Victory over the Pumas was not a new dawn for the All Blacks midfield
Has the midfield pairing of David Havili and Rieko Ioane finally clicked, or did the All Blacks’ game plan on Saturday night just better suit the players’ respective talents?
Ioane was sublime for the All Blacks during his formative years on the wing but has been a mixed bag in the No 13 jersey since he first converted to the midfield in 2020. Against Argentina in Hamilton, however, the 25-year-old barely put a foot wrong.
“I thought that was probably one of the best Test matches I’ve seen him play for a long time – probably one of his best at centre,” head coach Ian Foster said of Ioane after the match.
Similarly, Havili has struggled in the No 12 jersey over the past two seasons but was able to call upon his full bag of tricks at Waikato Stadium and, unsurprisingly, looked like a world-class midfielder in the process.
Foster suggested after the match that the two midfielders’ respective performances were a product of the combination gelling after considerable time together in the saddle but that might be overestimating the importance of experience and underestimating how much better the game plan on Saturday night suited the two players – especially Havili.
The former fullback has been regularly employed as a crash-and-bash operator over his one-and-a-half seasons to date in the black jersey (excluding his initial foray into the team in 2018) and it’s been painfully obvious to anyone watching that Havili is simply not big enough to make an impact as a battering ram.
Net-zero gains are not uncommon, as was the case during such a carry off a lineout against Argentina in the loss in Dunedin:
But given Havili’s relative lack of size (his weight sits south of the 100kg mark), worse results have also been common:
That’s not to suggest there’s anything wrong with Havili’s carry game; he’s agile on his feet and when given room to move, difficult to get a hold of. There’s a reason why Havili initially made such a name for himself as a fullback, with the 27-year-old finishing the 2019 Super Rugby season atop the charts for defenders beaten, fifth overall for metres run and ninth for clean breaks.
Havili is not the man you want hitting the ball up in the midfield, however. While he can get around defenders thanks to his fleet-footedness, he’s generally going to come out second-best when running directly into a tackler.
In New Zealand’s rematch with Argentina in Hamilton, Havili was never employed as a battering ram. Instead, he was given the opportunity to showcase the wide range of skills that has made him such an asset for the Crusaders in the No 12 jersey.
Primarily, Havili looks at his best when he’s operating as a second playmaker – whether that’s using his hands or his feet.
Havili was used as a clearing option against Argentina but with both Richie Mo’unga and Jordie Barrett on the field, he wasn’t needed so much in that facet – but he did call upon his kicking boots when on the attack.
The first try scored by the All Blacks was the result of this chip through from Havili:
Prop Ethan de Groot was able to eventually fight his way over the line three phases later courtesy of some quick recycling following the defensive rupture created via Havili’s kick.
There was of course an element of luck to the All Blacks retaining the ball following the chip but with tall timber Jordie Barrett and Will Jordan both in the chase line and momentum with NZ – not to mention a penalty advantage – it was certainly an option worth exploring.
Havili attempted another chip later in the first half which didn’t work out for the All Blacks but when an inside centre can run, pass and kick, the opposition will inevitably be forced to cover all three options, which will create greater opportunities for any attacking side.
Against Ireland last year, Havili was one of the few players in the All Blacks backline who was willing to think outside the box to break down the Irish rush defence.
A chip kick to the outer channels would have gifted right wing Will Jordan an unimpeded run to the try line, had Jordan been aware of the tactic:
It was via the hands that Havili caused the most damage against Argentina in Hamilton, however, with the No 12 providing beautiful short balls to both Rieko Ioane and Sam Cane to set up the All Blacks’ second and fourth tries of the evening:
It’s no surprise that Havili looked like he was in such good form in Hamilton, having underwhelmed in Dunedin a week prior – and his growing partnership with Ioane in the midfield has very little to do with it.
When Havili is asked to play to his strengths, he excels. When he’s asked to do a job that he’s ill-suited for, however, he performs about as well as could be expected.
With the match flowing their way almost from kick-off, the All Blacks didn’t need a big presence in the midfield – but will Havili be allotted the time and space needed to work his magic when New Zealand once again come up against the likes of England, Ireland and South Africa?
Havili did not come of age as a Test No 12 against Argentina, he was simply asked to operate in a game plan that suited his skillset. If the All Blacks are able to operate with a similar strategy in the future then there’s every reason to believe that Havili will flourish – whether or not he’s partnered with Rieko Ioane in the midfield.
Comments on RugbyPass
🤦♂️🤣 who cares who’s the best . All I know is the All Blacks have the star coach but have few star players now …
27 Go to commentsJe suis sûr que Farrell est impatient de jouer avec Lopez et Machenaud et d’être entraîné par Collazo… 🤭
1 Go to commentsAn on field red (aka a full red) in SRP must surely carry a bigger suspension than a red card given by the bunker as that carries a 20 minute team punishment. Had Damon Murphy abdicated his responsibility as a ref and issued both Drua players a yellow, which would have been upgraded to a 20 minute red by the bunker, that would have killed Australia and New Zealand’s push for the 20 minute red to be trialled globally from July this year.
