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The 'bit of a statement' that left Leon MacDonald proud in Dublin

By Liam Heagney
TJ Perenara post-game in Dublin (Photo by Brendan Moran/Sportsfile via Getty Images)

Leon MacDonald was like the cat that got the Irish cream on Friday night as he purred his way through a brisk six-minute media debrief on a historic occasion for his All Blacks XV. The NZ second team has had numerous names over the decades. New Zealand A, New Zealand XV, Junior All Blacks. Now it was the turn of the All Blacks XV to shine as the first second-string team to take the field since the JABs took part in the 2009 Pacific Nations.

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The assembly rocked despite its limited preparation time, leaving MacDonald hopeful that the swashbuckling seven-try performance caught the imagination of the NZR back in Wellington and will encourage them to believe that the All Blacks XV is a revived second team concept that is here to stay rather than get shunted back into cold storage for another lengthy period once next weekend’s London duel with the Barbarians is complete.

This fleeting Dublin visit wasn’t about gaining some sort of consolation revenge with a comprehensive 47-19 RDS win four months on from Ireland winning a Test series against the All Blacks. Instead, MacDonald insisted: “It was more important for us around the first opportunity of the All Blacks XV to play and we wanted to do that proud.

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“We wanted to make a bit of a statement and say, ‘This team deserves to be here and we want it to be here for the long term and it has got really purpose and place in New Zealand rugby’. So we are really happy around how we did out there today.

“Lots to be happy with. Some of the tries we created, a lot of the defensive sets. For a team that has been together for seven days, I thought we just committed to working hard for each other and I thought we did the jersey really proud today.

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“A lot of young guys who haven’t really played at this level stepped up and made a bit of a name for themselves and I thought some of the older guys that have been around for a little bit also the same, they played out of their skins and the performance would have shown this team, it means a little bit to them and that jersey means a bit for them so really proud of the effort.”

Why did it work so sweetly? “We kept things really simple, that was really important,” continued MacDonald, the Blues Super Rugby boss who was named in September as the All Blacks XV tour head coach. “With only a week to prepare it was really important that we didn’t clutter the players. We wanted to go out there and use their skill and play what was in front.

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“I thought at times some of the passing and the confidence and the courage to take the ball to the width early on was great but we also mixed up some really good forward play, our maul defence was fantastic and we got up, competed and disrupted some of the Irish lineout as well.

“A lot of work was done this week. We had to fly a long way to come over here and there were a few weary bodies but the guys committed to doing the work on the training field which ultimately was worthwhile for us.”

Let’s be more specific then, what was the verdict on the old Test-level guard, the likes of Damian McKenzie and so on? “Absolutely, I thought he was brilliant today. I thought he directed play really well, I thought he kicked smartly and accurately, his goalkicking was fantastic but his want-to-attack suited our style in what we wanted to achieve. Brilliant.

“And TJ (Perenara) at nine, I thought his leadership throughout the week was immense. We didn’t get Pat (Tuipulotu) until later in the week so he stepped into that role as a bit of a team leader and I thought out there he kept driving the forwards, he kept the group together and made sure they were next-task focused – and he is a real competitor.

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“When the young guys are looking around and seeing guys like Patrick and TJ and Damian who are more experienced at what they are doing, it just lifts them and they wanted to do the same. So really proud of our older group as well as our younger guys.”

You mean someone like 21-year-old blindside Dominic Gardiner? “What a performance, New Zealand 20s last year I think so he is just a young guy starting off really and that is the exciting thing about this team, the opportunity it presents for guys like Dom to come over here and actually challenge themselves against top teams in front of different crowds in a different part of the world.

“Dom played six right next to Pat, who has been around for a lot longer, and this experience for him is going to be massive. He has got a lot of potential and there are a lot of guys, such as Christian Lio-Willie who just came on the last 15 minutes, who have a huge amount of potential as well. Right across the board, I can’t think of a poor performance really.”

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Jon 51 minutes ago
Jake White: Are modern rugby players actually better?

