Paul Lewis: A glimpse of Plan B - the All Blacks' intriguing cameo

Jordie Barrett of the All Blacks makes a break to score a try during the 2020 Tri-Nations and Bledisloe Cup match between the Australian Wallabies and the All Blacks. Photo / Getty Images.

OPINION:

One of the most interesting elements of the All Blacks' record dismissal of the Wallabies was one few will have noticed – a budding Plan B with regards to the dual playmaker strategy.

True, Jordie Barrett only had 15 minutes at fullback after brother Beauden was subbed off and Bledisloe III was already well and truly won.

It was an intriguing cameo, imperfect perhaps, but a clear sign there is a more than viable alternative to the Beauden Barrett-Richie Mo'unga dual axis even when back-up Damian McKenzie is not in the 23, as Saturday night.

Jordie, in that 15 minutes, scored a cracking try, with Mo'unga flat-passing him into a hole for an impressive 40m gallop to the line. He appeared as first receiver a couple of times, setting up play with Mo'unga directing the next attacking phase. It was flawed – he had a couple of wonky old kicks – but still a promising introduction to the dual playmaker sphere.

In the last seconds, with the Wallabies pressing hard, wing Marika Koroibete made a bid for the corner. Barrett, using all his 100-plus kilograms, hit him at ball-carrying level, dislodging it in a Gregan-esque tackle. It's worth noting that Koroibete scored in both the preceding tests, going through more slightly built fullbacks in brother Beauden and McKenzie.

Jordie has been selected at 14 to this point – but his yellow card for a raised elbow when carrying the ball showed his unfamiliarity with the right wing. Transplanted to the middle of the field and involved more, he looked way more dangerous.

In truth, the dual playmaker system didn't feature all that much, even with Barrett and Mo'unga operating. Mo'unga was imperious, as dominant in Bledisloe III as Barrett was in Bledisloe II. About the only time it really showed itself was Barrett's dink kick which Mo'unga claimed to score, trotting down a field startlingly bereft of Australians.

Before Saturday, two main questions remained unanswered: will the dual playmaker system prove itself a consistent winner? Does it only work when Beauden is playing fullback?

Jordie Barrett of the All Blacks breaks a tackle and runs to score a try during the Bledisloe Cup match between the Australian Wallabies and the New Zealand All Blacks. Photo / Getty Images.

The system simply hasn't looked as good with no Beauden. McKenzie hasn't had as much success and hasn't quite brought like for like if Barrett or Mo'unga go off.

Let's also remind ourselves of the World Cup exit last year when England comprehensively outplayed the All Blacks – and not just up front. The dual playmakers were pretty much nullified.

One of the arguments is that Jordie has played on the wing lots of time and scored lots of tries.

But go back to the loss to England again; Jordie came on for George Bridge after 49 minutes, with the All Blacks down 13-0 and fully deserving of the nil. He played tidily enough – but he was never, as a winger, going to unleash the attacking skills needed to breach that defence that day. His selection on the wing is largely defensive in nature, given his skills under the high ball and prodigious clearing boot.

Surely, if the dual playmaker system is the strategic focus of this team, Jordie needs to be given more chances at fullback/second playmaker. The perceived wisdom is that his decision-making is not yet up to snuff – but how can he improve that except in the red-hot furnace of international rugby?

The only other player remotely capable of fitting into the dual playmaker role is the Highlanders' Josh Ioane – even less tested than Jordie. Playing Jordie at 15 means the All Blacks can play a Bridge, a Sevu Reece, a Rieko Ioane on the wing – attackers who can spark that little something, unexpected creativity that wins games at the very top level.

So it will be interesting to see how coach Ian Foster, amid all the rotation and depth-building, develops things further in coming tests, with this team largely a continuation of the Hansen era - even with six changes in the 23 on Saturday.

Foster hasn't yet painted his own colours on this side – and, earlier this week, two highly different critiques underlined how coaches often "can't-win" in the early stages of tenure and selection. One berated naïve and ignorant critics who had the effrontery to question Foster's selection of Jordie Barrett at wing instead of fullback; the other had a wee tanty about Lachlan Boshier not being chosen for the All Blacks ahead of Du Plessis Kirifi.

For what it's worth, criticism for not picking Boshier seems unfounded. The Chiefs man is an extraordinary defensive player, his ability to pull turnover rabbits out of seemingly impossible hats well known.

One of the reasons for non-selection is his tackles don't hit as hard as some. To that, you can also add that Boshier also suffers in comparison with ball in hand and penetration/offload skills. If rugby was played like American football – where the offence leaves the field when possession is lost – Boshier would clearly be a valued member of the defensive unit that comes on.

But for now the focus may be more on the dual playmakers and whether it is better making play with a fullback on the wing and not a wing on the wing.