We blogged yesterday about the novelty value of the All Blacks being happy to carry the favourite into the opening match in the Rugby Championship last night. That confidence was completely justified as the All Blacks put Australia to the sword in Sydney. The match was won by 47 points to 29, but the manner of the win was even more impressive.
Gregor Paul reviews the match in the Herald, and begins with a very salient point:
In a gesture of trans-Tasman kindness, no one should ask this morning how the bad Wallabies are and instead focus on just how good the All Blacks are.
Last night provided plenty of evidence to suggest the All Blacks certainly are good. Really good.
They put almost 50 on the board and yet their scrum and lineout were a shambles. One can only fear for the Wallabies as to what will happen if the All Blacks get that right in Wellington.
But maybe the Wallabies aren't actually that bad. Maybe they are on to something except last night wasn't the time to judge them because they encountered an All Black side that was frighteningly good with ball in hand.
The All Blacks were structured yet instinctive and expressive: they were ruthless at times, extraordinarily adept at moving the ball out of contact and into space.
It was almost guerilla-style rugby: the Wallabies had more time on the ball but it didn't matter a stuff - the All Blacks effectively jumped out of trees, conducting smash and grab raids.
It was indeed a convincing performance from New Zealand, even though there was plenty of room for improvement. The side looked rusty at times, and Richie McCaw took 15 minutes or so to adjust to the speed of the match; which was pretty darned fast! But at times, the play of the All Blacks was simply sublime.Aaron Cruden was under enormous pressure going in to last night's match; not that you'd have known it. From the moment that Cruden put Ben Smith over for his first try early on with an offload right out of the Sonny Bill play-book then converted from the sideline the young first-five was in complete control. It helped that inside him, Aaron Smith was having his best test match yet. The Two Aarons sparked life into the All Black backline. Conrad Smith defended strongly, and left Jessie Mogg grasping at thin air as he scored the All Blacks' fourth try early in the second half. Ben Smith scored three terrific tries, and Julian Savea went looking for work in the second half, to devastating effect.
McCaw had a storming game after a slow start, but the star of the forwards was Blues loosie Steven Luatua whose run-on debut was outstanding. Not even a head-knock could slow Luatua down, and Liam Messam will not simply waltz back into the side when he recovers from injury.
Ewen McKenzie's Wallaby coaching career did not get off to a dream start, and the Australians will be even more perturbed when they realise that New Zealand has room for improvement on last night's performance. But in deference to Gregor Paul and to all our Australian friends, we won't focus on the deficiences of the Australian team today.
Away wins are a valuable commodity in the Rugby Championship, and away wins with a four-try bonus point are an even rarer commodity. This was the best possible start for the All Blacks, and they will be looking for more of the same when the teams meet again in Wellington (Mother Nature permitting) next Saturday night. But if the men in Black can turn on the razzle-dazzle again at the Cake Tin, it'll be well worth watching.
A new chapter in the rugby rivalry between New Zealand and Australia begins tonight; Hansen vs McKenzie. McKenzie was always going to be the coach of the Wallabies one day; the only question was "When?".But even a series win against the British and Irish Lions might not have been enough for Robbie Deans to keep his job. There was a strong mood for change at the top of Australian rugby.
One of the major drivers for that was Australia's lack of recent success against New Zealand. Deans had a very poor record against both Graham Henry and Steve Hansen, even though he started with a win in their very first head-to-head in Sydney in 2008. In a country used to winning, that was simply not good enough.
In the Herald today Gregor Paul profiles McKenzie:
The feel-good factor sweeping through Australian rugby is not without foundation - there's plenty of evidence to show that new international coaches often enjoy instant success.
That success is most pronounced when the succession was forced - the result of the previous man not leaving of his own volition - which is the situation in Australia.
Ewen McKenzie was coach of the Reds a few weeks ago, now he's apparently some kind of rugby messiah. A new coach means a new beginning - fresh hope, a clean slate and the impossible becoming possible.
The transformation has been stunning. A nation now believes it has a man at the helm who is capable of instilling in the Wallabies enough belief and clever ploys to finally end the All Black era of dominance.
It seems illogical that McKenzie can arrive a few weeks after the shattering series loss to the Lions, wave his magic wand at beleaguered and under-performing troops and hey presto, start his tenure with a win against the best side in the world.
And the All Blacks are expecting Australia to throw everything at them tonight; read on:But it has happened often with other international sides, and that's why the All Blacks expect to be facing fire and brimstone tonight.
