Neil Barnes labels box kick trend 'overboard', France narrative 'rubbish'

All Blacks lead assistant coach Neil Barnes isn’t convinced the volume of box kicks in the international game is fully warranted, implying the All Blacks will be less inclined to keep pace with the attacking trend.

New Zealand’s Nations Championship squad came together for the first time last Wednesday, giving Barnes his first chance to work hands-on with his players and begin building the game plan developed since his March 24 appointment.

“We’re dealing with a different standard of player here,” the coach said when asked how the group was managing the new information from the new coaching group, going on to emphasise that clarity and simplicity have been crucial in the group’s initial messages.

The first taste of the All Blacks’ new game plan will be revealed when the team take the field against France in Christchurch this weekend. Head coach Dave Rennie has made a point of letting his top priority be known, saying the team will aim to be “brilliant at the basics”, something Barnes further emphasised when speaking with the media after All Blacks training at Christ’s College on Tuesday morning.

He also fielded questions about how well-equipped he believed his players are for the contestable kicking game that may well come their way under the roof at the new One New Zealand Stadium.

“Obviously, some nations are stronger than others in certain areas. At the moment, we think we’ve got certain people who can handle it, so if people want to kick us the ball, we’ll be doing our best to retrieve it. We’ve got a plan around that, and we might even try to use it,” Barnes responded.

“But if box kicking is what you’re talking about, it has a use in the game. At the moment, I just think it’s a little overboard, the amount that teams are doing it. Everyone has their own opinions; we’ll have ours, and we’ll play accordingly.”

New attack coach Mike Blair has previously spoken on the importance of kicking to disorganise the defence, saying “if you’ve got a positive mindset as to why you kick the ball”, then you’re enabling your attack rather than playing negatively, which has been the concern relating to New Zealand’s traditionally expansive attacking game.

Regardless of what New Zealand brings to Saturday’s contest, France will have an equal say in what aspects of the game decide the fixture. While a number of top players who contributed to the team’s Six Nations victory are unavailable through injury, rest, or the weekend’s Top 14 final duties, Barnes wouldn’t accommodate any talk of the visiting squad being weaker than usual.

“They’re one of the best teams in the world, they’ll bring everything. I’m not buying into this rubbish that they’re bringing over a B team or anything like that. They’ve got great depth in that country, in their game, and we’ve got to applaud them for what they’ve created.

“So, I don’t care who they bring, it’s a French team, they’ll be able to play, they’ll be physical, and we’re going to have to be at our very best to beat them.”

The match will be the first Test ever played in Christchurch’s new stadium, and Barnes says he’s both excited and grateful to have a controlled environment to look forward to.

“It’s awesome to come down here and know you’re going to be in good conditions to play a game. The team’s happily good enough to play in any conditions, but obviously it alters your tactics on the day. Right here, at the moment, what a great investment by this province to put this stadium up. It’s going to be a great atmosphere in there, and there are no excuses.”