All Blacks v Argentina: Wallabies upset sees All Blacks surge to world No 1 spot
Heading into the opening round of the Rugby Championship, it felt almost impossible that the Springboks would be dethroned from the summit where they have sat since
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1News
3 hours ago
- 1News
All Blacks: Underwhelming or on brink of a breakthrough?
Analysis: 1News rugby writers Patrick McKendry and Scotty Stevenson discuss how the All Blacks can improve for the second Test against Argentina. PM: So Scotty, The All Blacks got the job done 41-24 in Cordoba, and in the end it was a dominant performance thanks to a final-quarter surge. And yet, I felt there was an underwhelming vibe to it all – perhaps due to the slightly bumbling nature of their play at times. Am I being too harsh? Maybe I'm comparing it too closely to the sensational Wallabies' victory over the Boks in Johannesburg but, as we know, the All Blacks hold themselves to a high standard, and in fact leverage off it. ADVERTISEMENT Your thoughts, please. SS: It's been a bit like that this week, hasn't it? A general atmosphere of "meh". There are a couple of threads that could be followed to land on the reasons for the strange sense of ambivalence. First, this season has to date felt a little lacking in flavour. A French team shorn of star power punch was not exactly the hors d'ouevres of a footy fan's dream and the series was overshadowed by the Lions tour across the Tasman. Second, there remains an expectation that the All Blacks should beat Argentina, despite a couple of reversals in recent seasons. That presumption is hard to shake and feeds a narrative that the team got the job done – as you put it in your opener – and not much more needs to be said. Third, I am not sure this team has quite captured the public's imagination in a way that great All Blacks teams of the past have. There are signs they are beginning to coalesce, but into what exactly? It's hard to become a total greater than the sum of all parts when there is still so much conjecture surrounding who the parts should be. I am not sure what it is going to take to convince the public that this team is charting a course to conquer all. Perfection is a fool's quest in such a dynamic code, and I don't think anyone is capable of articulating what the perfect performance looks like anyway. They do look like they have a better idea about what they are trying to create, though. Cortez Ratima dives in for a try against the Pumas in Cordoba. (Source: Photosport) ADVERTISEMENT Where do you see the key sticking point for this team when it comes to executing their game plan? PM: Skill execution and decision making. Both are areas of improvement and maybe some of us assumed the three Tests against France last month would have helped prevent the errors that kept cropping up at the weekend. The handling mistakes are understandable in what you rightly stated is such a dynamic game, but even so… some of the stuff in Cordoba was pretty ordinary. Maybe it was a case of some players trying too hard – I'm thinking halfback Cortez Ratima here – but overall the All Blacks should expect better and by all accounts they do. It does pose a couple of questions: Is Razor Robertson's 'fast-thinking, fast-game' strategy the right one, and secondly, do you think everyone is on the same page? SS: I think this team is getting there. I chatted with All Blacks assistant coach Scott Hansen today who talked at length about the team creating opportunities. I put it to him that, on a couple of occasions, Argentina were able to read the play and make good defensive decisions. His response was that they still need time to ensure the connections and partnerships are in place and working to full potential. The All Blacks are trying to create an attacking shape that affords multiple options at the line but that requires everyone involved in the phase to take the best available option. If 14 guys are expecting the 15th to make a certain decision, and he takes another, it's tough to reload and start from scratch. If the team take the best available option more often, they can then build rhythm, and attack through momentum. That's what they are trying to do. ADVERTISEMENT When you refer to "fast thinking", I believe it could be better referred to as "fast decision making". The team seems to have a good grasp of what they are trying to do and therefore don't have to think too hard about that attacking shape. What they do still have to think about is the call they make in the moment. Is it a pop, a back ball, a hit and hold, a drop off on an unders line? I have seen enough to say that, when this clicks, it will be a nightmare to defend. They just haven't quite built the level of cohesion to pull it off as often as they would like. It's a plan that asks a lot of every player on the field, and a tough one to execute well under fatigue and line speed pressure. Cortez Ratima is one player who would have had a lot on