For me, the explanation, as it often is in rugby, was the simplest. The All Blacks were able to field their strongest team.
In the backline, Jordie Barrett was a rock at second five. Brodie Retallick’s street smarts helped demolish the Italian lineout. And flanker Shannon Frizell played his 57 minutes with the cool command and physicality that his side missed so much at Twickenham against the Springboks, and in Paris against France.
The 13-day break the All Blacks had to rest, recover and build up physical and mental steam may prove to be the luckiest stroke they’ll have at this Cup.
The big call now for Ian Foster is whether he stands down some of his front-liners for the last pool game on Friday against Uruguay. By a twist of fate, the likes of Retallick, Frizell and Tyrel Lomax could do with more, not less, game time before the quarter-final.
Only Phar Lap had a bigger heart
There were plenty of rays of sunshine in the Italian match, but none shone brighter than Ardie Savea, who was back to his rampaging, snorting, indomitable, wild-bull best. He was the only forward in the top five All Blacks carriers of the ball, running for 128 golden metres.
Ardie Savea saw plenty of ball against Italy. Photo / Getty Images
Best sign
Even better than the scrum and lineout work, or the quicksilver running of Mark Telea and Will Jordan in Lyon, was the tightening-up of discipline and concentration after a sloppy first 10 minutes in the second half.
When you’re ahead 49-3 at the break, as the All Blacks were, it can be hard to stay in top gear. Four penalties conceded in the first six minutes was concerning. Leaking a try to Italy in the seventh minute even more so.
Erratic form has been an issue with the current All Blacks. The fact they smartened up their act in Lyon, stopped the flow of penalties and dominated the last 30 minutes was impressive.
No, Italy aren’t mugs
Are we getting carried away? After all, it was Italy the All Blacks beat, not South Africa.
Should we read into this display that they’re a real chance against Ireland in a quarter-final? I’d suggest we should. Is there a danger of smugness creeping in? Hell no.
Thirteen of this World Cup squad were in the All Blacks team whose hearts were broken when England beat them 19-7 in Japan in the 2019 Cup semifinal. That side had beaten South Africa in pool play, and swept Ireland aside in a quarter-final.
So you can guarantee that in 2023, the All Blacks’ veterans won’t allow even a hint of complacency to grow in the younger players.
It’s true that Italy’s record in Six Nations is, to be kind, mediocre. In this year’s competition, they lost all five games. But look closer, and you see that they were actually competitive. They lost to winners Ireland by 14 points, and to runners-up France by just seven.
There wasn’t a hint in those games with France and Ireland of a team about to be swamped by 79 points, as they were in Lyon by the All Blacks. In other words, the test with Italy deserves to be compared more with the All Blacks’ 62-13 towelling of France in the 2015 quarter-final, than the 71-3 belting of Namibia at this year’s Cup.
Scotland celebrate a try against Romania. Photo / Getty Images
Next weekend’s highlight
Scotland’s 84-0 demolition of Romania, and the fact they play a running, attacking game, makes their clash with Ireland in Paris next Sunday morning a must-watch. There’s more than a hint of All Blacks flair in Scotland’s tactics, so unless Ireland bury them up front, there should be plenty to interest New Zealand’s coaching staff.
Sylvia’s starring
In the Black Ferns’ commanding 43-3 defeat of Australia, in front of a crowd of almost 11,000 in Hamilton, prop Krystal Murray was a fierce, commanding presence, while at first five, Ruahei Demant showed why she was the 2022 World Player of the Year. But for sheer excitement, every time second five Sylvia Brunt touched the ball, the game became electric. Still only 19, she’s already a complete player, and exactly the sort of dynamic star needed to keep the Ferns in the spotlight they so dramatically seized at last year’s World Cup.
