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The All Blacks closed out their year in Cardiff with an entertaining 33-18 win over Wales.
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Here’s how the players rated:
15. Damian McKenzie – 7 Another good shift by DMac, with some good kicking. if he’d held onto a Naholo flick pass in the first half he would’ve scored one of the best tries of the year.
14. Waisake Naholo – 8 A man in good form, another two well taken tries. One of the better performers on the end of year tour.
13. Ryan Crotty – N/A Was looking pretty good till he got hurt, too early on to rate though.
12. Sonny Bill Williams – 7 Great on defence and used in a more direct role this week.
11. Rieko Ioane – 9 What more can you say about this guy? Again he showed why he’s considered the best winger in the world right now with two tries and a set up to ALB.
10. Beauden Barrett – 7 What was that about goal kicking? As well as slotting sideline conversions, Barrett marshalled the troops well before shifting to fullback for the last stage of the game.
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9. Aaron Smith – 8 Was busy as usual, and is making a habit of linking directly with Naholo – this time twice for tries.
8. Luke Whitelock – 6 Did what he was there to do, before getting replaced early in the second half.
7. Sam Cane – 9 The All Blacks’ best. Tackled anything in a red jersey, often with brutal effect. This performance will definitely cement him as the number one openside fo next season.
6. Liam Squire – 6 Quiet game from the big man, who should be good for a decent linebreak every test match.
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5. Sam Whitelock – 6 Made the right calls as skipper, and took the punishment for repeated infringements himself. Will enjoy the offseason rest, by the looks of things.
4. Patrick Tuipulotu – 6 Did his set piece role well but curiously hooked early on.
3. Nepo Laulala – 5 Pinged a couple of times at the ruck and hooked at halftime, which isn’t a good sign.
2. Codie Taylor – 6 Got embarrassed by Josh Navidi, but otherwise had a solid game – especially at set piece.
1. Kane Hames 6 Not quite the dominant force he was last week, but part of a hard-working scrum effort.
Bench:
16. Nathan Harris – N/A Not on for long enough
17. Wyatt Crockett – 6 Again came close to getting in penalty trouble but held up a seven-man scrum in the late stages.
18. Ofa Tu’ungafasi – 5 Not great at all, added little after replacing Laulala.
19. Scott Barrett – 6 Had a decent run in the second half and got stuck in.
20. Matt Todd – 7 Saved a try by tackling Faletau, which is notable because he had a hard act to follow replacing Cane.
21. TJ Perenara – 6 Did what he was there to do.
22. Lima Sopoaga – 6 Back to his role as relief first five while Barrett moves to fullback, some nice touches.
23. Anton Lienert-Brown – 8 Very good game from a guy who needed it. Was fortunate to get such a long spell on the field and made it count with a good try.
Comments on RugbyPass
Nz should have won. I didn't watch the game, but the ref was at fault and the bounce of the ball and the Bokke used the Bomb squad and the Bokke slow the game down and the Bokke scrum. They should remove the scrum. The Bokke are to strong. Not fair. Nz should have won
2 Go to commentsThanks for a much more balanced piece Ned and not that BS that Bin Smuth just posted a short while ago. read this article and then Bin Smuth’s and tell me there isn’t a huge difference🙄
2 Go to commentsWere the Baby Boks part of this game or did the Baby Blacks play themselves?🤔 That man Bin Smuth once again does a little write-up on the game and it is like 95% about the Baby Blacks🤣 Glad he ends off with the Baby Blacks were actually in cruise control for most of the game and weren’t actually playing for the win WTF🤣🤣 Maybe he was expecting the Baby Blacks to run rampant….
1 Go to commentsOne does not expect anything more from Ben Smith who epitomises the worst of New Zealand media arrogance and an inability to balance what he has to say about any team that beats the All Blacks. His reference to context is pathetically thin. He does not comment that Frizell deserved a red card given his blatant manipulation of his body to ensure that he could drop his body weight onto Mbonambi’s lower leg. No mention of the ball lost forward before the All Black’s try (lost in-field of the 5 metre line and gathered beyond). The All Black commitment and effort was superb and there was little in it. Given the Springbok passage to the final and the loss of their hooker in the first three minutes, their resolve and capacity to win their fourth final out of eight attempts (not three out of ten) deserves the praise that has been forthcoming from media around the world, worth reading and listening to. Ben should join his “pundit” friends on TV - he would fit in well. This sort of article reduces any credibility Rugby Pass has ever had. Why persist with this sort of nonsense? The man does his country and a rugby blog a disservice.
