Elliott Smith and Liam Napier review the All Blacks' rugby test loss to Argentina last night, and look ahead to next week's clash at Eden Park.
Video / Mark Mitchell
THREE KEY FACTS:
– Hoskins Sotutu hasn’t played for the All Blacks since 2022.
– Ardie Savea, known for his X-factor and capacity to get the All Blacks going forward, was unusually subdued against the Pumas.
– Beauden Barrett has been a standout player, providing game-saving cameos in both Dunedinand Auckland but the absence of star power has been particularly noticeable in the forwards.
They have become the Celtic diet of world rugby – too many bland carbohydrates and no zing – nothing spicy or punchy to lift the surrounding stodge.
This is surprising because whatever the All Blacks may have historically lacked in technical craft, game management or team cohesion, they have always been able to rely on the athleticism and brilliance of some of their individuals to get them out of a tight scrape or provide some kind of catalyst to ignite a performance.
The lament for too long was that the All Blacks had too much spice, too many peripheral elements on the plate that prevented the potatoes from even being tasted.
This is most definitely, however, an accusation that can’t be made of the Scott Robertson era.
Beauden Barrett brought his particular brand of genius off the bench in both Dunedin and Auckland, but other than his game-saving cameos, there have been few wow moments or X-factor plays that have shot the All Blacks past their opposition and blown the game open.
Beauden Barrett has been impressive to start the international season. Photo / Photosport
The absence of star power has been acute in the forwards and the general assessment of their work collectively across all four games, but especially in the loss to Argentina, is that they didn’t bring enough ball-carrying punch or have anyone with the ability to produce an unexpected moment that caught the defence cold.
The All Blacks missed Scott Barrett in that regard as he’s a proven high-impact ball carrier with the pace, agility and soft hands to make holes and play others into them.
The long-term absence of Samisoni Taukei’aho has also left the All Blacks conspicuously short of another renowned ball-carrier, and no one has been able to produce the post-contact running metres that have defined his career to date.
Even Ardie Savea, the man with unlimited X-factor and capacity to get New Zealand going forward through his speed, footwork and crazily distorted weight-to-power ratio, was unusually subdued against the Pumas.
It certainly looked like there were too many athletes of similar size, shape and pace toiling with no real effect against Argentina and that the selectors are placing too high a premium on workrate.
They may have underappreciated the value of having players in their midst with an undeniable point of difference, even if they do come with a few shortcomings.
And more specifically, still, maybe the selectors need to admit they made a mistake by not picking Blues No 8 Hoskins Sotutu in their initial squad and that they were guilty of focusing too hard on what he doesn’t bring – relentless, high-impact defence apparently – and not enough on what he does bring – line breaks, momentum and opportunity.
Against Argentina, the All Blacks were crying out for someone in the forward pack to change the dynamic of the attack, be it through their speed, agility, ability to play the ball in or out of contact, or ability, even, to play wider from the ruck.
Instead, it all felt one-dimensional and a bit underpowered: lower-impact ball carriers hitting predictable running lines that Argentina could repel on the gain line.
Sotutu, throughout Super Rugby Pacific, was consistently able to beat defenders, produce some stunning passes and even pop up on the wing – and his skillset looks to be one the All Blacks are in desperate need of.
When he missed selection in July, various analysts highlighted that his statistical return in terms of the number of times he carried the ball and average metres made were inferior to some of his loose-forward peers, but perhaps this was a case where the spreadsheet needed to be ignored and a bit of gut feel applied.
The micro detail of Sotutu’s season may have said something different, but the macro picture was entirely obvious – he was a high-impact No 8 who made a massive contribution to the Blues winning the title.
Hoskins Sotutu hasn't played for the All Blacks since 2022. Photo / Getty Images
And it appeared, certainly, that he never went missing, and that if other loose forwards around the country were working harder than him, they weren’t working smarter, as none had the same ability to influence proceedings as he did.
The All Blacks’ attack is faltering on an inability to build momentum, and while the selectors hinted that they had concerns about Sotutu’s work without the ball, that feels now like an acceptable price to pay to have access to his ball-carrying and ball-playing.
Besides, the narrative about Sotutu’s defence being frail is perhaps more a legacy of his previous stint in the All Blacks between 2020 and 2022 rather than a true representation of what he delivered in Super Rugby Pacific throughout 2024.
When the squad was first picked, it became a choice between Sotutu and Wallace Sititi, the young Chiefs No 8 offering a similarly powerful ball-carrying portfolio.
Sititi won the selection on account of his superior defensive grunt.
But perhaps, given the evidence of the first four tests of the year, there is room in the All Blacks for both Sititi and Sotutu, and if there is a choice to be made between two similar players, it should be between Luke Jacobson and Ethan Blackadder.
Follow live updates of All Blacks v Argentina at nzherald.co.nz
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