11 Go to commentsEver so often you all post a Danny Care story that isn’t the announcement that he has finally re-signed for one more, victory tour season at Quins and I’m just like, “well you fooled me again!” My absolute favorite player ever, we need to make his final year at the Stoop (and Twickers) official already. I know he supposedly snubbed France but I won’t feel better until he signs.
1 Go to commentslate hit what late hit it wasn’t at all late and can clearly see he was committed before the tackle
1 Go to commentsChristian Lio -Willies 2 try perfomance was a standout. As was captain Scott Barrett. Up front was where the boys won it.They are a great team and players. Fantastic Crusades , you can keep going.
1 Go to commentsI don't know how the locals feel about that? I guess if you call yourselves the Worcester Wasps that might be appease. But really we need more teams in the Premiership in my view so they are not padding it out as they are at the moment. It might curtail so many players going abroad as well
5 Go to commentsNZ 😭😭😭is certainly rivaling England for best whingers cup!😭😭😭 !!!
27 Go to commentsYup. New Zealand won 3 out of 10 world cups played. SA 4 out of 8 attempts 30 Vs 50 per cent.🤔🤔
27 Go to commentsShould've done this years ago. Change Saturday kick off times to around 11am. Up and off and back home before 3pm, limit travel time too. Allows players to actually do something else with their Saturday that's family oriented or being rugby fans they could ‘watch’ pro rugby. Increases crowds etc. How can anyone that enjoys grassroots and pro rugby have to choose between the two on Saturdays?
9 Go to commentsI bet he inspired those supporters just as much.
1 Go to commentsBen Smith Springboks living rent free in his head 😊😂
67 Go to commentsGood to hear he would like to play the game at the highest level, I hadn’t been to sure how much of a motivator that was before now. Sadly he’s probably chosen the rugby club to go to. Try not to worry about all the input about how you should play rugby Joey and just try to emulate what you do on the league field and have fun. You’ll limit your game too much (well not really because he’s a standard athlete like SBW and he’ll still have enough) if you’re trying to make sure you can recycle the ball back etc. On the other hard, you can totally just try and recycle by looking to offload any and everywhere if you’re going to ground 😋
1 Go to commentsThis just proves that theres always a stat and a metric to use to justify your abilities and your success. Ben did it last week by creating an imaginary competition and now you did the same to counter his argument and espouse a new yardstick for success. Why not just use the current one and lets say the Boks have won 4 world cups making them the most successful world cup team. Outside of the world cup the All Blacks are the most successful team winning countless rugby championships and dominating the rankings with high win percentages. Over the last 4 years statistically the Irish are the best having the highest win rate and also having positive records against every tier 1 side. The most successful Northern team in the game has been England with a world cup title and the most six nations titles in history. The AB’s are the most dominant team in history with the highest win rate and 3 world cups. Lets not try to reinvent the wheel. Just be honest about the actual stats and what each team has been good at doing and that will be enough to define their level of success.
27 Go to commentsHow is 7’s played there? I’m surprised 10 or 11 man rugby hasn’t taken off. 7 just doesn’t fit the 15s dynamics (rules n field etc) but these other versions do.
9 Go to commentsPick Swinton at your peril A liability just like JWH from the Roosters Skelton ??? went missing at RWC
14 Go to commentsLike tennis, who have a ranking system, and I believe rugby too, just measure over each period preceding a world cup event who was the longest number one and that would be it. In tennis the number one player frequently is not the grand slam winner. I love and adore the All Blacks since the days of Ian Kirkpatrick when I was a kid in SA. And still do because they are the masters of running rugby and are gentleman on and off the field - in general. And in my opinion they have been the majority of the time the best rugby team in the world.
27 Go to commentsHaving overseas possessions in 2024 is absurd. These Frenchies should have to give the New Caledonians their freedom.
21 Go to commentsBell injured his foot didn’t he? Bring Tupou in he’ll deliver when it counts. Agree mostly but I would switch in the Reds number 8 Harry Wilson for Swinton and move Rob Valentini to 6 instead. Wilson is a clever player who reads the play, you can’t outmuscle the AB’s and Springboks, if you have any chance it’s by playing clever. Same goes for Paisami, he’s a little guy who doesn’t really trouble the likes of De Allende and Jordie Barrett. I’d rather play Carter Gordon at 12 and put Michael Lynagh’s boy at 10. That way you get a BMT type goalkicker at 10 and a playmaker at 12. Anyways, just my two cents as a Bok supporter.
14 Go to commentsThanks Brett, love your articles which are alway pertinent. It’s a difficult topic trying to have a panel adjudicating consistently penalties for red card issues. Many of the mitigating reasons raised are judged subjectively, hence the different outcomes. How to take away subjective opinions?
11 Go to comments