All Blacks v Argentina: All Blacks caught between two worlds in quest to fix concerning attack

Sourcing immediate fixes for their costly discipline and last quarter collapse are front of mind as the All Blacks lurch through groundhog week of attempting to rise from the depths of another historic defeat. The top priority, though, is amending their concerning attack that sits somewhere between growing pains and identity crisis.

Once the envy of the rugby world with ball in hand, the All Blacks' attacking frustrations are now the most glaring pointer to their decline.

When they get their carries and cleanouts right to punch through the line and remove lingering ruck defenders to provide fast running ball, as they did at Ellis Park, the All Blacks attack seamlessly flows.

When they don't win the breakdown, which occurs often in the dire two-win-from-eight test run, when the opposition denies time and space to build frustrations, the All Blacks have offered minimal answers.

Joe Schmidt is the third All Blacks attack coach this year after Brad Mooar was let go following the 2-1 home series defeat to Ireland and Ian Foster assumed the brief for two tests in South Africa.

Those frequent changes leave the All Blacks caught between two worlds.

All Blacks head coach Ian Foster and attack coach Joe Schmidt. Photo / Photosport

During his largely successful decade guiding Leinster and Ireland, Schmidt's attacking blueprint was based around low-risk ball retention, repeat phases, minimal if any offloads and classy strike moves.

Couple Schmidt's favoured tendencies with Foster's criticism of the All Blacks' failure to kick more as they crumbled in the face of resolute Pumas defence during the final quarter loss in Christchurch, and it seems a much more conservative attacking approach should be expected.

As Foster has also noted, though, that jars with New Zealand rugby's embedded love of expansive, running rugby.

Somewhere in between, the All Blacks must quickly find their attacking balance.

After signalling his readiness to return from a neck injury that sidelined him last week, Beauden Barrett acknowledged the All Blacks' ongoing attacking struggles, and the push and pull between inherent instincts and differing coaching philosophies.

"It's about building good habits and doing it all the time rather than sometimes. Joe has been really good in that space," Barrett said after Tuesday training in Hamilton.

"There's no doubt he and Fozzie are finding their feet and how they're going to run things but Joe has been awesome and so has Fozzie. I think we'll see the fruits of that this weekend and hopefully games to come."

Asked about Schmidt's traditional retention approach that worked well for Ireland prior to the 2019 World Cup, and whether the All Blacks are attempting to replicate those ideals, Barrett said: "That's where I'm going with the good habits and doing it every time. They're machines. They run around like robots, they're very efficient. With all due respect they know how to retain ball and they do it very effectively. We don't want to be like other teams. We need to be the best team we can be. There's no doubt there will be a bit of that in weeks to come but we've still got to be the expressive All Blacks we know we can be."

Beauden Barrett confirmed he is fit to play in the second Pumas test in Hamilton this Saturday. Photo / Photosport

Despite savouring possession and territory dominance in Christchurch, and running for 231 more metres than the Pumas, the All Blacks struggled to break the David Kidwell-led Pumas defence that consistently filled the field.

The All Blacks managed two first half tries – one from a maul, the other on the counter after a wayward Pumas lineout throw.

Trying to run through a thick blue wall in the final quarter, once the Pumas snatched the lead, only compounded discipline and breakdown frustrations. Schmidt and Foster are attempting to alter those attacking traits and long-held systems that have become patently predictable.

Grasping change usually takes time but that's not a commodity the All Blacks can claim.

"When the pressure comes on naturally we want to run the ball and keep it in hand. It feels so natural to us," Barrett said. "We've identified games we've lost perhaps we need to kick the ball more. It's just being aware of that. And then looking to attack in different ways – everyone on our feet, chasing kicks, getting those 50/50 bounces, flooding rucks or looking for turnovers that way.

"That's what other teams do really well, particularly South Africa they plan a low-risk game plan; put the ball in the air and look to feed off those errors. We're not going to be like any other team. We're figuring out the way we want to play.

"What does building pressure look like? It's not necessarily holding onto the ball and building phases, it's how we use the ball, kicking and game management. That's a collective team focus it's not just on the nines and 10s. Everyone has to be looking for that space. It's been at the forefront of our minds the last few days and we've seen some good shifts already this week."

Whether those shifts align fast enough for another redemption quest remains to be seen.