This is the problem with conservative mindsets and phycology, and homogenous sports, everybody wants to be the same, use the i-win template. Athlete wise everyone has to have muscles and work at the gym to make themselves more likely to hold on that one tackle. Do those players even wonder if they are now more likely to be tackled by that player as a result of there “work”? Really though, too many questions, Jake. Is it better Jake? Yes, because you still have that rugby of ole that you talk about. Is it at the highest International level anymore? No, but you go to your club or checkout your representative side and still engage with that ‘beautiful game’. Could you also have a bit of that at the top if coaches encouraged there team to play and incentivized players like Damian McKenzie and Ange Capuozzo? Of course we could. Sadly Rugby doesn’t, or didn’t, really know what direction to go when professionalism came. Things like the state of northern pitches didn’t help. Over the last two or three decades I feel like I’ve been fortunate to have all that Jake wants. There was International quality Super Rugby to adore, then the next level below I could watch club mates, pulling 9 to 5s, take on the countries best in representative rugby. Rugby played with flair and not too much riding on the consequences. It was beautiful. That largely still exists today, but with the world of rugby not quite getting things right, the picture is now being painted in NZ that that level of rugby is not required in the “pathway” to Super Rugby or All Black rugby. You might wonder if NZR is right and the pathway shouldn’t include the ‘amateur’, but let me tell you, even though the NPC might be made up of people still having to pull 9-5s, we know these people still have dreams to get out of that, and aren’t likely to give them. They will be lost. That will put a real strain on the concept of whether “visceral thrill, derring-do and joyful abandon” type rugby will remain under the professional level here in NZ. I think at some point that can be eroded as well. If only wanting the best athlete’s at the top level wasn’t enough to lose that, shutting off the next group, or level, or rugby players from easy access to express and showcase themselves certainly will. That all comes back around to the same question of professionalism in rugby and whether it got things right, and rugby is better now. Maybe the answer is turning into a “no”?

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j
john 3 hours ago
Will the Crusaders' decline spark a slow death for New Zealand rugby?

But here in Australia we were told Penney was another gun kiwi coach, for the Tahs…….and yet again it turned out the kiwi coach was completely useless. Another con job on Australian rugby. As was Robbie Deans, as was Dave Rennie. Both coaches dumped from NZ and promoted to Australia as our saviour. And the Tahs lap them up knowing they are second rate and knowing that under pressure when their short comings are exposed in Australia as well, that they will fall in below the largest most powerful province and choose second rate Tah players to save their jobs. As they do and exactly as Joe Schmidt will do. Gauranteed. Schmidt was dumped by NZ too. That’s why he went overseas. That why kiwi coaches take jobs in Australia, to try and prove they are not as bad as NZ thought they were. Then when they get found out they try and ingratiate themselves to NZ again by dragging Australian teams down with ridiculous selections and game plans. NZ rugby’s biggest problem is that it can’t yet transition from MCaw Cheatism. They just don’t know how to try and win on your merits. It is still always a contest to see how much cheating you can get away with. Without a cheating genius like McCaw, they are struggling. This I think is why my wise old mate in NZ thinks Robertson will struggle. The Crusaders are the nursery of McCaw Cheatism. Sean Fitzpatrick was probably the father of it. Robertson doesn’t know anything else but other countries have worked it out.

15 Go to comments
A
Adrian 5 hours ago
Will the Crusaders' decline spark a slow death for New Zealand rugby?

Thanks Nick The loss of players to OS, injury and retirement is certainly not helping the Crusaders. Ditto the coach. IMO Penny is there to hold the fort and cop the flak until new players and a new coach come through,…and that's understood and accepted by Penny and the Crusaders hierarchy. I think though that what is happening with the Crusaders is an indicator of what is happening with the other NZ SRP teams…..and the other SRP teams for that matter. Not enough money. The money has come via the SR competition and it’s not there anymore. It's in France, Japan and England. Unless or until something is done to make SR more SELLABLE to the NZ/Australia Rugby market AND the world rugby market the $s to keep both the very best players and the next rung down won't be there. They will play away from NZ more and more. I think though that NZ will continue to produce the players and the coaches of sufficient strength for NZ to have the capacity to stay at the top. Whether they do stay at the top as an international team will depend upon whether the money flowing to SRP is somehow restored, or NZ teams play in the Japan comp, or NZ opts to pick from anywhere. As a follower of many sports I’d have to say that the organisation and promotion of Super Rugby has been for the last 20 years closest to the worst I’ve ever seen. This hasn't necessarily been caused by NZ, but it’s happened. Perhaps it can be fixed, perhaps not. The Crusaders are I think a symptom of this, not the cause

15 Go to comments
T
Trevor 8 hours ago
Will forgotten Wallabies fit the Joe Schmidt model?

Thanks Brett.. At last a positive article on the potential of Wallaby candidates, great to read. Schmidt’s record as an international rugby coach speaks for itself, I’m somewhat confident he will turn the Wallaby’s fortunes around …. on the field. It will be up to others to steady the ship off the paddock. But is there a flaw in my optimism? We have known all along that Australia has the players to be very competitive with their international rivals. We know that because everyone keeps telling us. So why the poor results? A question that requires a definitive answer before the turn around can occur. Joe Schmidt signed on for 2 years, time to encompass the Lions tour of 2025. By all accounts he puts family first and that’s fair enough, but I would wager that his 2 year contract will be extended if the next 18 months or so shows the statement “Australia has the players” proves to be correct. The new coach does not have a lot of time to meld together an outfit that will be competitive in the Rugby Championship - it will be interesting to see what happens. It will be interesting to see what happens with Giteau law, the new Wallaby coach has already verbalised that he would to prefer to select from those who play their rugby in Australia. His first test in charge is in July just over 3 months away .. not a long time. I for one wish him well .. heaven knows Australia needs some positive vibes.

21 Go to comments
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