Ian Foster assesses performances of All Blacks with most to prove
Ahead of the All Blacks‘ victory over Ireland on Saturday evening, much of the discussion centred on the selection of second-rower Scott Barrett on the blindside flank.
Barrett had started just one prior test in the No 6 jersey for the New Zealand national side – their infamous loss to England in the semi-final stages of the 2019 Rugby World Cup – and the tactic had been less than successful on that fateful evening.
With ample loose forward cover in the squad, the selection indicated a strategic shift from the All Blacks and while their general dominance over Ireland made it difficult to assess the merits of Barrett’s move to the backrow, it certainly wasn’t a decision that backfired in any way, shape or form.
Barrett was a strong presence for the All Blacks across the park, topping the tackle charts and hitting breakdown after breakdown with vim and vigour – even if it did attract some negative attention from some corners of the globe.
Following the game, head coach Ian Foster reinforced his comments from prior to the fixture that the in-form Barrett was more than capable of stepping into the No 6 jersey, despite some fears raised by critics of the decision, and that it was a shift the All Blacks selectors had been pondering for some time.
“He’s a good footballer. I think I said he’s been one of the form forwards,” said Foster. “I know most of that form was at lock but there was a little bit at 6.
“It’s a role that suited us today and he carries well, defended well, contributed to a pretty good set-piece effort so he should be pretty proud of it. There was a bit of circumstance around it with selection but it certainly sped up an idea that we’ve had in that space.
“Hopefully there’s another game for everyone to talk about rather than the other one they talk about when he plays 6.”
Alongside Barrett, focus understandably fell on the two new caps for Saturday’s fixture: wing Leicester Fainga’anuku and reserve loose forward Pita Gus Sowakula.
The sizeable Fainga’anuku made his presence felt throughout the game, with his major highlight coming in the 20th minute when he barged down the left-hand flank on a strong run, setting up the platform for the All Blacks’ first try of the game.
Sowakula, meanwhile, entered the fray in the 63rd minute and took over at the back of the scrum. Although Sowakula shelled his first possession of the ball, he quickly bounced back from the error and put in some big carries late in the game and was able to saunter in for a straightforward try off the back of an eight-man shove while also grabbing one lineout steal.
Foster was naturally pleased with the efforts of his two debutants.
“I thought Leicester did what he had to do,” he said. “As a wing, you don’t always get a whole lot of opportunities but I was just impressed with the role play that he did. He got involved and he shows how physical he can be. So it’s a good starting point for him.
“And Pita, I thought pretty much the same. It’s not that easy when you go on, you drop your first pass – and it would have been easy to drop his head. But he settled down, won a good lineout, scored a good try off a scrum and so he would have got over that little feeling you get when you play your first test and hopefully come out the other side stronger.”
With Will Jordan sidelined due to Covid, Fainga’anuku could earn a second run next weekend when NZ and Ireland square off in Dunedin. Sowakula, meanwhile, is competing with a slew of fellow loosies for minutes and will have his work cut out for him to retain his spot on the bench, even after the strong effort. For the same reason, Barrett might not necessarily find himself in the No 6 jersey next week.
Comments on RugbyPass
Why cant I watch Rugby games please?
1 Go to commentsBeautiful shot from Finau, end of story. Gutted for Shaun Stevenson though.
4 Go to commentsThe Chiefs definitely didn’t win ugly. They had the superior scrum, a dominant lineout, and their defence was excellent once the Waratahs scored their two tries (thanks to some lucky refereeing calls mind you). They put pressure on the Waratahs lineout throughout the game, and the mind boggles as to why the referee did not award a yellow card or a penalty try against the Waratahs for repeated scrum infringements on their own try line before Narawa’s first try. And the Chiefs were slick with their passing and running angles on attack. It was a dominant performance all round, even with many questionable refereeing decisions.
