Why the All Blacks aren’t currently good enough to win World Cup
New Zealand rugby fans have been singing the All Blacks’ praises after their scintillating 35-20 win over world champions South Africa last weekend. The All Blacks put on a clinic, and the home fans loved every minute of it.
It was one of their best performances under current coach Ian Foster. But it’s impossible to forget where the All Blacks were a year ago.
Losses to Ireland, South African and Argentina rendered the All Blacks to a disastrous run of defeats. Many cast the fallen giants aside as nothing more than a pretender ahead of the World Cup.
But the All Blacks are back – or so many New Zealanders believe.
The All Blacks, who opened their Rugby Championship campaign with a dominant win over Los Pumas earlier this month, put the world on notice with a big win over the Springboks.
Right from the get-go, the All Blacks were a cut above. Will Jordan and Shannon Frizell were especially impressive during the statement victory.
But with less than two months to go until the Rugby World Cup, legendary All Black Murray Mexted has downplayed the encouraging victory.
According to Mexted, the All Blacks can’t win the sport’s ultimate prize going off their current form.
“One step at a time in my opinion. At the moment we’re not the perfect package,” Mexted said on The Platform. “Are we good enough at the moment to win the Rugby World Cup? No, we’re not.
“But we’re definitely showing the signs of a much-improved team, and provided the team is selected pretty consistently… we can only get better.
“We’re definitely trending in the right direction.
“Mendoza was a good start, a really good start because it’s hard to play in places like that, and then we followed it up against probably the best opposition you could play against.
“We’re heading in the right direction in my view.”
Playing at Mt Smart Stadium on Saturday evening, the All Blacks laid down the challenge with a passionate haka opposite their fiercest rivals.
Following weeks, if not months of chatter, the Test match that both rugby nations had so eagerly been waiting for was finally upon us.
But the All Blacks came to play, while the Boks were slow out of the blocks.
Tries to Will Jordan and Shannon Frizell saw the hosts take a commanding lead, and the Springboks never really recovered.
While the visitors came within eight points following a try to world-class winger Cheslin Kolbe, that’s as good as things got for them during an improved second half performance.
“One swallow doesn’t make a summer, but I will say I’m very much encouraged by what I’m seeing,” Mexted added. “In fact it’s a delight to see it. It looks like we’re on track.
“We’ve got a lot to go yet, I think we’ve got to build more rhythm yet, but we’re definitely moving in the right direction this year.
“The inconsistencies of the last two years or so are obvious for everybody, we’ve all seen them. They’ve had a restructure of their coaching lineup and I think it’s paying dividends.
“We’re seeing a more improved effort, particularly from the front row. Because that was a magnificent forward pack, the Springbok forward pack, and we had that scrum under control.
“When you look at the stats, I was thinking before the game if we don’t get 50 per cent we won’t win this game – 50 per cent possession. We actually got 63 per cent or 64 per cent of possession.
“Great success really as far as strategic play.”
Comments on RugbyPass
The Black Ferns 7’s have been without Captain Sarah Hirini now since Dec 23 in Dubai where she suffered a bad ACL injury - hopefully she is on the road to recovery for Madrid and Paris. Now also have Tyler King and Shiray kaka on the Injured List but the Team still found a way to win in Singapore and claim the overall Title.
1 Go to commentsUtter grub, hope he gets his leg broken. Shocking he is still playing after intentionally breaking quinn tupaeas knee
2 Go to commentsGreat to see NZ 7s teams finally coming into form and playing at the level that is expected of them.
2 Go to commentsChief Cheapshot on the market again.
2 Go to commentsCrusaders went all in to buy Hotham and Kemara staight from Hamilton Boys. Then they picked up Reihana and Hohepa; all have been dropped for superstar Havili, who is a very good fullback, that’s it. Ennor and Goodhue were schoolboy stars too but went backwards at the Crusaders. Maybe they have finally decided to give another poach Levi Aumua the ball?
10 Go to commentsJoe S has some talent to pick from. The Reds loosies look the best in Super? Aus might just give Razor a headache this year. Int. experience v Cantab greenhorn:) Should be fun.
10 Go to commentsEnd to end play, “THE FANS” this game was entertainment of the best. The conditions added to the spectacle.
1 Go to commentsSorry to say, but sadly the sadas were just ordinary and havilli at 10 as an abs selection just won’t cut it. He’s better suited in the centre’s and is a victim of past charge down kicks, he’s too slow under pressure. There’s better talent further north and I don’t mean dmac however I believe razor will sort him out. A feature of his presents on the park is the fact that the guys will follow him.
10 Go to commentsMarler was brilliant throughout both in the scrum and open play. His slap made virtually no contact with Ramos who milked it for a penalty when he could have been a decent sportsman and laughed it off, it was non-violent and shouldn't have been penalised. Smith failed repeatedly to kick when necessary and put up a couple of bombs into the TLS 22 that just handed back possession at key moments to the other side.
3 Go to commentsCros was outstanding and rightly awarded France TVs player of the match award. Mallia was brilliant as usual (the y is below the 6 on a UK keyboard and he deserves better than that). Level also seems to have been scored harshly as he walked the ball into touch under pressure from a Lynagh kick from well outside his own half which should never have led to a 50-22. Agree with BullShark that Dupont, while class at times, seemed to go missing for patches in the second half with props, hookers and wings frequently filling in at 9 as he couldn't get off the deck and up to the next ruck on time. A 7 by his standards at best, his kicking was also too long, too often. Kinghorn's overall contribution was worth well more than a five.
3 Go to commentsThe Harlequins team must be in minus figures. Did the reporter actually watch the game?
3 Go to commentsHow on earth did Walker escape a red card? Not dangerous? Dupont has his face in a mask earlier this season. Shocking decision. What is the point of TMOs? We had the Fassi ‘non-penalty try’ yesterday and now this.
2 Go to commentsCould have been a different result but yet again French tv able to affect the result by not showing the very clear high shot on harlequin centre if this would have been on a French player would have been on screen at least five times
3 Go to commentsAmazing. The losing team’s ratings are higher than the winning team’s. Mallia definitely didn’t deserve a y. What game were you watching? Should have got a w or an x. ADP hardly featured in that second half. At one point I wondered when he’d been subbed. Seems to me as if he gets an automatic 9 just for getting onto the team sheet.
3 Go to commentsI’m sorry. That second half was far from enthralling. It was painful to watch.
2 Go to commentsVery generous! If you’d missed the game, reading this you’d conclude that it was the Quins front row that cost them the game. Marler getting a blanket 6 for his demented contribution to the game. Puzzling.
3 Go to commentsCan’t see Toulouse beating Leinster at this rate.
7 Go to commentsADP was having a very average game until winning that penalty for Toulouse, sticking his big head in the way. “The head of God”?
7 Go to commentsHarlequins doing their best to do as little damage as possible with all the possession. Looks like they skipped catch and pass drills this week.
7 Go to commentsSeeing pictures of Jacques high-fiving it with Irish players breaks my heart. Too soon. I need more time.
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