The rolling maul is the antidote for the All Blacks in this era

I grew nostalgic for the Waikato team of the 1990s, as I watched the All Blacks’ unconvincing 41-24 win over Argentina.

The rolling maul isn’t everyone’s idea of entertainment, but I dare say it’d be more effective than what passes for forward play these days.

Time was when, as a prop, if the ball ended up in your hands, it was because you’d gotten in the way. The idea that you were a primary ball runner and ball player was fanciful. That was not your job.

Andrew Kellaway on preparing for the Boks

Andrew Kellaway on preparing for the Boks

You were better off in dark places like a maul, which Mooloo men such as Graham Purvis, Warren Gatland, Craig Stevenson, Brent Anderson, Steve Gordon, Richard Jerram, Duane Monkley and John Mitchell turned into an art form.

From anywhere in the opposition’s half, Waikato stuck the ball up their jumper and rumbled towards the try line.

Maybe it ended in a try for the forwards and maybe it didn’t. The point is, with defenders in retreat, there was then space for Waikato first five-eighth Ian Foster to use the backline should he want to.

The All Blacks struggled to build phases against the Pumas in Cordoba. There were a variety of reasons for that, including that the breakdown was hotly contested.

I’m interested in this stuff because of the apparent struggle to get outside backs into the game.

My colleague, Ben Smith, has written an excellent piece about what to do with Rieko Ioane and Billy Proctor. On face value, neither is doing much to warrant a place in the All Blacks’ starting side.

The thing is, neither is a poor player. Neither are others, such as Jordie Barrett, Quinn Tupaea, Anton Lienert-Brown, Timoci Tavatavanawai and Sevu Reece.

But, for whatever reason, none have done a lot in the jersey this season, leading to sustained discussion about who should play in midfield for the All Blacks and on the wings.

I’m starting to come around to the conclusion that it doesn’t actually matter. At least not while attacks are so flat and recycling possession appears so difficult.

Backs need space and, right now, it seems extremely difficult to create any.

Might the rolling maul be the answer? Look, I’m not entirely sure. But, with all due respect to them, I’m fairly certain that yet another carry from Fletcher Newell or Ethan de Groot isn’t.

We’re at the point where a scurry from halfback or first five-eighth is about the only way of making a defensive line retreat and create enough room for the rest of the backline to play.

As a quick aside, this situation only underscores the quality of Will Jordan’s rugby right now. He’s not just the best fullback New Zealand has, but far and away the best wing as well.

You can only imagine how brilliant he would be if rugby was played the way it was when Christian Cullen wore the No.15 jersey.

Samisoni Taukei’aho will be the first to tell you how effective a maul can be, following his two tries off the bench on Sunday. But, for all the howls of outrage it might provoke among some fans, I wonder why we restrict mauling to five metres from the tryline?

Short passing and one-off running isn’t committing defenders. One or two might attend a breakdown, but the rest remain right in the face of Proctor, the Barretts and everyone else.

Well, it’s hard to combat a maul with only one or two, be it from five metres out, 30 or even 40. The more bodies you commit there, the fewer there are to defend the rest of the park.

Waikato weren’t a thrill-a-minute kind of a side. But they found a way to combat and beat the star-studded Auckland team of the time by mauling their way down field which, in turn, created opportunities for teammates such as Foster, Matthew Cooper and Andrew Stawbridge.

I want to emphasise the point that the All Blacks possess any number of potent attacking players. You can drop Proctor and you can put Ioane out to pasture, but whoever comes in is going to face the same set defensive lines and the same shortage of space.

Without defenders missing tackles, it’s just not possible to make a lot of headway.

That requires a change of strategy of the sort the humble rolling maul might provide.