It's not good enough for the Wallabies to be great one week and garbage the next
Swap the head coaches around and who wins this weekend’s Bledisloe Cup clash at Eden Park?
Sunday’s 16-16 stalemate at Sky Stadium threw up more questions than answers for anxious All Blacks fans. Eager to see how things stand now Ian Foster’s in charge, New Zealand’s supporters’ worst fears were just about realised.
Rightly or wrongly, the assumption has always been that there is potential for a decline in fortunes under Foster and Sunday’s performance did nothing to dispel that.
Looking at things dispassionately, you would imagine that Australia can’t play a great deal better than they did in Wellington, whereas the All Blacks should improve. However, it’s hard to escape the feeling New Zealand would improve a good deal more if they had the Wallabies’ Dave Rennie as head coach.
Far from hoping for an emphatic response from the All Blacks this week; under Rennie fans would feel certain it was on its way.
As impressive as Australia’s play was at Sky Stadium, so was Rennie’s post-match press conference.
Some men in his position would have crowed, but not him. No, he simply pointed out that the Wallabies had walloped the All Blacks in Perth last year, only to rock up to Eden Park and cop a 36-0 hiding.
It was an interesting point for Rennie to reference.
That 47-26 win by Australia at Optus Stadium was extraordinary. The Wallabies were so, so much better than the All Blacks that night, putting in a genuine 10 out of 10 performance.
It was a tantalising glimpse at the talent levels within Australia’s side, but ultimately unsustainable. The embarrassed All Blacks responded in inevitable fashion and the Wallabies went on to exit the subsequent Rugby World Cup at the quarterfinal stage.
What appealed about Sunday’s effort at Sky Stadium was that it looked repeatable.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CGN3z2IhLXu/
Australia were energetic and abrasive and put New Zealand under pressure with and without the ball. Their set pieces were pretty steady and there was a general accuracy and endeavour about their rugby.
Some have suggested the Wallabies achieved some kind of moral victory, but that’s just cobblers. Games come in three shapes and sizes: wins, losses and draws and morals don’t come into it.
The one main area where Rennie was displeased with Australia’s effort was at the breakdown. Luckily, as evidenced by his years at the Chiefs, the breakdown is precisely where Rennie-coached sides excel, so you don’t imagine he’ll be dissatisfied for long.
What Rennie has already shown he has the potential to do for this side, is narrow the gap between their best performance and their worst. That’s why the unprompted mention of the first two games of last year’s Bledisloe Cup series was so telling.
It’s not good enough to be great one week and garbage the next and that’ll be Rennie’s challenge. The odd 10 out of 10 performance is fine, so long as it’s not followed by two out of 10.
You’d say the Wallabies gave us a solid seven at Sky Stadium and that’s the standard they now need to aspire to week after week.
For the All Blacks, it was only five out of 10 stuff. Which, with the right man in charge, might be easily fixed. With Foster, though, there’s a sense that this could be the team’s level.
They’ll have good days, of course they will. There’s too much talent there for them not to.
But for all Richie Mo’unga’s success at Super Rugby level, he’s yet to take command of the test stage. New Zealand’s tight forwards were only okay on Sunday and the loose forward mix looked a little wrong until Hoskins Sotutu came on.
Rieko Ioane has a bit to learn about defending in midfield and surely we’ve seen enough to know that Jordie Barrett is a very fine fullback, but only average on the wing?
Picking a better-balanced team would be the first area where the All Blacks could improve and then it’s about asserting themselves.
Australia were allowed to dictate terms in Wellington and probably a little unlucky not to win. Their job is to now try and match that intensity this Sunday.
Of the two teams, the All Blacks have the most improvement. The question that remains is: do they have the right coaching group to coax the improvement out of them?
Comments on RugbyPass
The value he brought to the crusaders as an assistant was equal to what he got out of being there. He reflected not only on the team culture but also the credit he attributed to the rugby community. Such experience shouldn’t be overlooked.
3 Go to commentsGood luck Aussie
10 Go to commentssmith at 9 / mounga 10 / laumape 12 / fainganuku 14
51 Go to commentsBar the injuries, it’s pretty much their top team …
2 Go to commentsDon’t disagree with much of this but it appears you forgot Rodda and Beale, who started at the Force on the weekend.
10 Go to commentsExcept for the injured Zach Gallagher this would be Saders best forward pack for the season. Blackadder needs to stay at 7, for all of Christies tackling he is not dominant and offers very little else. McNicholfullback is maybe a good option, Fihaki not really upto it, there was a reason Burke played there last year. Maybe Havilli to 2nd five McLeod to wing. Need a strong winger on 1 side to compliment Reece
1 Go to commentsTo me TJ is clearly the best 9 in the competition right now but he's also a proven player off the bench, there's few playmaking players who can come off the bench as calm and settled as he is, Beauden can, TJ can and I doubt any of the scrumhalves in contention can, if they want to experiment with new 9s I want him on the bench ready to step in if they crumble under the pressure. The Boks put their best front row on the bench, I'd like to see us take a similar approach, the Hurricanes have been doing similar things with players like Kirifi.
51 Go to commentsROG has better chance to win a WC if he starts training and make himself eligible as a player. He won’t make the Ireland squad but I reckon he may get close with Namibia (needs to improve his Afrikaans) or Portugal. Both sides had 1000:1 odds to win the RWC in 2023 which is an improvement on ROG’s odds of winning a RWC as a coach. Unlike Top 14 teams, national teams can’t go shopping and buy the best players - you work with the available talent pool and turn them into world beaters.
3 Go to commentsthat backline nope that backline is terrible why would you have sevu Reece when he’s not even top 5 wingers in the comp why have Blackadder when there’s better players no Scott barret isn’t an automatic the guy is more of a liability than anything why have him there when you have samipeni who’s far far better
51 Go to commentsAh, good to find you Nick. Agree with everything about Cale. So much to like about his game
51 Go to commentsNot too bad. Questions at 6, lock and HB for me. The ABs will be a lot stronger once Jordan and Roigard return. Also, work needs to be made to secure Frizzell back for next season and maybe also Mo’unga; they’re just wasting time playing in japan
51 Go to commentsOn the title, i wonder for many of those people it is a case something like a belief in working smarter, not harder?
1 Go to commentsForget Sotutu. One of those whose top level is Super Rugby. Id take a punt on Wallace Sititi Finau ahead of Glass body Blackadder.
51 Go to commentsI’m a pensioner so I've been around a bit. My opinion of SBW is he is an elite athlete and a great New Zealander and roll model. He has been to the top and knows what he's talking about. To all the negative comments regarding SBW the typical New Zealand way, cut that tall poppy down.
17 Go to commentsI'm not listening to a guy moralise over others when this is the guy who walked out mid season on Canterbury RLFC when he had a contract with them, what a hypocrite. All the Kiwis sticking up for this unprincipled individual because they can't accept justified criticism, he has zero credibility or integrity. Those praising him are a joke.
17 Go to commentsI’d put Finau at 6 instead of Blackadder but that’s the only change I’d make. Can’t wait to see who Razor picks.
51 Go to commentsTamati Williams, Codie Taylor, and Same Cane? Not sure about Hoskins Sotutu at test level. Wasn’t that impressive last season. Need a balance between experience and talent/youth.
51 Go to commentsInteresting insight. Fantastic athlete, and a genuine human being.
17 Go to commentsThey played at night in Suva last weekend and it’s an afternoon game forecast for 19 degrees in Canberra this weekend. Heat change is a non issue.
2 Go to commentsWishing Rosie a speedy recovery
1 Go to comments