We’ve seen good players get worse within the All Blacks

There’s an element of shuffling deckchairs on the Titanic, about this All Black team.

As I wrote last week, I think they’ll beat South Africa at Eden Park on Saturday. Not because they’re the better side, but because they were embarrassed by Argentina in their last start and because they have an unbeaten record to defend at that venue.

If I look at the side to meet the Springboks, I can’t say it enthuses me greatly.

Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus explains how he hopes to get an edge over the All Blacks

Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus explains how he hopes to get an edge over the All Blacks

Fixture

Rugby Championship

New Zealand

24 - 17

Full-time

South Africa

All Stats and Data

There are better locks than Scott Barrett and, if they were all fit, any number of halfbacks with more to offer than Finlay Christie.

Jordie Barrett, Billy Proctor, Rieko Ioane and Emoni Narawa have done nothing to demand selection and, yet, here they are. I’m no Sevu Reece enthusiast, but Narawa is a significantly worse player in my opinion.

I’ll try to reserve judgement on Simon Parker and I’ll try to get enthused about what others, such as Tamaiti Williams, Tyrel Lomax, Du’Plessis Kirifi and Quinn Tupaea, might offer off the bench, but I suspect it’s not very much.

And I say that because I’m not sure it really matters who the All Blacks pick this week or any week, right now. No, in summoning Wayne Smith into camp, the team’s coaching staff have as good as admitted they don’t know what they’re doing.

We all know that, of course. We’ve seen good players get worse in the All Blacks’ environment this year, which is in direct contrast to what used to happen.

Head-to-Head

Last 5 Meetings

Wins

1

Draws

0

Wins

4

Average Points scored

17

24

First try wins

40%

Home team wins

60%

For a long time the view was always that it didn’t matter how test-quality footballers went in Super Rugby. Once they returned to the All Blacks’ fold, we’d see the real player re-emerge.

You can’t pretend that’s the case now, given these All Blacks appear incapable of creating any attacking opportunities.

That’s why the SOS has gone out to Smith.

There aren’t many coaches in this country who don’t owe their living to Smith. They were either coached by him or had spells coaching with him which, in large part, is what qualified them for the positions they hold.

Smith is regarded as a genius and, if you’ve been touched by that genius, then we assume you possess a bit of it yourself.

I’m sorry, but at some point men such as Scott Robertson have to actually stand up and be men. They can’t just get Wayne Smith to do their jobs for them when things get hard.

The governing body’s little better. New Zealand Rugby rope Smith in at every opportunity, not least the last Women’s Rugby World Cup.

I mean it makes sense. Smith is a smart guy, who breaks rugby games down in ways that few, if any, others ever have.

As much as that, he also makes players feel good about themselves. Smith instils confidence and we can all see more than a few All Blacks are down on that at the moment.

But it’s also embarrassing that rugby in this country is in a situation where it appears only one man knows how to prepare teams to win.

Smith’s had more retirements than Frank Sinatra but, at the first sign of trouble, he’s wheeled back out for one last farewell.

I think the All Blacks will win this week. They’re a team that occasionally has to be shamed into performing properly and Saturday looks as if it’ll be one of those instances.

Should they emerge victorious over the Springboks, many folk will conclude the team is in good heart.

Only they can’t be. Smith wouldn’t be there if they were.

Again, having him in camp is hugely positive in the short term. The All Blacks, to my mind, were always a safe bet for this Saturday, but those odds have only increased now Smith’s around.

But he can’t be there every week. He can’t always hold the coaching staff’s hands, he can’t always convince the players they’re good enough to succeed.

At some stage the actual All Blacks coaches and players have to take responsibility for their circumstances and find a way to improve them.

Until that happens, the results and performances are going to remain consistently underwhelming.