his mind, and who would have felt enormous pressure to perform. Hansen suggested he had been supported well through the week to clear the mind and play his natural game. In his words, "He's a young All Black learning his craft". Given how important that halfback spot is to the team, I thought he acquitted himself very well. Codie Taylor leads the All Blacks haka in Cordoba. (Source: Photosport) To another position, then. The centre debate does not feel settled, but Billy Proctor seems to me a player worth persisting with. The injury to ALB makes his selection a no-brainer again – or does it? PM: Yes, I am almost certain that Razor will persist with Proctor at centre, and, by extension, Rieko Ioane on the left wing. Neither man played to his full potential at the weekend, mainly for the reasons you expressed, and the injury to Anton Lienert-Brown will be another reason for the selectors to give that combination another try. And, to be fair, I would agree with it. Centre is a difficult position to play at any level and Proctor deserves time to establish himself. Ioane also deserves another chance but for him the clock may be ticking a little quicker, as it were. ADVERTISEMENT I believe he needs to get into wing mode again – in other words, get back to what made him a sensation there when he first broke into the team as a 19-year-old: be fast, committed and chase even lost causes. There is a vibe about him at the moment that suggests he is a centre trying to play wing. Just play to your strengths, man! Ioane is quick, powerful and explosive. Show us that and good things will happen. It appears certain that Tamaiti Williams and Wallace Sititi will return to start at loosehead prop and No.8 respectively on Sunday morning – a mouth-watering prospect for those of us who enjoy watching big and skilful ball-carrying forwards. Your thoughts on the return of that pair? And – in a slightly different direction – who do you feel needs to step up a little? Is it Rieko or someone else? SS: All great points on Rieko. You just get a sense he's a Test or two away from doing something sensational but he's likely still shaking midfield habits out of the system or maybe keeping them close should he find himself back there. Tough spot to be in. I'm not sure it's a case of who must step up. There is enough in the individual performances to be genuinely excited about. It was encouraging to see Tupou Vaa'i demonstrate some good old-fashioned mongrel and his lineout work was colossal. It was interesting to see B. Barrett largely eschew the running game, and I dare say he may look for a different opportunity this weekend. J. Barrett has a mortgage on the 12-jersey, and he was a menace in the first Test. Will Jordan is as smooth as a polished stone and plays with complete disregard for his own safety. Give Sevu Reece that many touches in a game and there are going to be some rocks with the diamonds. Again, I believe this team is a split second here and a dodgy line there away from finding that synchronicity they are trying to summon. I like the idea of Sititi returning which will allow Ardie Savea to return to the side of the scrum. That's no slight on Du'Plessis Kirifi, but a Tupou Vaa'i-Sititi-Savea trio feels well balanced. Naturally having another huge front rower – Williams – to call upon is a gift for forwards coach Jason Ryan. Speaking of gifts: One will be handed out after this Test. Codie Taylor will become a 100-Test All Black and receive the silver cap. How would you rate the player and the man, and his impact on and importance to this team? ADVERTISEMENT PM: Excellent point, and it will be Ardie's 99th Test, too. When he finally hangs them up, Taylor will go down as a great All Blacks hooker, a man who kept improving with a work ethic that was second to none, a man proud of his background and who can pull together a damn fine haka. He's a great fella too – for what it's worth and, for many that's worth a lot. I'm not one to judge a man wanting to make an extra buck, but one of my favourite things about Taylor (and Richie McCaw, for that matter) is that the sabbatical he took was a true one – a break from the game – to get his body right and to, in fact, improve it – rather than chase the pound, yen or euro. I'm sure you have thoughts here, and I'll let you have the final word. SS: He's the epitome of leader, isn't he? Listening to his former teammate, Izzy Dagg, talk about him this morning, I could tell he is held in the highest regard by all. One point struck me as spot on: He's got great balance in his life. He is the ultimate professional, sets incredible standards that he is always first to live up to, and is also a brilliant family man and father. There is something very old school about him, something emblematic of a fading nostalgic notion of what an All Black should be. I suspect he will play down the occasion but the men on the field with him will rise to it. And, given that, I fully expect another All Blacks victory, too.
