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Where Mark Telea’s absence will hurt the All Blacks the most
A breach in team protocol has landed Mark Telea a stint on the sideline for the All Blacks’ biggest Test in four years.
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In his place steps the imposing figure of Leicester Fainga’anuku. It’s a replacement that doesn’t compromise much in the way of X-factor, but of course, it’s not the only piece of the puzzle to reshuffle.
The impact unit, which was likely to include Fainga’anuku in the 23 jersey, now features Anton Lienert-Brown as midfield cover. Against Uruguay, Fainga’anuku was handed some late minutes in the midfield as an audition for that final bench spot in the quarter-final.
The winger was superb throughout the match and upon shifting into the centres, continued his demolition of the Uruguayan defence. The position amplified his defensive strengths – reading the play and getting over the ball – while better hiding his defensive weakness – lateral quickness and getting burnt on the outside.
The performance didn’t guarantee Fainga’anuku’s bench role as predominantly midfield cover, but it did offer some peace of mind for the coaches should an injury or a red card sideline Jordie Barrett or Rieko Ioane.
The 24-year-old’s form is simply too good to ignore and demanded a place in the matchday 23.
Elsewhere, in the final round of pool play, Scotland were dismissed by the All Blacks’ quarter-final opponent, Ireland.
It was clinical and ruthless by the Irish, who resisted phase after phase of Scottish attack, surrendering very few metres before ultimately winning a breakdown turnover – as they do better than any team in the world.
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At one point, Scotland ran up 18 phases only to have the ball stolen and any direct reward for their efforts ripped away by the patient and disciplined Irish defence.
It wasn’t until the 63rd minute when Scotland scored, and then again one minute later. Those tries were earned half an hour earlier, through each one of those gruelling 18 phases.
That is the blueprint for an All Blacks win.
Defence is exhausting, Ireland may be the world’s best at it, but they are human, and absorbing the kind of firepower New Zealand possesses will take its toll.
And so, the challenge for New Zealand in the first 60 minutes will be securing the ball for enough phases to slowly empty the green machine’s tank, without leaking too many points before an onslaught in the final quarter.
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The All Blacks are yet to concede a try in the first half of their Rugby World Cup games, and as thorough as their loss to South Africa was at Twickenham, their opening period of defence repelled the Springboks’ red zone attack for a respectable time.
It’s a significant stat, because if the All Blacks can withstand the early pressure and head into the final quarter within one or two tries of the lead, they’ll sniff opportunity.
While Anton Lienert-Brown is a world-class midfielder and will add energy and proven defensive prowess to the All Blacks backline, there is no substitute for power, and Leicester Fainga’anuku brings a lot of it.
Along with the mercurial running threat of Damian McKenzie, Fainga’anuku has the potential to turn a match on its head and punish tiring defenders with elite finishing ability.
Mark Telea deserves his starting role, he is the best all-around option for New Zealand on the left wing. His aerial skills and defence are both superior to Fainga’anuku’s, while his ability to make metres out of nowhere is at times alien.
An All Blacks outfit complete with the danger of their first-choice starting unit, along with the reserve impact of the hat-trick hero of the Uruguay match would have the best chance of pushing Ireland to the very brink. Whether it would have been enough, we’ll never know.
The objective of tiring the Irish defence demands a far more efficient breakdown and kicking game than the All Blacks have shown to date.
Fainga’anuku’s work carrying around the breakdown will win front foot ball, provided his teammates can secure it. Telea’s snipes and extra metres around the ruck have, on many occasions, resulted in a turnover due to the All Blacks’ less polished skillset in more dynamic breakdown situations. Fainga’anuku is likely to find the same fate if there hasn’t been significant growth in that area since the France Test.
New Zealand’s best chance of beating Ireland lies in the final 20 minutes of the quarter-final. Unfortunately, their ability to execute in that final quarter just lost a major spark.
Comments on RugbyPass
Skelton may be brought back for the Wallabies so that would be the only reason that may hinder Wilson. Easily the form, most skilful and game IQ of any Oz 8. Valentini’s best and favourite position is 6, but lineouts may be an issue with Skelton, Valentini and Wilson. Will be interesting what Schmidt goes for but for me Wilson should be picked on form. Schmidt rewards work rate, skill and consistency. All that glitters every so often won’t be in contention. Greely is one of those players that has a knack of making the right decision. A coach is going to love him because he knows week in week out he’s going to get the job done. The second try Greely wasn’t the guy who made the initial break it was Flook, Greely was at the bottom of the ruck when Flook was off along the sideline. Greely got up and made the effort to catch up with play but also read the play nicely and hit the pass from Campbell at pace and then held the pass beautifully to Ryan.
6 Go to commentsSpot on Ben. Dead right. Havili looked great at 10. Easily the highest rugby IQ of any NZ player these days. Getting a kick charged down is a result of getting used to adjusting your depth to the line at 10, which he will sort out with time. But other than that it was an outstanding first effort in that position this year. I think the NZ media has misunderstood this directive from Razor. Havili might rank behind B Barrett this year, but Beuden is 33 this month and won't last much longer. DMaC is great but flaky and not really a test match animal (his efforts in Dunedin versus Aus last year for example). If Razor can't have Mounga, DMaC is too unstructured for Razor (and is just too small for test rugby). Havili will end up our first choice first five, and in partnership with Jodie will be excellent. Two triple threat operators in tandem, and big bodies and tough tacklers to boot. Jordoe will be the ABs goal kicker. I am an Aucklander and Blues (and Warriors) fan, but Havili at 10 is going to be sensational in time… he can be the best first five in the world by the end of this year. No question.
