The All Blacks' bench has something 'no other team' has

Selections can be tricky business in a Rugby World Cup with injuries and suspensions to work around, but very rarely do you see a bench quite like the one the All Blacks fielded against Italy.

The final 20 minutes of All Blacks games was once a period when the fitness and execution of some of the world’s top athletes were pushed to the limits, a period when the New Zealand side were at their most destructive.

The team would frequently ice close games or further blow out big scores in the last quarter during their reign as world champions in the 2010s.

That era is now over and the Kiwis are desperate to regain that spark.

In their recent Tests against South Africa and France, both opponents outscored New Zealand considerably in the closing period, with a solo effort by young halfback Cam Roigard the only points on the board for the All Blacks in either final quarter.

Against Italy however, the team’s rampant scoring rate was amplified even further in the final 20 minutes as the bench took over.

Four tries were scored between the 66th and 75th minutes of the match, each of which was converted by replacement first five-eighth Damian McKenzie.

Alongside McKenzie was a wealth of experience and two future stars.

“You’ve got experience, with some youthful exuberance – and that’s what you get with Tamaiti Williams’ first game in a Rugby World Cup,” Former All Black Jeff Wilson told Sky Sport. “But then, you had Sam Cane, Dane Coles and Sam Whitelock.

“No other team in the World Cup is going to have that kind of experience coming off the bench.

“But then, I’ve got to say, Damian McKenzie made his statement, right? In terms of the fact that you’ve got to put me there, you’ve got to keep me there and I’ve got to be an option because he changed the way the All Blacks played when he came on.”

Points Flow Chart

New Zealand win +79

Time in lead

78

Mins in lead

0

93%

% Of Game In Lead

0%

34%

Possession Last 10 min

66%

16

Points Last 10 min

7

Returning from injury, regular team captain Sam Cane was eased back into match fitness in his 24-minute cameo off the bench. Prop Tyrel Lomax was in a similar boat as an established starter returning from a gruesome deep gash suffered against the Springboks pre-World Cup.

Even with rookies Tamaiti Williams and Cam Roigard on the bench, the impact unit boasted 470 international caps of experience.

Many of the reserves stood out, but as he did against Namibia two weeks earlier, Damian McKenzie posed a constant threat to the Italian defence.

“He certainly did,” Mils Muliaina added. “And I think that’s where they’ve got things right. Cam Roigard came on and had instant impact once again, next to Damian McKenzie and the injection he brings.

“That’s now going to be the key for the All Blacks and everyone else, when it gets to that slow game, how can they adapt?

“Do you bring guys off the bench, or how do they get that tempo back because we’ve seen the French did that to them, the South Africans did that to them.”

The All Blacks have been unable to play to their strengths against more physical opposition, but having shown what they are capable of against Italy, the performance sent a message about how dangerous the team can be if they are able to play on their own terms.

Wilson was asked how he imagined potential quarter-final opponents would have reacted to the big win.

“I wouldn’t say nervous,” he replied. “But it’s a reminder, if you allow the All Blacks to play, with the talent they do have, and particularly around the backline, they’re settled.

“I think the other countries are now well and truly aware of what the All Blacks have at their disposal, and how are you going to counter that?”