"They will turn up and give it everything they have got," says All Black coach Steve Hansen.
"So we need to match that intensity or better it.
"There is going to be a new coach and whenever that happens it seems to be an uplifting thing ... It creates a bit of confidence."
Examples of a new coach making a difference or striking it lucky early are everywhere. Robbie Deans inherited a Wallaby side that was dumped out of the 2007 World Cup in the quarter-finals. He began with a series win against France and then thumped the All Blacks.
Interestingly, Hansen is quite happy for New Zealand to carry the favourites tag into tonight's match. That is a refreshing change from past teams that have tried desperately to go in as underdogs, even when they are anything but. And there's no reason for the All Blacks to downplay themselves; they are the world champions, playing through four nations champions, and haven't lost the Bledisloe Cup for some time. They have plenty to be confident about.
Tonight's match will set the tome for the Rugby Championship. We are picking the All Blacks to win, but not until they have subdued an aggressive and enthusiastic Wallabies outfit. Kick-off is getting closer, and excitement is building; bring it on!
We love our rugby. We also love our food. And tonight, there's a veritable feast of test match rugby coming up. Unfortunately, we also have a dinner to go to, so MySky is already set, and we'll watch on a full stomach!
First-up, the All Blacks are looking for a series clean sweep against the French. Daniel Carter is back in the #10 jersey, and as well as Aaron Cruden played last week, Carter is still the incumbent. He has been hampered by injury somewhat this season, but he is still a tried and true world class player. With Piri Weepu inside Carter, and New Zealand's most experienced midfield combination of Nonu and Smith outside him, there is a really seasoned look about the All Black backline tonight.
But the big match tonight follows the All Black match. The British and Irish Lions take on Australia at Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane in what should be an absolute cracker of a match.And there's a strong Kiwi connection to the match; not only are both sides coached by New Zealanders, but New Zealand referee Chris Pollock is officiating. The Herald profiles Pollock before his biggest test yet:
About four years ago, referee Chris Pollock got it. Something clicked. He knew his rulebook and had all the assurance to cope with the job.
However, he needed a few subtle tweaks to take his confidence to the next level. He did, and tonight's reward of controlling the opening clash between the Wallabies and the Lions in Brisbane is huge.
"I turned it around and am rapt," New Zealand's top ref said.
This is only Pollock's 12th test and at 41, he's taken his time to rise to the top. He explains that officials need games to become more proficient.
Others, like former five-eighths Glen Jackson, had a strong feeling for the sport because he had clocked up more than 10,000 playing hours.
Pollock was a phys ed teacher before he took up the whistle, and tonight will be part of an all-Kiwi headline cast as Robbie Deans' side squares off against Warren Gatland's tourists, with Vinny Munro in the TMO office.
Pollock altered his routine to fly to Brisbane early to meet his assistants Craig Joubert and Roman Poite, soak up the rugby fervour in the city and liaise with the opposing coaches.
"We will operate off the simple philosophy that if my assistants see something, then that's good enough for me," said Pollock. "We work on a simple process at scrums where we call a team colour that has infringed, then you penalise them and the assistant will tell you afterwards the reason so you get the flow right.
"Both teams want to play and that gives me the ability, if they set the platform, to just let them get on with it inside the rules I have given them."
The scrum will concentrate Pollock's attention and he has given his thoughts already to the coaches and will repeat them to the front rows before kickoff.
He watched the Lions game against the Waratahs, studied the computer packages referees use and was content with the Lions scrum and the way they had been ruled.
"The scrum is the most difficult area of the game to referee because it's so dynamic," said Pollock.
"There is so much going on there that you try and create some simple pictures you're looking for and if you can tick off decisions relating to those, you'll go with those decisions.
"If you can't, then you will err on the side of resetting. Both teams will put pressure on at the tackle ball because they will want that. It's easy if two teams want to play the same way and I hope to give them that access in return," said Pollock.
He spent six months out of the game last year because of trouble with his left hip. He had some bone shaved off his femur and holes drilled in it to try to stimulate cartilage growth and slow the beginnings of arthritis.
He hopes to still be going strong at the 2015 World Cup.
Pollock has risen to the top of the New Zealand refereeing ranks, but tonight will be yet another step up. Given that he will never referee an All Black test match, this is about as plum an appointment as he could get. We wish him every success.It should be a top night of test match rugby tonight. We're tipping a comfortable win for New Zealand, and a less comfortable win for Warren Gatland's Lions side over Robbie Deans' Wallabies. Have we got it right?
