The All Blacks' lineout tactics have former Australian rugby captain John Eales perplexed.
Eales, renowned as a lineout expert, said the All Blacks dominated the scrum but the Wallabies dominated the lineout by the same margin in New Zealand's 13-9 Bledisloe Cup/Tri Nations test win in Brisbane on Saturday.
"The
lineout for New Zealand is a big problem," Eales wrote in his column in the Australian Financial Review.
"Warning bells should ring when some of their best quality ball is won by Richie McCaw, anything but a lineout specialist.
"It is a tribute to the insightfulness of this Wallaby outfit, and the extra lineout jumper coach John Connolly demands, that they could dominate so utterly at this phase."
Eales said teams preferred to attack from quality lineout possession rather than from scrums because, used quickly, it ensured there was space between the defensive and attacking lines.
"Success at lineout time is a two-way street and the All Blacks, to their palpable detriment, have ignored even the most obvious defence tactics on the Wallabies' throw.
"A cursory analysis of Australia's armoury reveals (Wallabies hooker) Jeremy Paul's throw to be suspect under pressure; in fact, under pressure, most hookers are the same.
"Why then, instead of conceding possession at the front of the lineout, didn't the All Blacks lift a jumper at two every single time to force Paul to throw long?"
"Granted the All Blacks would prefer to defend ball caught at two, but the Wallabies also prefer to attack the ball at four or six, so conceding easy possession defies the status of the term 'test' match."
However, Eales said ultimately it was the scrum that cost the Wallabies attacking opportunities and victory, and it was the lineout that kept them so close.
He said the upshot for Australian rugby was that Wallabies pride was back and the side had taken a substantial leap forward from their 12-32 loss to New Zealand in Christchurch on July 8.
"'But the downside is that the vacant spot in ARU (Australian Rugby Union) headquarters where the Bledisloe Cup would sit proudly, remains free for another year. Damn those Kiwis."
- NZPA
