Why an All Black loss this weekend would actually be a pretty good result for NZ rugby
If you’re ever going to find a time when New Zealanders will be alright with an All Black loss, this weekend will be it. No, it’s not because we’re finally growing up and accepting that there’s better things to worry about than a game of rugby – although the somewhat muted acceptance of last month’s defeat to the Wallabies may be a sign that we’re heading that way.
This weekend sees the All Blacks take on the Barbarians, a team containing 12 New Zealanders. The rest of the team is made of up South Africans, and is coached by Robbie Deans and Scott Robertson. Logically, this game should be taking place at Eden Park – but to at retain at least some of the historically Northern Hemisphere-influenced BaaBaas tradition, it’s being played at Twickenham.
Make no mistake about it: NZ Rugby has more or less co-opted the Barbarians team, just like they did last year and just like the Wallabies did last weekend. At Wembley last November, the Springboks almost found out the hard way that an invitational side full of New Zealanders isn’t a walk in the park. They were lucky to get out of the fixture with a 31-all draw, although given some of the Boks’ other results over the last couple of years a close loss probably wouldn’t have looked so bad anyway.
The Maori All Blacks will be in the UK in a week too, meaning that around 80 of NZ’s best players are all in the same place at the same time. It’s a clever move by the All Blacks, who have made no secret of the fact that they’ll be using the talent stocks available to full advantage.
So while this game, like Scotty Stevenson and Mils Muliaina said on The Short Ball, is more or less an All Black trial – so is the entire tour. There’s another game scheduled against a ‘French XV’ that will be an old school midweek tour fixture in all but name, and because of the way that the players will be geographically available it means that they didn’t have to name an extended squad to cover for it. Thanks to the Barbarians, they didn’t even have to pay for their airfares.
Out of the BaaBaa starting backline, any of George Bridge, Julian Savea, Vince Aso, Richard Buckman and Richie Mo’unga could be on the other side wearing an All Black jersey and no one would be batting an eyelid. Even starting BaaBaa halfback and captain Andy Ellis could probably do a decent job if he was called in, and reserve Mitch Drummond is definitely in the conversation as an All Black of the future.
The All Blacks did actually lose to the Barbarians not that long ago, and that was a team stacked up with southern hemisphere players as well. That day it was Bryan Habana that did the damage, scoring a hattrick. Ironically, on the other wing was recently dropped All Black Joe Rokocoko – just like the position Julian Savea now finds himself in.
The last proper All Black trial happened years ago, back when they used to call the teams the Probables and Possibles. For the record, the it was an upset – the Possibles got up 37-32 in Napier. But not too much of an upset to start alarm bells ringing among the All Black coaching staff, rather a happy reassurance of the arsenal they have at their disposal.
You’d have to think it’d be a similar feeling if the All Blacks end up on the wrong side of the scoresheet on Sunday morning. Because, as if it anyone needed any reminding, a Baabaas victory in this fixture would really highlight the depth that exists in New Zealand rugby right now.
Comments on RugbyPass
What ifs are always dangerous. If you look at the game before Sam cane got sent of SA was dominating. You could make the argument the going down to 14 men rallied the troops and made them have to play to win which is always dangerous.
129 Go to commentsOmg… you are bruised And battered Benny. Stop crying … the scoreboard speaks. What a pathetic lover you are.. 🤣🤣🤣
129 Go to commentsPacific Lions, cry me a river
129 Go to commentsThis is the single worst piece of journalism I have ever seen since your last one. As a neutral, who really states that there should be an asterisk next to a win? You are an utter embarrassment to real AB fans, journalism and that joke of a house which pays you for this nonsense. Get a life, Ben.
129 Go to commentsGuys. Cancel the World Cup champions after this analysis. It changes everything. Ben knows. We’ll have to unengrave the Bokke off the trophy and hand it to the ABs, now that I’ve been enlightened about this illegitimate win. This needs to be done. Now!
