New All Blacks Captain Ardie Savea opens up about being at the front of the haka and the surprise texts he received.
Video / Jo Malcolm
OPINION:
What's likely to become apparent during this Rugby Championship is that the All Blacks have developed an impressive stable of leaders.
Three different players have skippered the side this year and with anointed captain Sam Cane set to return in October, a fourth will be added to the list.
There are two others, Beauden Barrett and Brodie Retallick, who could do the job if they were asked and possibly even another two in Dane Coles and Codie Taylor who would be comfortable taking on the job if they had to.
It's a long list rather than an impressive list. None of the men who have led the All Blacks this year or indeed Cane, have yet established themselves as iconic captains of the age.
None necessarily would fit the definition of being towering personalities capable of leading on their reputation and force of personality.
And that won't sit well with everyone, as the old school mentality is to equate the strength of a side's leadership to that of their captain.
But that's a school of thought that belongs in a different age – one when the captain was expected to be the sole voice.
The speed and intensity with which the game is played now, teams need multiple leaders and this current All Blacks side is becoming a team of strong voices, cool heads and astute thinkers.
The collective rugby IQ within the team is high and the extended group charged with leading the team are pro-actively contributing and leading the team.
Which hasn't always been the case. There have been plenty of All Blacks teams of the past where, for various reasons, the leadership group didn't always contribute all they could.
This doesn't appear to be the case with the current team, who are proving that it is possible to be as effectively led by a strong group as it is by a strong individual and the importance of this is significant.
Most international coaches believe that there typically won't be much that separates the best sides in terms of their physical ability and the differentiator is most often decision-making.
Ardie Savea of the All Blacks looks on during The Rugby Championship and Bledisloe Cup match between the New Zealand All Blacks and the Australian Wallabies. Photo / Getty Images.
The cliché is that tests are won and lost on micro moments – that one or two key decisions can have an enormous bearing on the outcome. That is true but the macro management of a test is just as important and it was in this art that the All Blacks were hugely impressive in Perth.
In a performance that had much to like, it was the All Blacks' astute game management, particularly in the 20-minute period when they were reduced to 14 men, which provided the most reason to be optimistic about their readiness to face the various challenges that lie ahead.
Jordie Barrett's red card was one of those deep breath moments that had the potential to swing the game in an entirely different direction to the one in which it had been heading.
It opened a 20-minute window for the Wallabies to drain the All Blacks' energy tank, to redress the scoreboard and to grow their own confidence while sucking plenty out of their opponent.
In Brisbane last year, this is exactly what happened after Ofa Tuungafasi was sent off. Even though Wallabies flanker Lachlan Swinton followed him to the changing room 15 minutes later to make it 14 versus 14, the All Blacks never regathered their composure and descended into a chaotic, ill-thought out, hurried version of themselves.
The capacity to implode in Perth was just as real but it never looked remotely likely as the All Blacks played with a certainty and composure that suggests they have grown an almost immeasurable amount in the last 12 months.
There was no dumb or errant rugby. The All Blacks were aware of when they needed to hold the ball, when they had to kick it and where on the field they needed to be trying to spend most of their time.
It was in stark contrast to the Wallabies who were guilty of rash decision-making, muddled thinking and no great conviction about what smart rugby should look like with a man advantage.
The big play that broke the Wallabies came just before half-time when the All Blacks won a turnover penalty, kicked deep and then drove the maul from 12 metres to score.
It was simple rugby in essence, but not in practice as they were a man down. What enabled them to be so effective, calm and clinical was their clarity about what they were trying to achieve and the effectiveness with which it was communicated between one another.
The victory was a triumph as much for their leadership and decision-making as it was their grunt and determination.