The rugby rivalry between New Zealand and France dates back to 1 January 1906, when Dave Gallaher's Originals beat France 38-8 in Paris. It was the first test match played by France.
After last night's match in Christchurch, the teams have met 53 times. But last night was the first time that the All Blacks have ever managed to keep the French scoreless.
New Zealand was infinitely better that at Auckland. And the win was founded on a magnificent defensive effort. That was never better exemplified by the opening minutes of the second half. France attacked, winning phase after phase; upwards of 30. But the All Black defence held, play broke down behind the advantage line and the French had to resort to an attempted field goal. Sam Cane raced in to charge the kick down, and seconds later Ben Smith scored under the posts at the other end after a break-out and bust by Julian Savea. It was the defining moment of the match.
Marc Hinton from Stuff adds his thoughts:
It was the French coach who called for the clinical rugby this week, but the All Blacks who delivered it in making their first decisive move of Steve Hansen's ambitious plan to regenerate his world champions.
After a rusty and stop-start effort in Auckland last week, this was more like it from the new-generation All Blacks, shutting out France 30-0.
Even though it had been French coach Philippe Saint-Andre who had challenged his team to deliver a more clinical performance in the second hitout of this three-test series, it was the New Zealanders who made the serious step up in execution and class.
The All Blacks won the kicking battle by a handsome margin with a display that was on the mark right from the first swing of their boot, and from there they backed it up with a chase game to match, and a vastly improved effort at the set piece.
Led brilliantly by Kieran Read in his 50th test, the home players won all the big battles and made all the big statements on a heartening night for the future of the world's No 1 team.
A number of All Blacks faced scrutiny last night after a shaky first test of the season. We doubt that there will be much criticism this morning. Israel Dagg was a rock on defence, and always dangerous on the counter. Julian Savea went looking for work, and was rewarded with a try and an assist. Aaron Cruden looked far more assured at first-five. Sam Cane and Liam Messam were tireless in defence, showing a huge workrate, and Dane Coles was energetic, whilst his lineout throws were spot on.It was a comprehensive win from the All Blacks; clearly the result of a lot of hard work mid-week. Their kicking game was excellent, especially in the first half. And the defence was relentless.So that's the series done and dusted, and the Dave Gallaher Trophy retained. Both sides will face challenges this week; the All Blacks in maintaining their level of commitment, and France in getting up again for another tilt at the world champions. But with places in the Rugby Championship squad up for grabs, we reckon that the All Blacks will have less difficulty fronting up again. If they can replicate last night's intensity, they should win again and win well.
Winter test match rugby is the go for Christchurch tonight. We were close to heading down south tonight to watch the second test between New Zealand and France, but we figured that a weekend at home might be more productive after several weekends away recently.
But there's one thing for sure tonight; it's not going to be a balmy evening, and just a few minutes ago we heard that the rain has arrived in the Garden City. Whilst the good old days of the match being reduced to a slog between the respective forward packs are hopefully long gone due to superior turf management, we doubt that tonight's match will be a try-fest.
Both sides should have improved from last week in Auckland. And on a damp track, with a wet ball, that will be crucial. France dominated the breakdown last Saturday night, although their tactics in doing so were somewhat dubious. French players were allowed to go off their feet at the breakdown with some regularity, and when the ball was on the All Blacks' side, the French managed to slow it or disrupt. If tonight's referee Alain Rolland (the Irishman with the French name!) polices the breakdown better than Wayne Barnes did last week, it will be a better contest.
The All Black lineout will be better for the return from injury of Sam Whitelock, provided that he can establish a combination with Dane Coles. Whitelock will give the All Black pack some added mobility as well.
Expect Aaron Cruden to look for new ways of exploiting the French defensive line. We've heard talk of kicks going in just behind the defence, but Cruden is also skilled at attacking the line with ball in hand. Sam Cane will need to back up strongly tonight though.
It should be a great occasion in Christchurch, regardless of the conditions. AMI Stadium is small, but the crowd is very close to the action. Here's hoping that the All Blacks bring the home crowd into the action early and dent the French resolve.
Tonight is the 500th test match played by New Zealand. Their first test was played against Australia at Sydney in 1903. That Richie McCaw has played in 116 of those test matches (23.2%) is evidence of just how much rugby is played these days. The second 500 will take considerably less than 100 years!
We're picking the All Blacks to win by around 12 points and secure the Dave Gallaher Trophy tonight. We just wish that we could be there to see it in person.
