Where has it started to go wrong for the mighty All Blacks?
As world champions face Australia today we may find out if this is a blip or the end of an era
Playmakers puzzle
Today’s Test will be the third outing for Richie Mo’unga at fly-half and Beauden Barrett at full-back in as many Tests, which suggests one of two things. Either the All Blacks coaching staff have seen enough and are convinced that having both playmakers on the pitch is the way forward and want them to grow. Or, the combination urgently needs more time to click and therefore requires more time.
Mo’unga and Barrett playing together works in theory. Having two excellent distributors generates more width and increases New Zealand’s chances of finding tries out wide, while also improving the tactical kicking.
Mo’unga has also been one of the more accurate goalkickers in Super Rugby over the past three years – when the Crusaders have won three titles – and with Barrett’s
Why did Hansen leave it so late in the cycle to try out Mo’unga with Barrett?
own goalkicking in decline, Mo’unga is a valuable alternative.
Against Australia, Mo’unga and Barrett had little ball to work with given the pack’s struggles up front. It works as a combination on paper. Which leaves two key, hard questions. Is the combination worth moving one of your best players, full-back Ben Smith, out of position on to the wing? And why did Steve Hansen leave it so late in the World Cup cycle to try it out, given Mo’unga has been knocking on the door sine 2017?
Light at lock
Despite competition from South Africa’s Eben Etzebeth and Franco Mostert and England’s Maro Itoje and Courtney Lawes, the premier lock pairing in world rugby is still Brodie Retallick and Sam Whitelock. Their balance of skill, athleticism, physicality and line-out nous is perfect.
Take either out of the equation, however, as is the case at the moment with Retallick sidelined because of a dislocated shoulder, and New Zealand’s stocks in the second row look thin. Scott Barrett has been the automatic replacement but is now serving a three-game ban following his shoulder charge offence that led to a red card against the Wallabies.
That leaves Patrick Tuipulotu and Jackson Hemopo, competent Super Rugby players but not in the same bracket as Retallick, Whitelock and Barrett. The drop-off is significant. Any side would be worse off without Retallick, but New Zealand’s resources look a little thin, which is rarely said of any
All Blacks position group in the past decade.
The midfield
The centres are almost an inverse situation to what New Zealand face at lock: lots of options, but who should be chosen? Pick two from Sonny Bill Williams, Anton Lienert-brown, Jack Goodhue, Ryan Crotty and Ngani Laumape.
New Zealand need to choose two of those five and stick with them, ending the constant reshuffles since the series against the Lions. Williams is back this weekend, having featured in the Mitre 10 Cup last week for Counties Manukau, coming straight in at inside centre to partner Anton Lienert-brown.
New Zealand still desperately need Williams, even at the age of 34. Less so for the offloads, though they obviously help; more because he is such a reliable operator at getting over the gain line – an area where New Zealand notably struggled against Australia.
The world-class Ryan Crotty should return at 13 once he recovers from a thumb injury, while Jack Goodhue is already a class operator at 24, but misses out today with a hamstring niggle.
Hansen may well know his best combination, but based on recent selections he has been unable to put it on the field.
Physicality
Perhaps his name came to mind having just played such a major part in a magnificent season for Toulouse, but New Zealand really missed the abrasiveness of Jerome Kaino in their pack against Australia last weekend. Kaino’s time has come and gone – two World Cup titles and 81 caps later – but New Zealand have struggled to replace him since his last appearance against the Lions in 2017. Ardie Savea, Shannon Frizell, Vaea Fifita and Liam Squire have all had an audition. Without a replica of Kaino, and Retallick’s muscle, New Zealand were overpowered by the Wallabies last weekend in Perth, as they were for large portions of the 16-16 draw against South Africa in Wellington.
“The hard thing to take is that we lacked intent,” hooker Dane Coles said on Monday. “They were really desperate to win and you could see it the way they played. Our physicality and attitude wasn’t where it needs to be. We really lacked that and they brought a real hunger and were desperate.” The All Blacks losing a Test is one thing, but losing the physical battle is cause for concern.
Expect a response.