Former All Blacks coach labels Auckland selections 'perplexing'

Scott Robertson made a handful of changes to the side that conceded a record 38 points against Los Pumas, but backed his halves combination to go again, something that has surprised one of his predecessors.

Laurie Mains has criticised the performance of starting halfback TJ Perenara in the All Blacks‘ opening round fixture of the Rugby Championship, an historic loss on home soil.

The 32-year-old’s delivery and decision-making were called into question, and Mains went on to say Perenara’s performance threw star playmaker Damian McKenzie off his game too.

“There are still some selections that I find a bit perplexing,” the former coach told Newstalk ZB’s D’Arcy Waldergrave.

“Scott Robertson had a very good start to the season. The two wins over England and then Fiji, I thought were a great start because that was a very good England team and there were a whole lot of new players who had to be brought into the All Blacks.

“Now, it came a bit unstuck against Argentina, and there were some reasons for that. Argentina said ‘we’re not going to kick the ball to the All Blacks, because they’re too good on the counter-attack, but we’re going to counter-attack when they kick to us and run at them’.

“And incidentally, they had the players to do it. Unfortunately, TJ Perenara kicked away five of the defensive balls, three of them far too long for anybody to get under, and we were put under great pressure with their counter-attacks, and then a couple were charged down. Then Argentina are still in our 22 with an attacking lineout.

“I thought when Cortez Ratima came on, things looked sharper and faster and I’ve got to admit I’m surprised. They will have their reasons, but I am surprised TJ Perenara is starting again.

“To be honest, I tried, but I can’t think of a reason why they’d go back to TJ. Here’s the other thing; his service and the sporadic nature of the passing of the ball I think also affected Damian McKenzie.

“Now, that certainly wasn’t one of his best games, and we know when Damian’s put under extreme pressure at times he struggles to cope with it. I think it had a huge impact on his game as well.

“I thought they might put Beauden Barrett, two times in a row the best player in the world as a first five-eighth, I thought he might go back into first five-eighth, but that hasn’t happened either.”

Mains was then asked whether the role of the playmakers needed a rethink, and whether McKenzie’s performances off the bench in last year’s World Cup showed his impact is better suited to a bench role with Barrett injected into the starting 10 jersey.

“Well, boy it’s hard to say that when you see what Beauden Barrett did off the bench against England,” Mains replied. “A game that was at risk of losing, he just turned the game on its head from fullback. But he can do that at first five-eighth as well.

“When it comes to tough Test matches – you’re not worried about how much to win the easy Test matches by, you’re worried about winning the tough ones. And we’ve got a few tough ones ahead of us this year.

“You have to select players that handle that real tough pressure well and to be honest, Beaudy Barrett is probably the best in the world at that.”