1 Go to commentsWasnt late. Ref 2 assistants andTMO all saw it so who are you to say it was?
4 Go to commentsAre the Brumbies playing the Blues twice in a row?
4 Go to commentsBig difference from the Saders. Forwards really muscled up and laid a solid platform. Scooter brought some steel and I liked the loosie combination. Newell has been rather disappointing this season but stepped up big time - happy also to see Franks dot down. He should do that more often! Reihana had a good game and there seems to be more flair and invention with him in the saddle. McNicoll plays well from the back and is reliable plus inventive when he joins the line. Keep it up chaps!
3 Go to comments🤦♂️🤣 who cares who’s the best . All I know is the All Blacks have the star coach but have few star players now …
30 Go to commentsJe suis sûr que Farrell est impatient de jouer avec Lopez et Machenaud et d’être entraîné par Collazo… 🤭
1 Go to commentsAn on field red (aka a full red) in SRP must surely carry a bigger suspension than a red card given by the bunker as that carries a 20 minute team punishment. Had Damon Murphy abdicated his responsibility as a ref and issued both Drua players a yellow, which would have been upgraded to a 20 minute red by the bunker, that would have killed Australia and New Zealand’s push for the 20 minute red to be trialled globally from July this year.
11 Go to commentsEver so often you all post a Danny Care story that isn’t the announcement that he has finally re-signed for one more, victory tour season at Quins and I’m just like, “well you fooled me again!” My absolute favorite player ever, we need to make his final year at the Stoop (and Twickers) official already. I know he supposedly snubbed France but I won’t feel better until he signs.
1 Go to commentslate hit what late hit it wasn’t at all late and can clearly see he was committed before the tackle
4 Go to commentsChristian Lio -Willies 2 try perfomance was a standout. As was captain Scott Barrett. Up front was where the boys won it.They are a great team and players. Fantastic Crusaders , you can keep going.
3 Go to commentsI don't know how the locals feel about that? I guess if you call yourselves the Worcester Wasps that might be appease. But really we need more teams in the Premiership in my view so they are not padding it out as they are at the moment. It might curtail so many players going abroad as well
5 Go to commentsNZ 😭😭😭is certainly rivaling England for best whingers cup!😭😭😭 !!!
30 Go to commentsYup. New Zealand won 3 out of 10 world cups played. SA 4 out of 8 attempts 30 Vs 50 per cent.🤔🤔
30 Go to commentsShould've done this years ago. Change Saturday kick off times to around 11am. Up and off and back home before 3pm, limit travel time too. Allows players to actually do something else with their Saturday that's family oriented or being rugby fans they could ‘watch’ pro rugby. Increases crowds etc. How can anyone that enjoys grassroots and pro rugby have to choose between the two on Saturdays?
9 Go to commentsI bet he inspired those supporters just as much.
1 Go to commentsBen Smith Springboks living rent free in his head 😊😂
67 Go to commentsGood to hear he would like to play the game at the highest level, I hadn’t been to sure how much of a motivator that was before now. Sadly he’s probably chosen the rugby club to go to. Try not to worry about all the input about how you should play rugby Joey and just try to emulate what you do on the league field and have fun. You’ll limit your game too much (well not really because he’s a standard athlete like SBW and he’ll still have enough) if you’re trying to make sure you can recycle the ball back etc. On the other hard, you can totally just try and recycle by looking to offload any and everywhere if you’re going to ground 😋
1 Go to commentsThis just proves that theres always a stat and a metric to use to justify your abilities and your success. Ben did it last week by creating an imaginary competition and now you did the same to counter his argument and espouse a new yardstick for success. Why not just use the current one and lets say the Boks have won 4 world cups making them the most successful world cup team. Outside of the world cup the All Blacks are the most successful team winning countless rugby championships and dominating the rankings with high win percentages. Over the last 4 years statistically the Irish are the best having the highest win rate and also having positive records against every tier 1 side. The most successful Northern team in the game has been England with a world cup title and the most six nations titles in history. The AB’s are the most dominant team in history with the highest win rate and 3 world cups. Lets not try to reinvent the wheel. Just be honest about the actual stats and what each team has been good at doing and that will be enough to define their level of success.
30 Go to comments