188 Go to commentsEtzebeth went on to say: “I would never dream of saying that systems stay in place following a change in captain. To say that would be deeply, deeply, disrespectful of Siya. A while back an Irish person told me they would be fine without Sexton, so I’m just responding to that.”
3 Go to commentsClose games are what we want to see…. What a match it was…. I am sure that everyone was drained by the end of it. The reality of it all there has to be a winner and a loser. The fact that we still talking about it is almost 6 months to the day Rugby is the winner.. Asante sana… Here is to 2027 and what it will bring out.
188 Go to commentsIt’s going to be a good game. COYQ
1 Go to comments“Shock”, the guy was casually saying he was just slightly surprised. Nowadays if you say anything it gets taken completely out of context. Calm down everyone.
156 Go to commentsAll I can say after reading this bitter, sour, sad piece is… Thank you very much! This will be read in the change room just before kick off on 31 August…
188 Go to commentsLook, we know contradicting opinions and wacky comments bring readers and clicks, so well done to RP for allowing always-wrong-Ben to say something here. However RP needs to put a disclaimer next to his comments for their own credibility. NZ was and is incapable of acknowledging their opp beating them. They refused so with Ire and with Arg in 2022 and also the Boks in 2023 x 2. Nothing Ben says here holds water, NZ attacked backwards, except when Kolisi and Kolbe was off And cyncialy took out Bongi, we played without lineouts for 75mins. Kolisi and Kurt-Lee almost scored twice. Thats 3 vs 2 for Boks, but the Boks opportunities was legal. Boks should have been 16-3 up by half time. Tacticaly the Boks attacked better defended better scrummed better (without a hooker) kicked better and crossed the whitewash more times. Boks beat Fr Eng Nz to win in 23, comeon give some credit at least. Even Federer Verstappen NY Mets, Mamoa, was able to see a great human sport achievement by the Boks and their DNA Boks #RWC27 !🏉
188 Go to commentsForget the 85kg bit, that can become something else. However I do like the one off test on ANZAC day idea. SR plays Fri/ Sat, test players travel Sunday and the squads have the full week together before playing Saturday. Rest of SR has a week off. Either involve women's teams in same location or in the other country and rotate annually. Herbert is right in that change is needed.
3 Go to commentsI’ve read loads of nonsense before but this article takes the cake. Or perhaps someone changed the date for April Fool's Day.
3 Go to commentsReally Rugbypass? Ben Smith I think you forgot what the Springboks did to the All Blacks at Twickenham 8 weeks earlier? Springboks 35 All Blacks 7. There is alot of ifs and buts in your article. The All Blacks threw the sink at the Springboks and unfortunately they were not good enough regardless if they played with 14 men or not. It was the Springboks who forced the All Blacks to make mistakes! Sorry but not Sorry the Springboks is the best ever Rugby World Cup Nation in the world. 4 Cups baby!
188 Go to commentsYou just backed the Boks with that fantastic review! Well done! Have some cake!
188 Go to commentsBen Smith please write up something better than this. The Springboks would have won the world cup if you were 15 men on the field. They would have found a way, they always find a way to beat the All Blacks.
188 Go to commentsWow, there is a lot of “could have” and “ should have” in this waist of time dribble. I love the desperation in this story to search for a glimpse at a silver lining. Here are the facts, NZ was a badly coached and undisciplined shadow of their former glory. They never took the lead in a game they were never going to win.
188 Go to commentsGOTTA MAKE ‘THE GEORGE’ HAPPEN!!!! That’s a great idea! A trans Tasman midget battle on ANZAC Day. I don’t think the ABs Wallabies game should be a one off winner takes all though, just the first match with the other two later in the year with the RC. Reason being, no one will ever shut up about how aussies couldn’t win it when it was a 3 match series.
3 Go to comments@Ben smith. Thats knock out rugby. So honeslty who cares?
188 Go to commentsIt will interesting to know which Irish players said that…
2 Go to commentsNaaaww boys will be boys! Now run along ya wee scamp! Don’t let us catch you at again😏
1 Go to comments