Half of this All Blacks team deserves praise

A slight change of pace this week.

Now, I might have been entirely unconvinced by the All Blacks’ 43-21 win over Scotland, and I might believe they’re headed down a tactical and personnel cul-de-sac, but it’s not all bad.

Yes, I like a moan and, yes, I’m sure some people find that tiresome. Just not as tiresome as I find the relentless cheerleading for this team.

I get why it happens. No one gets into sports journalism unless they’ve grown up a fan. It’s just that you should leave your pom-poms at the door once you actually enter the industry.

Access matters too, and if you need quotes and content from people, the easiest way to get that is by being nice about them.

I don’t need anything from anyone, which is why I feel no obligation to say how great the players and the team are. It’s also why what I’m about to write is genuine.

I think Fabian Holland is remarkable. Not just as a player, but for the way he appears to have coped with the mental rigours of Test rugby from the very first time he took the field in a black jumper.

His is an amazing story too, and it’s incredible to think how Anton Segner’s is the same. It just shows, in case any of us in this country take it for granted, how immense the international mystique of the All Blacks is.

Where their paths diverge is that Segner is yet to show us he belongs in the Test arena.

Not Holland. No, not by a long chalk. Becoming an All Black with his background is one thing, but to so rapidly become integral to the team is quite another.

To me, he’s far and away New Zealand’s best lock and proved that again at Murrayfield.

But he’s not the only guy who continues to impress me.

It’s not all diamonds with Tupou Vaa’i. There are some rocks as well, but there’s also endeavour and work rate and physicality.

You forgive the errors or misjudgements because he’s actually in there having a go. Some guys are eternally at the periphery of games, but Vaa’i is always in the thick of them.

I don’t know him and have never heard him speak or read any of his quotes, but I think he’s absolutely tremendous.

Peter Lakai too. You can play him anywhere in the loose trio, and he’ll get around the park and hit blokes and carry strongly and never waver in his effort. His is another rapid rise, and the All Blacks are hugely lucky to have him.

As they are loosehead props Ethan de Groot and George Bower.

I don’t think I’ll ever forget what happened to the All Blacks’ scrum in their series against South Africa. Unbecoming would be a polite way to describe the sight of it being blown to smithereens, but I still think De Groot and Bower are excellent Test footballers.

Asafo Aumua hasn’t established himself to the same degree, but his physicality is absolutely invaluable to the team. For the time being, that’s delivered from the bench, but I don’t think you can ignore him as a starter too much longer.

No, I’m never confident when he’s about to throw to the lineout, but that’s what coaches are for. Aumua’s overall package is such that I can forgive the odd errant throw if he’s going to carry and tackle with that ferocity.

I don’t have much to say about the backs. They tend to resemble spectators anyway once it becomes the Damian McKenzie show from No.10.

But, hey, I’m not grumbling today.

There are good things about the All Blacks. Excellent, even. You get Ardie Savea back and try to develop depth at tighthead prop, and you’ve got the basis of a decent team there.

It remains to be seen if they can become the finished article between now and next year’s World Cup. For now, the second-stringers should comfortably account for Wales, and then I’m intrigued to see what happens against England.

They didn’t impress me in beating Australia over the weekend and I believe their set-pieces are vulnerable. If the All Blacks’ pack can gain ascendancy there, then it’s all up to the backs.

We’ll see.