RNZ News
9 hours ago
- RNZ News
All Blacks confident improvements are on the way
Pumas v All Blacks Kick-off: 9:10am Sunday 24 August NZT Estadio Vélez Sarsfield, Buenos Aires Live blog updates on RNZ Despite their ultimately comfortable 41-24 win over the Pumas on Sunday morning, it was obvious the All Blacks had a bit to work on before the sides meet again this weekend in Buenos Aires. Some glaring handling errors and a second half slump saw points slip and a comeback from the home side that was a little too close for comfort, something that's not lost the players themselves. "We left a few points out there, we had our review today and we've pointed out what we need to fix," said Tupou Vaa'i, who suddenly is part of an intriguing selection decision for Scott Robertson before the team is named on Friday morning NZT. Not that the 25-year-old Vaa'i is in any danger of not playing. On the contrary, he's been the standout performers in the All Blacks over the last season and his utility value means that Scott Robertson has plenty of options regarding the locks and loose forwards. Not that Vaa'i is bothered as to whether he ends up playing blindside or moving back to lock. "To be honest I'm just happy to be weherever…if it does mean that I slot back into lock this week then so be it. I'm happy either way,' he said. All Blacks loose forward Tupou Vaa'i scores in the second test win over France. Photo: Photosport The question over where Vaa'i will play has been created by a facial fracture suffered by Patrick Tuipulotu in Sunday morning's win "(Tuipulotu) shot over to hospital to get checked out (after the game), just hope his surgery goes well and he recovers well," said Vaa'i. While the combination of a Scott Barrett and Fabian Holland second row with Vaa'i at blindside is likely, the choice now is who to back them up is an interesting one. Samipeni Finau finished the first test at lock so can cover both, while Robertson may be tempted to give Simon Parker a debut off the bench and leave Vaa'i to be the extra lock. It's not as risky as it seems, given that Barrett is the captain and will likely play the entire game, while Holland has been on the field for all but nine minutes of his four tests so far. Billy Proctor. Photo: In any event, the forward pack aren't the ones with the microscope on them. After all, it was two lineout drive tries set up but some clinical breakdown turnovers that clinched the game, but the backs looked uncharacteristically clunky at times. Midfielder Billy Proctor admitted that sometimes things just don't go their way. "There's things we can improve there but you can't expect to win every moment in a test match," he said after a week training session in Buenos Aires. "There's going to be moments in a game we lose, it's how we can adapt quickly and get back on top and control them, get the momentum back on our side. If we can stay on top of them early and take the crowd out of it, we'll hopefully put some momentum on our side." Proctor also finds himself in a selection discussion of his own, with Anton Lienert-Brown also out for the second test. Quinn Tupaea and Timoci Tavatavanawai stand as his logical replacements on the bench, however again Robertson may be tempted to tinker given the amount of dropped ball and blown chances in the first test. The All Blacks name their side for the second Rugby Championship test on Friday morning.
1News
12 hours ago
- 1News
All Black reveals full extent of gruesome facial injury
Patrick Tuipulotu has posted a picture of the facial injury he suffered during the All Blacks' recent win over Argentina that will keep him out of the game for at least six weeks. The All Blacks lock posted two pictures on his Instagram account today — the first alongside his teammate Pasilio Tosi and the second an X-Ray which clearly shows the damage caused during his team's 41-24 victory over the Pumas in Cordoba. "Great week in Argy, gutted about the injury but we keep moving forward," Tuipulotu commented on his account. Tuipulotu, 32, is on his way home to Auckland for surgery. Centre Anton Lienert-Brown has also returned home after displaying concussion symptoms after a head clash during the Test for which he also received a yellow card. Tuipolutu, on in the 55th minute, played the rest of the game despite the injury and was taken to hospital for a check-up afterwards. ADVERTISEMENT "He's had a tough run," head coach Scott Robertson said of Tuipulotu yesterday. "When he comes on, he has a great presence and makes great decisions. He carries so strongly and his lineout calling is invaluable. All those things we'll miss. What a cameo he had at the weekend." An X-Ray of Tuipulotu's facial fracture. (Source: Supplied) The Blues skipper has previously been forced to rehabilitate from a broken jaw. The injuries to Tuipulotu and Lienert-Brown, two key bench players for the All Blacks, will force changes for their second Rugby Championship Test in Buenos Aires on Sunday morning NZT. A positive for the All Blacks is that prop Tamaiti Williams and No.8 Wallace Sititi are set to return after missing last month's series against France. Robertson yesterday said the pair would "not play the full 80", which suggests they will start the match. Williams will likely start ahead of Ethan de Groot and Sititi will likely start at the back of the scrum, with Ardie Savea moving back to openside flanker, shifting Du'Plessis Kirifi to the bench. ADVERTISEMENT Both Williams and Sititi will bring a different ball-carrying threat to the pack which performed well in Cordoba, especially in the final quarter when replacement hooker Samisoni Taukei'aho scored two tries from lineout drives.
