Same old recipe sinks the Wallabies but it won't be so easy to replicate at the World Cup
The All Blacks 36-0 thumping over the Wallabies was a direct turnaround from the result in Perth but the recipe was the same as old, punishing mistakes by dining on turnovers and kick returns to hit the visitors while vulnerable.
Three out of the All Blacks’ five tries came in transition with two directly from turnovers and one from a kick return, while Sevu Reece’s superb individual piece of skill came from the All Blacks’ own kick. A crash ball to Sonny Bill Williams delivered the other score during phase play.
This has been the model for quite some time for dismantling the Wallabies.
Since the last World Cup, nearly a third of all All Blacks tries, 31.2%, have come directly within one phase of a turnover or kick transition against them. Likely more have been scored in the one or two phases after. Click plays, as Wayne Smith called them, have been clicking the Wallabies’ butt.
It is the extra cream that has enabled the All Blacks to put record point differences up against Australia, averaging over 35 points per game since the World Cup, jumping up by about 10 points in the last decade. The number of tries has nearly doubled from the last four-year cycle, up from 2.92 to 5.18 per game.
Bad handling and poor kicking are fuel to the All Blacks machine and in testing conditions at Eden Park the Wallabies certainly provided that, coughing up ball regularly, forced and unforced.
With free-flowing situations unfolding, All Black rugby turns instinctual but highly deliberate. Every turnover? Spread to the edge. Or, more accurately, find the space. Getting to the edge is just a likely outcome. Simple, short passing will suffice – just make the decision quickly to find the unmarked man or mismatch.
The same philosophy is visible in nearly every All Blacks game. Whether it comes from winning lineout ball against the throw or stealing the ball at the ruck, you will see the ball moved through the hands quickly in search of the weak spot. Unscripted but targeted play.
A similar thought process is replicated on kick returns in the right situation.
“The previous week I kicked it and it didn’t work out so that was one of the learnings we made,” Barrett said about the Perth test.
Here is the situation he is referring to. From the scrum, the Wallabies wingers are half up in defence and Barrett kicks deep to find space available behind the defenders.
Kurtley Beale (15) has to backtrack but on the return serve kicks terribly, straight down the middle of the field.
The Wallabies defence is still backtracking from the congregation of the scrum, meaning they do not have the field spread well. Up to seven All Blacks are visible on the far side outside of the furthest Wallabies’ defenders, while Aaron Smith is circled at the bottom of the screen.
As Richie Mo’unga (10) brings it back, the Wallabies are caught really short with the All Blacks backline re-loading with Rieko Ioane (11), Jack Goodhue (13) and Anton Lienert-Brown (12) along with Beauden Barrett (15) linking in.
Faced with prop Allan Alaalatoa, flyhalf Christian Lealiifano and centre Samu Kerevi, Barrett chip kicks in behind despite having numbers, as well as Aaron Smith and Sam Cane running positive support lines to provide inside options.
At Eden Park a similar situation develops following an Aaron Smith box kick that is botched by Kurtley Beale. The All Blacks have a chance to kick long and find the turf again with the backfield depleted following the first kick.
Lealiifano has to backtrack before making the same mistake as Beale, kicking straight down the middle of the field. Aaron Smith is circled again in the middle of the picture.
The opportunity on the far side isn’t as great as it was in Perth but some speed by Barrett helps trim the numbers down.
Swerving away to the left side, Barrett is able to take out up to five defenders initially getting outside Lealiifano all the way to Nic White (9).
His pass to George Bridge (11) takes out one more defender in Adam Coleman and the All Blacks have a two-on-two in a large 15-metre corridor with a favourable one-on-one with Lukhan Salakaia-Loto (6).
The Crusaders’ winger does the rest by skinning the loose forward and linking up with Aaron Smith back on the inside.
“We gave George a one-on-one on a forward and he cut them up,” Barrett said following the Eden Park victory.
“That was very satisfying. Probably because it was one of the bad clips we showed in review the previous week, of me doing a chip when we had the similar scenario.”