6 Go to commentsSharks deserved to be far further back by the last quarter. Their tackling was awful, their set pieces were disappointing, their defensive organization was poor (especially on the Kok side of the D line), they kept making unnecessary errors, and they never looked like cracking the Clermont defense during those first 60m. Masuku kept them in touch, with some help from the Clermont generosity on penalty opportunities. Agree with the writer of this article. It was belligerence, and ability to raise their pressure game just enough, that turned the last quarter into a Bok-style shutout. Clermont have a reputation of not playing the full 80m, and there was a bit of that for sure. But, quite often when the intensity of a team drops off in the last quarter credit is due to the opponent for tiring them out. At 60m, with the Kok try, you thought that just maybe the game was on. At 70m, with the Mapimpi contribution, one felt that Clermont were fading, while facing a team that would maintain the pressure game through the final whistle. Good win in the end, but the Sharks are still playing way below their potential. And with their resources, and a coach that has had enough time to figure things out, they are running out of excuses.
6 Go to commentsGood riddance
1 Go to commentswel the crusaders were beaten by a queensland reds side that hadnt beaten them at home since 1999 and queensland reds partied like it was 1999
6 Go to commentsHard to disagree with the 5 points - with the exception that Wilson should be a squad member but, depending on the other loose forward selections, is not yet a shoo-in. McReight is. Aussie is looking a lot better this year and JS has some selection options. Also, Havili’s tendency to get caught, charged down is also a liability at times but he seemed focused (mostly) and is definitely a consideration for utility back-up. Still feel Reihana is a better prospect at 1st five for Saders.
6 Go to commentsYeah nah, still not sure on Havili tbh. Even though I’m a Crusaders fan through and through I’d be stunned if Razor considers him after seeing some of the stunning talent coming through up North.
6 Go to commentsThink it was a great defensive performance by Northampton. They didn't have stage fright in the first half, the Nienaber defense smothered them. They limited Leinster to 15-3 in the first half. It could have been over by then. A great try from Leinster in the start of the second half looked to have sealed it. But Byrne missed another conversion. Northampton started trying little kicks behind the Leinster wingers. Leinster messed one and Smith brilliantly made the conversion. Leinster decided to tighten the game after Byrne missed a straight forward penalty. A few errors got NH into the 22 and they scored and converted with a few minutes left. Another brilliant steal from Lawes saw NH have a final attack which was turned over by Conan. A classic semi final. World record attendance of 82,300. Leinsters 3 week preparation warranted for this one.
1 Go to commentsJust came back from the game and the atmosphere was amazing. Players stayed afterwards for more than a hour to sign stuff and take photos with fans. Great day out.
6 Go to commentsA great game. The Sharks without Etsebeth are a shadow of the team compared to when he plays. The limitations of Some of the expensive Sharks players are being exposed. Credit to Clermont for some exhilaration play at times.
6 Go to comments100% Mr Owens. But who would want to be a referee.? It must be the most difficult job on earth.
1 Go to commentsStarts to be overdone and oversold this systematic SA narrative…which nevertheless has the merit in this case to recognise blatant refereeing mistakes in their favor
6 Go to commentsNice article. Shades of Steinbeck. They can win the final if they take the game seriously; but only if they take it seriously.
6 Go to commentsWhat a sad way to end a glittering career. Somebody should tell him to delete his social media accounts and face the consequences of what he's done. Then he should slip away quietly into obscurity. This isn't likely to happen, something tells me he'll be back in The Sun / Daily Mail sooner rather than later.
5 Go to commentsguys its fine! he understands why he did what he did and has taken accountability for it; why should he have to be accountable to a court? after all he did was abuse people in person - its not as if he was engaging in _online_ abuse!
5 Go to commentsChiefs flanker Kaylum Boshier yellow-carded for collapsing the scrum as it rolled towards the line. It was a maul….
1 Go to commentsyou know, i’m a leinster fan so I want Northampton to lose and it is gonna be tuff with Cortney lawes, Alex michell and the other guys🏉 lets go leinster🏉
1 Go to commentsWelcome to the Pro ranks. Those hard teams of old do hit the sole better though. its a dog fight at the top.
6 Go to commentsCan someone fill me in please, I've read a number of Ben Smith articles now and it seems he's got something again South Africa? Surely, this game was over and done with 7 months ago. Can't we have something a bit more interesting and relevant, or is this the calibre of journalist on this site?
238 Go to commentsNot sure what the Welsh are moaning about. They’ve had far more players off England, than England have had off Wales. Guys like Josh Hathaway and Kane James will play for Wales in the end. And they’ll be fsr better players for having played in the Gallagher Premiership, than they ever would have been had they stayed mired in the shambles that is Welsh rugby.
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