Website of the Year
The All Blacks' push for a historic three consecutive World Cup triumphs was left in ruins by a clinical and merciless England side in Yokohama City on Saturday. Kieran Read's men still have the bronze medal to play for but - as the skipper hinted at during an emotional press conference 18 hours after the heartbreaking defeat - thoughts have already turned to how different things could have been. Today, Christopher Reive takes a look at the performances of all 31 players in the All Blacks' squad during Rugby World Cup 2019.
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Joe Moody – 8
Appearances: 4
Did plenty of work in his time on the paddock with some strong carries, damaging tackles and plenty of work in the physical areas of the game. Scored a try during the campaign too.
Nepo Laulala - 4
Appearances: 5
Was rarely sighted outside of the breakdown and set pieces. He struggled to complete his tackles, missing 32 per cent of those he attempted, and was let down by discipline at times.
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Ofa Tuungafasi – 5
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Did plenty of good work at the breakdown and the set pieces, but was let down by his discipline at times.
Angus Ta'avao – 6
Appearances: 5
Took some strong carries, tackled well and got his name on the scoresheet. He played with energy and tried to lift the team when he came on – as most of his games were in a bench role.
Atu Moli – 7
Appearances: 1
Limited to one 80-minute stint against Canada, Moli played well on both sides of the ball. He was a strong tackler, put his hand up to run the football and did some good work at the breakdown.
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Codie Taylor – 5
Appearances: 5
Had his troubles when it came to the lineout in an inconsistent campaign. At times he was a handful at set pieces and the breakdown, while at other times he went missing and failed to make much of an impact.
Dane Coles – 6
Appearances: 4
As you'd expect, Coles popped up on the wing every so often to try and sneak some metres down the sideline. He was strong with ball in hand and generally reliable at the lineouts and scrums. Defensively he was strong.
Liam Coltman – 5
Appearances: 1
Like Moli, Coltman was limited to one match – against Canada. He was solid at lineout time and in the scrum and put in some grunt work around the ruck. Wasn't really tested on defence, but made the tackles he was required to.
Locks
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Brodie Retallick – 6
Appearances: 3
Making the trip to Japan nursing a shoulder injury, when Retallick made his return against Namibia it was safe to assume the run would do him a world of good. He did show moments where he looked to be getting back to his best, with some great plays over the ball, but he wasn't able to reach his ceiling.
Sam Whitelock – 8
Appearances: 5
Looking past a disappointing outing in the semifinal, Whitelock was one of the more consistent contributors to the All Blacks' campaign. Reliable in defence, strong at the breakdown and set pieces, and put his hand up for some strong carries.
Patrick Tuipulotu – 5
Appearances: 4
Gave the odd sight of his ball-running ability but was largely contained in limited minutes. He didn't make too much of an impact and had some trouble with handling the ball.
Scott Barrett – 6
Appearances: 4
Did plenty of work in the physical areas of the game, and tried hard on defence though he missed almost 20 per cent of the tackles he attempted. He made the most of his opportunities on attack and bagged a couple of tries in the tournament.
Loose forwards
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Ardie Savea – 8
Appearances: 5
Wasn't without his issues, but made up for them with all the good work he did. He was a willing and effective ball runner and had plenty of impact on the defensive side of the ball. One of the All Blacks' best.
Sam Cane – 7
Appearances: 4
Made some strong runs and showed off a reliable passing game, though his presence was most felt on the defensive side of the ball. He made plenty of tackles at a high rate and did some important work around the ruck.
Kieran Read - 6
Appearances: 4
A willing ball runner and constant contestant at the breakdown, Read also got stuck into his work defensively and was among the top 20 tacklers in the competition.
Matt Todd – 5
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Appearances: 3
With most of his playing time coming from the bench, he was there to make some sort of impact late in games. He did that in the quarterfinal win over Ireland, first with a try which was quickly followed by a yellow card. With his other appearances against minnows, he was solid without being eye-catching.
Shannon Frizell – 6
Appearances: 3
The late call-up ended up making two starts, showing some moments of brilliance when he was able to hang on to the ball, and doing some good work in tight phases.
Halfbacks
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Aaron Smith – 6
Appearances: 4
Smith was either fantastic or disappointing throughout the tournament. There were games where he was quick to the ruck, made great decisions and was crisp with his distribution, while other times he was behind the pace. Defensively, he was okay.
TJ Perenara – 5
Appearances: 5
Played the attack as he saw it and made the decision to put his foot down at the right times. He caused a few problems for the opposition with the ball in his hands, but struggled defensively and only made 63 per cent of his attempted tackles.
Brad Weber – 6
Appearances: 2
Didn't get much of an opportunity to show what he was capable of with his two appearances being off the bench against Namibia and Canada. He did manage to score two tries, and had a 100 per cent success rate with his tackles.
First Five-Eighth
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Richie Mo'unga – 7
Appearances: 4
Orchestrated the attack well for the most part and carried the ball with confidence. His kicking game was on point both from the tee and in open play, while he made good decisions to help his team.
Midfielders
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Jack Goodhue – 9
Appearances: 4
Aside from having the best haircut in the tournament, Goodhue was as consistent as you could hope to be. An ever-present fixture, Goodhue played the role of the calm head who simply played his style of football with some strong ball running and impressive defensive work. The All Blacks' best of the tournament.
Anton-Lienert Brown – 8
Appearances: 4
Much like Goodhue, Lienert-Brown played a basic but effective style of rugby. He was a threat with ball in hand due to his strong running game and his passing ability, while he was defensively solid. Among the team's top performers.
Ryan Crotty – 5
Appearances: 2
Didn't do much wrong but failed to make an impact in limited minutes.
Sonny Bill Williams – 7
Appearances: 4
Tried hard to provide a spark off the bench in most of his appearances. His well-documented offload ability was on full display throughout the competition and he made a lot of meaningful runs, though didn't have much success in terms of gaining metres. Was solid without being spectacular.
Outside backs
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Beauden Barrett – 8
Appearances: 4
A permanent attacking presence for the side, Barrett's 74 carries were a sign of his efforts on attack. Leading the competition in carries after the semifinal loss to England, the All Blacks fullback constantly tried to make things happen. While his tackle count wasn't overly impressive, he was generally well-positioned in the defensive line.
Jordie Barrett – 7
Appearances: 4
Tipped as a possible back-up at No 10 in the lead-in to the tournament, Barrett made the most of his chance starting at first five-eighth against Namibia with a superb performance. His other three appearances came on the wing – two of which were from the bench – and he was a reliable presence.
George Bridge – 6
Appearances: 4
With plenty of carries and a couple of tries to his name, Bridge looked threatening whenever he got the ball with clear space in front of him. However, when the defence brought heavy pressure he might have been guilty of trying to force things rather than playing the game as it came to him.
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Sevu Reece – 7
Appearances: 4
Electric with ball in hand and hungry for work, Reece was an exciting talent to watch but showed he's still raw at the top level with some frantic football. For the most part, he was defensively solid and made some great defensive reads.
Ben Smith – 6
Appearances: 3
Showed glimpses of brilliance to remind everyone what he was capable of with promising attacking displays against some of the minnows. He bagged two tries in his limited game time which included two appearances off the bench.
Rieko Ioane – 7
Appearances: 2
In limited playing time, Ioane was an active attacking threat and made an impact with not only his running game but his passing as well. Granted his two matches came against Canada and Namibia, but he was a strong contributor nonetheless.