Despite missing out on the first opportunity in Perth, the All Blacks’ intent was on display in the second try, to Rieko Ioane, moments after Barrett’s ill-advised chip kick.
A cold drop by Lukhan Salakaia-Loto is caught by Anton-Lienert-Brown, who is tackled immediately. From the quick recycle, Aaron Smith links up with fullback Beauden Barrett flying up from fullback, looking to re-join the line and spark something.
Another long ball by Barrett finds Dane Coles on Allan Alaalatoa out on the edge, who slips the prop’s grasp and finds Aaron Smith on an inside support line. Rieko Ioane finishes the movement via a hook pass from his halfback.
It’s the same operating procedure with aesthetic differences and it’s killed the Wallabies time and time again over the last four years.
In Perth, the Wallabies dominated by playing possession-based rugby that controlled the clock and starved the All Blacks of the ball in the second half, despite giving away two turnover/transition tries in the first. They found a style that worked but couldn’t replicate that at Eden Park in wet conditions as a higher error count returned and the possession balance normalised.
The challenge for the Wallabies will be to execute the Perth gameplan in various conditions if they are to ever reclaim the Bledisloe, especially in matches played in New Zealand. Their best bet is a game under the roof in Dunedin and two more back in Australia.
For the All Blacks, averaging nearly 40 points a game against the Wallabies doesn’t foreshadow anything. The Northern Hemisphere teams don’t make half as many errors as Australia and they have far better kicking games.
A much tighter contest will ensue with far fewer windows to run rampant on counter-attack.
The only Northern Hemisphere team that the All Blacks have encountered in the knockout phases of the World Cup over the last two campaigns is France, with four out of the six games against familiar Rugby Championship opponents. The French are just as prone to error-ridden rugby as the Wallabies, which despite the jitters of the past, bodes well should that match-up happen again in Japan.
With only one game against England over the last four years, a 2-1 deficit against Ireland, and Wales now taking over the number one ranking, these are the matchups everyone wants to see. However, the All Blacks haven’t matched up against Ireland, Wales or England in a World Cup knockout match since 1995.
With a lack of serious competition in the Southern Hemisphere (until the recent Springboks revival), let’s hope the World Cup delivers the match-ups everyone is waiting for between the top four to five sides in the world – but don’t expect it to be so easy for the All Blacks to cut apart their opponents.
Wallabies coach Michael Cheika after Bledisloe II loss:
Comments on RugbyPass
Lets compare apples with apples. Lyon sent weak team the week before, but nobody raised an eyebrow. Give the South African teams a few years to build their depth, then you will be moaning that the teams are too strong.
41 Go to commentsDid footballs agents also perform the scout role at some time? I’m surprised more high profile players haven’t taken up the occupation, great way to remain in the game and use all that experience without really requiring a lot of specific expertise?
1 Go to commentsSuper rugby is struggling but that has little to do with sabbaticals. 1. Too many teams from Aust and NZ - should be 3 and 4 respectively, add in 2 from Japan, 1 possibly 2 from Argentina. 2. Inconsistent and poor refereeing, admittedly not restricted to Super rugby. Only one team was reffed at the breakdown in Reds v H’Landers match. Scrum penalty awarded in Canes v Drua when No 8 had the ball in the open with little defence nearby - ideal opportunity to play advantage. Coming back to Reds match - same scrum situation but ref played advantage - Landers made 10 yards and were penalised at the breakdown when the ref should have returned to scrum penalty. 3. Marketing is weak and losing ground to AFL and NRL. Playing 2 days compared with 4. 4. Scheduling is unattractive to family attendance. Have any franchises heard of Sundays 2pm?
10 Go to commentsAbsolutely..all they need is a chance in yhe playoffs and I bet all the other teams will be nervous…THEY KNOW HOW TO WIN IM THE PLAYOFFS..
2 Go to commentsI really hope he comes back and helps out with some coaching.
1 Go to commentsI think we are all just hoping that the Olympic 7s doesn’t suffer the same sad fate as the last RWC with the officials ruining the spectacle.
