster’s No 1 priority for All Blacks
The margin against Tonga won’t concern the ABs. Their ability to create space and execute basic skills across the park will
To move forward, you must look back.
For the All Blacks, that involves admitting last season was not up to standards; not nearly good enough.
For all the disruptive challenges and constantly changing schedules inflicted by the Covid-19 climate, a 50 per cent win record — three victories from six tests — fell well short of expectations in 2020.
The All Blacks produced two standout tests against the Wallabies at Eden Park and in Sydney to lock away the Bledisloe Cup, and they claimed the Tri Nations title, despite dropping two games.
Those twin losses against the Wallabies in Brisbane and a first defeat to the Pumas blighted head coach Ian Foster’s first year in charge after opening the season with a dramatic draw in Wellington.
As they prepare to kick off this year’s 15-test campaign against one of their weakest opponents in recent history — Tonga at Mt Smart Stadium tonight — the All Blacks have made it clear their purpose this season is to regain the No 1 ranking, a mantle they held for a decade but not since 2019.
Foster’s men sit second, behind the world champion Springboks, who they host in successive tests in Dunedin and Auckland in late September and early October.
The road to regaining the No 1 ranking gets progressively tougher — a steady ascent from Pacific opposition in July to the Bledisloe Cup/Rugby Championship and on to a testing northern tour.
Before embarking on that quest, a review of last year has sharpened the All Blacks’ focus.
Dane Coles, the veteran hooker renowned for his honesty, spelled out his assessment of the inconsistencies prevalent in 2020.
“The beauty of it is we get judged on our performance. That’s what makes you get back to No 1. It’s good Foz has laid down that vision and goal for us.
“As a senior player, I feel a bit of responsibility. We let the boys down last year by only winning 50 per cent of our test matches and it wasn’t good enough,” Coles said.
“The team and leaders have taken a real good look at themselves and how we can make this team better.
“It’s about being better every day and putting everything into getting a performance on game day.
“It’s about walking the talk and getting this team back to where it has been for so long. It’s going to be bloody tough but we’ve got to keep building and walk towards it.”
Being judged on performance rather than the scoreboard is particularly relevant for this weekend and the two tests to follow against Fiji.
The disparity in class and depth will be a chasm against Tonga.
While the All Blacks will bring Beauden Barrett, two-time World Player of the Year, off the bench and leave Brodie Retallick and Aaron Smith in the stands, Tonga will field 13 debutants and start one lock in Don Lolo from Heartland rugby.
In the six tests played against Tonga, the 102-0 blowout in Albany in 2000, when the All Blacks scored 16 tries and Tony Brown kicked 12 conversions, is the record.
Given Tonga’s challenges assembling a competitive squad, with many of their leading players based in Europe, a similar result this weekend is not out of the question.
The All Blacks must, therefore, be disciplined in their approach to improving their finer skills.
Much of the focus since the All Blacks were physically dominated out of the 2019 World Cup semifinals by England has been on the need to amend their forward pack’s approach.
Foster was pleased with gains made in this area last year, particularly with the lineout, driving maul and defensive line speed.
With minimal time last year, the All Blacks didn’t try to fix everything, and have now turned attention to sparking their attack, which struggled in the face of rush defence.
This was never more evident than in the defeat to the Pumas, where the All Blacks were rattled behind the gain line to the point of being predictable and one-dimensional.
“We’ve got an opportunity now to grow some of the nuances of our attack,” Foster said after naming four debutants in Quinn Tupaea, Ethan Blackadder, George Bower and Finlay Christie to face Tonga.
“This campaign has some blocks in place to change a few little things and it’s a great chance to do that. Then we’ll look at how they work and assess that going into the Bledisloe Cup series.”
The margin of victory against Tonga won’t concern the All Blacks. Their ability to create space and execute basic skills across the park will.
“We feel that’s an area in the last couple of years that we’ve slipped a fraction,” Foster said.
“The quality of our catch pass and tackle are key components for us.
“If we want to be where we want to be, we’re going to have to be good right now.
“It’s about not getting carried away in the moment, drilling every minute and getting the core stuff right we want to get out of it.”