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'Cynical cheats': How the All Blacks are viewed in the lead up to the World Cup

By Online Editors
Ardie Savea and Sam Cane. (Photo by Hannah Peters/Getty Images)

NZ Herald

The World Cup war of words is on.

Times columnist Stuart Barnes, a consistent admirer of the All Blacks, has described them as “the most cynical cheats at a breakdown”.

The former England back claimed that while Richie McCaw has gone, his spirit lives on in the way the All Blacks slow down opponents’ ball.

He said the selection of three opensides – of Sam Cane, Matt Todd and Ardie Savea – showed how the All Blacks wanted to play the game.

Barnes wrote: “Not just scrabbling on their knees during the jackal, but also being round the wrong side of a ruck, not by much, but enough for the referee to berate and send him back; enough to slow down possession.

“Having a hand illegally on the ball, long enough for the referee to say: ‘Hands off’. Long enough to slow attack down.

“There’s no McCaw this time but there are three opensides, all breakdown experts. The tournament will be won by the team that controls the tempo of the game — and the breakdown is the heartbeat of ball in play — but also the area of contentious calls that will be made by officials aware of what their masters want.

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Starting both Sam Cane and Ardie Savea for the All Blacks will play a significant role in dictating the tempo of the game at the World Cup, according to Stuart Barnes. (Photo by Fiona Goodall/Getty Images)

“A clean and fair competition. ‘Clean out’ at your peril. The more jackal options, the more chance of your team winning the battle of the whistle.

“New Zealand, the most positive attacking team in the world, have their flip side. They are also the most cynical cheats at a breakdown.”

Barnes predicted an army of opensides and other breakdown exponents would dominate the tournament, which starts in Japan later this month.

England had flankers Tom Curry and Sam Underhill, backed up by lock Maro Itoje and No. 8 Billy Vunipola. He predicted Wales might pair Josh Navidi with Justin Tipuric. The Wallabies had the Michael Hooper/David Pocock combo to rely on.

Michael Hooper and David Pocock will be integral to the Wallabies’ World Cup hopes. (Photo by Michael Dodge/Getty Images)

“Defenders who create nothing but a trickle of slow possession damn the game and gain an edge,” Barnes claimed.

“New Zealand, beautiful and ugly in equal measure, are well aware of the fact.

“McCaw’s greatness was as much to do with his negativity at breakdowns as his inspiring commitment as captain.

“There is no McCaw now, but there remains a ruthless army of openside mercenaries ready to kill quick ball.

“When the price isn’t so painful, when the referees are protecting legions of these assassins of the fine arts, who can blame coaches for picking them in ever greater numbers?”

This article first appeared on nzherald.co.nz and was republished here with permission.

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Jon 9 hours ago
Jake White: Are modern rugby players actually better?

This is the problem with conservative mindsets and phycology, and homogenous sports, everybody wants to be the same, use the i-win template. Athlete wise everyone has to have muscles and work at the gym to make themselves more likely to hold on that one tackle. Do those players even wonder if they are now more likely to be tackled by that player as a result of there “work”? Really though, too many questions, Jake. Is it better Jake? Yes, because you still have that rugby of ole that you talk about. Is it at the highest International level anymore? No, but you go to your club or checkout your representative side and still engage with that ‘beautiful game’. Could you also have a bit of that at the top if coaches encouraged there team to play and incentivized players like Damian McKenzie and Ange Capuozzo? Of course we could. Sadly Rugby doesn’t, or didn’t, really know what direction to go when professionalism came. Things like the state of northern pitches didn’t help. Over the last two or three decades I feel like I’ve been fortunate to have all that Jake wants. There was International quality Super Rugby to adore, then the next level below I could watch club mates, pulling 9 to 5s, take on the countries best in representative rugby. Rugby played with flair and not too much riding on the consequences. It was beautiful. That largely still exists today, but with the world of rugby not quite getting things right, the picture is now being painted in NZ that that level of rugby is not required in the “pathway” to Super Rugby or All Black rugby. You might wonder if NZR is right and the pathway shouldn’t include the ‘amateur’, but let me tell you, even though the NPC might be made up of people still having to pull 9-5s, we know these people still have dreams to get out of that, and aren’t likely to give them. They will be lost. That will put a real strain on the concept of whether “visceral thrill, derring-do and joyful abandon” type rugby will remain under the professional level here in NZ. I think at some point that can be eroded as well. If only wanting the best athlete’s at the top level wasn’t enough to lose that, shutting off the next group, or level, or rugby players from easy access to express and showcase themselves certainly will. That all comes back around to the same question of professionalism in rugby and whether it got things right, and rugby is better now. Maybe the answer is turning into a “no”?

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