129 Go to commentsBen is right here though, Springboks were woefully poor with the advantage they had throughout this game. The France match was heroic because that was an even contest this match had it taken place in Rugby Championship would have been an easy win for NZ. If anything this match should tell the Bok coaches that a lot of this team should be changed. They beat this same NZ team by record margin with the same circumstances but with a different core. They bring back the tried and tested guys and they nearly botch this game.
129 Go to commentsI knew who wrote this article from the first few words in the headline…lol. The red card actually did the ABs a favour. It galvanized them, only then did they step up a gear. Before that there was zero momentum.
129 Go to commentsFirstly the foul on Bongi was a planned move just like the NZ master plan with Bryce Lawrence you kiwis are filthy fux perhaps try to play a cleaner game next time I doubt that’s possible tho but don’t worry world rugby is on yr side they trying to take away all the BOKS strengths to help all you weakling as Jeremy Clarkson would say LA OO ZA ERR..🤣
129 Go to commentsAbsolutely spot on Ben. I certainly wouldn't gloat over a win like that. Frustrating as it is it's done and dusted and history will forever show the result.
129 Go to commentsHo hum.
129 Go to commentsNo question they were the better team. But that is the beauty of sport isn’t it!
129 Go to commentsEveryone is into Hurling in Ireland according to Porter, but only 11 of Ireland's 32 counties enter a team into the national competition. Same old blarney.
1 Go to commentsLet’s be honest. The draw and scheduling in the World Cup was a joke but South Africa found a way after having to go the hard (nearly impossible) way to the Cup Final via France and England. NZ had a hard game against France (lost) and had 5 weeks to prepare for the Quarter, 3 weeks knowing it was Ireland. NZ theerfore had to win one big game against an Irish team who played SA and then Scotland 7 days before. They won and it was de facto a semi final because they were playing a relatively weak Argentina team and it was a walk over. In the final a very rested NZ team was playing a very tired SA team and still lost. They couldn’t score more than 11 points. Put another way SA had to find a way to win while tired and they achieved that. NZ should thank their lucky stars that they fixed the scheduling in 2015 otherwise they would be dealing with a Bok treble.
129 Go to commentsPerhaps if Bongi wasn’t targeted and removed from the game in the first 3 minutes it would have been quite a different game. Maybe if NZ also faced the same competition the Boks faced to their win NZ would have looked quite different. The final score shows who outplayed who.
129 Go to commentsRubbish article! Abuladze played most of Exeters matches when fit. He got injured against Glasgow a while ago and is out for the rest of the season, thats why he hasnt played for Exeter and Georgia recently. Do some proper research next time!
1 Go to commentsGotta love it when kids throw their toys out the pram and can’t hack it with the grown ups debate. Here’s looking at you turlough! 😉🤣
148 Go to commentsThey lost the game period move on
129 Go to commentsSpringboks won! Stop winging. You can change the game however much you and your rugby colonizing IRB want to and the Springboks will win you at that too. Your mind is colonized my friend get a life
129 Go to commentsBen, nobody gets fooled anymore by selective and biased data to support an hypothesis. Games are decided on such small margins these days that you win some and lose some, and dominance is a thing of the rugby past. Look at the RWC circle of fortune…. Ireland beats SA who beat France who beat NZ who beat Ireland. And so it goes on. Match officials help to eliminate real indiscretions. If they had been with us years before, no doubt results would have been different. Remember Andy Haden’s dive from a lineout in 1978 for which a match-wining penalty was awarded? Wales should have beaten the ABs that day. They took the loss like the gentlemen they were.
129 Go to commentsWith all the analysis and how good the all blacks were.The fundamental mistake with the ABs is that this is a test match and not an exhibition.There is no better team(country) in world rugby than the Boks that knows how to win a test match(we are post masters at this).We know our rules, we have the discipline, we tackle like beasts, we take our points and we never give up.I now have educated the ABs supporters(at least say thank you).Please stop “bitching” , accept what the outcome is and move along swiftly.
129 Go to comments