By Liam Napier in Chicago
Scott and Jordie Barrett appear unlikely to feature in Scotland for the second leg of the Grand Slam tour but, as they jet out from Chicago to Edinburgh, the All Blacks do so believing they can conjure their attacking mojo.
All Blacks captain Scott Barrett suffered a serious laceration that forced him from the field three minutes into the 26-13 victory over Ireland at Soldier Field.
In his absence, Josh Lord emerged off the bench to call the lineout in his most significant shift for the All Blacks, and Fabian Holland continued his impressive rookie test season with another prominent 80-minute performance.
Sam Darry, as the only other fit lock in the squad with Tupou Vaa’i and Patrick Tuipulotu ruled out of this tour, is likely to be called on to the bench for Scotland next week.
With Isaia Walker-Leawere and Naitoa Ah Kuoi sidelined by injuries too, the All Blacks may summon another lock, either Josh Beehre or Caleb Delany, from Jamie Joseph’s All Blacks XV squad as cover.
While Scott Barrett should return at some stage on this four-match tour, Jordie Barrett appears to be in more doubt after sustaining knee and ankle injuries. The younger Barrett tried to play through the pain, but he will now undergo scans to determine the extent of the damage.
Quinn Tupaea and Leicester Fainga’anuku, the latter with a commanding display from centre off the bench after replacing Jordie Barrett, are likely to continue their power-heavy midfield combination next week, with Rieko Ioane coming back into the picture as bench cover.
“It was a tough day for the Barretts,” oldest brother Beauden Barrett said. “We were all in the wars. Scooter [Scott] has a big laceration. Jordie is pretty sore with a high ankle and knee. I’m not a doctor, but that’s what they’ve told me. Not a great outcome for them.”
Beauden Barrett was in the thick of the action, too, after copping Tadhg Beirne’s shoulder to his head that cost the Ireland lock a debatable red card early in the contest.
The decision was on the harsh side, as Beirne had little time to react and there was a low degree of force, but he is now likely to be suspended for the reactionary action.
“I chatted to him after the game and I had to say sorry,” Beauden said. “He didn’t intentionally try to put a high shot on; it just happened. I knew I had a shot to the head, I couldn’t hide from that. I also know he may be punished for it but I’ll support him so it will be mitigated. Hopefully, we’ll see him back sooner than later.”
Beirne’s red card, which was upgraded from a yellow after a ridiculously long consultation from the on-field officials, in no way determined the result, with Ireland managing their 20-minute period one man short well to lead 10-7 at halftime, as the All Blacks battled to get anything going at that stage.
Ireland coach Andy Farrell delicately chose his words but it’s clear he disagreed with the red card sanction.
“I’m all for the safest way possible for this game to move forward so you’ve got to be careful what you say in that regard,” Farrell said. “If you look at it in real time, I don’t know how it was transferred to that. They’ve obviously got their reasons and I’m not privy to that.
“You can look at it from all angles but the only way to look at it is in real time. To me it’s a forward pass in the first place. It doesn’t matter anymore, does it? We got a red card and we actually dealt with it pretty well, to be fair.”
The All Blacks battled to find any form or rhythm to deliver an underwhelming 60 minutes littered with mistakes and discipline issues. But as Ireland tired, impact from the All Blacks bench, set-piece dominance and the willingness to keep using the ball eventually paved the way for three decisive tries to preserve their quest for a Grand Slam.
Wallace Sititi’s ball-carrying punch, Tamaiti Williams’ scrummaging power and Damian McKenzie’s attacking spark helped propel the All Blacks in the final quarter. Fainga’anuku and Lord’s influential contributions were also telling to further highlight the bench impact.
“We couldn’t execute enough in that first half,” All Blacks coach Scott Robertson said. “We got into their 22 four times, gave up a few lineouts, lost a couple of Barretts, but we got back in the second half and held the ball for long periods of time to put the pressure back on them. It was great to get some flow. I’m pleased for everyone who stepped up.”
After a week of soaking up Chicago and banishing their 2016 demons, the All Blacks leave immediately on a charter plane for Edinburgh to prioritise their Grand Slam mission.
“We get on a plane tonight,” Robertson said. ”It’s pretty cool, we feel like a basketball team to land in Edinburgh tonight. That’s how you’ve got to do it if you’re going to play a game here.”
Liam Napier is a Senior Sports Journalist and Rugby Correspondent for the New Zealand Herald. He is a co-host of the Rugby Direct podcast.