1 Go to commentsPersonally, I’ve lost the will to even be bothered about the RFU, the structure, the participants. It’s all a sham. I now simply enjoy getting a group of friends together to go and watch a few games a year in different locations (including Europe, the championship, etc). I feel extremely sorry for the real fans of these clubs who are constantly ignored by the RFU and other administrators. I feel especially sorry for the fans of clubs in the Championship who have had considerable central funding stripped away and are then expected to just take whatever the RFU put to them. Its all a sham, especially if the failed clubs are allowed to return.
9 Go to commentsI’m guessing Carl Hayman would have preferred to have stayed in NZ with benefit of hindsight. Up north there is the expectation to play twice as many games with far less ‘player management’ protocols that Paul is now criticising. Less playing through concussions means longer, healthier, careers. Carter used as the eg here by Paul, his sabbatical allowed him to play until age 37. OK its not an exact science but there is far more expectations on players who sign for Top 14 or Engl Prem clubs to get value for the huge salaries. NZR get alot wrong but keeping their best players in NZ rugby is not one of them. SA clubs are virtually devoid of their top players now, no thanks. They cant threaten the big teams in the Champions Cup, the squads have little depth. Cant see Canes/Chiefs struggling. Super has been great this year, fantastic high skill matches. Drua a fantastic addition and Jaguares will add another quality team eventually. Aus teams performing strongly and no doubt will benefit with the incentive of a Lions tour and a home RWC. Let Jordie enjoy his time with Leinster, it will allow the opportunity for another player to emerge at Canes in his absence.
10 Go to commentsLove that man, his way to despise angry little men is so funny ! 😂
4 Go to comments“South African franchises would be powerhouses if we had all our overseas based players back in situ. We would have the same unbeatable aura the Toulouses, Leinsters or Saracens of this world have had over the last decade or so.” Proof that Jake white does not understand the economics of the game in SA. Players earning abroad are not going to simply come back and represent the bulls. But they might if they have a springbok contract.
22 Go to commentsA lot of fans just joined in for the fun of it! We all admire O'Gara and what he has done for La Rochelle
4 Go to commentsThe RFU will find a way to mess this up as usual. My bet is there will be no promotion into the the Premiership, only relegation into National League One. Hopefully they won’t parachute failed clubs into the league at the expense of clubs who have battled for promotion.
9 Go to commentsWell that’s the contracts for RG and Jordie bought and paid for. Now, what are the chances we can persuade Antoine to hop over with all the extra dosh we’ll have from living at the Aviva & Croke next season…??? 🤑🤑🤑
35 Go to commentsWow, that’s incredible. Great for rugby.
35 Go to commentsYou probably read that parling is going to coach the wallaby lineout but if not before now you have.
14 Go to commentsIf someone like Leo Cullen was in O’Gara’s place I don’t hear Boo-ing. It’s not just that La Rochelle has hurt Leinster and O’Gara is their Irish boss. It’s the needle that he brings and the pantomime activity before the game around pretending that Munster were supporting LaRochelle just because O’Gara is from Cork. That’s dividing Irish provinces just to get an advantage for his French Team. He can F*ck right off with that. BOOOOO! (but not while someone is lying injured)
4 Go to commentsDid the highlanders party too hard before the game? They were the pits.
1 Go to commentsWhat a player! Not long until he’s in the England side, surely?
5 Go to commentsHe seems to have the same aura as Marcus Smith - by which I mean he’s consistently judged as if he’s several years younger than he actually is. Mngomezulu has played 24 times for the Stormers. When Pollard was his age he had played 24 times for South Africa! He has more time to develop, but he has also had time to do some developing already, and he hasn’t demonstrated nearly as much talent in that time as one would expect. If he is a generational talent, then it must be a pretty poor generation.
6 Go to commentsThe greatest Springbok coach of all time is entirely on the money. Rassie and Jacques have given the south african public a great few years, but the success of the springbok selection policy will need to be judged in light of what comes next. The poor condition that the provincial system is currently in doesn’t bode well for the next few years of international rugby, and the insane 2026 schedule that the Boks have lined up could also really harm both provincial and international consistency.
22 Go to comments