Phil Gifford outlines nine talking points from the weekend’s test rugby.
Don’t worry, be happy
The DNA of Kiwi rugby fans has always contained good-sized strands of doubt and gloom, so, for some, enjoying three very good wins in the Rugby Championship may feel like a guilty pleasure.
Runningthe Wallabies off their feet 38-7 in Melbourne was the sort of performance Kiwis would have died for last year.
In a crowded field, the man of the match was without doubt Scott Barrett. Like all of the Barretts he’s always had a good work ethic, but this year he’s taken his brilliant form in Super Rugby into the test arena and then cranked it up a couple of notches.
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You expect the man they call Scooter to be a fierce tackler and to bury himself in the maelstrom of the breakdown. What’s extraordinary are the levels of energy that see him running like a back until the final whistle.
Scott Barrett put in an impressive shift in the win over the Wallabies. Photo / Photosport
The lockers that are full to the brim
Lock is a position that now offers endless possibilities for the All Blacks. There’s also a big group of potent wingers. Mark Telea was a star in Melbourne, and let’s not forget that the form player, ahead of Telea, in Super Rugby was Leicester Fainga’anuku. When Fainga’anuku is fully fit again there won’t be a team in world rugby with more attacking potential out wide.
Codie Taylor may be the most underrated player in the All Blacks. He’s not built like a tank, but he’s extremely dynamic and strong. Every time he runs with the ball good things happen.
The 63rd-minute try for Telea was a highlight reel jewel, but how quick thinking and acting was Aaron Smith when, in the 58th minute, he used retreating, offside Wallabies hooker Jordan Uelese as a shield to almost get to the Aussie line? From the resulting maul, Caleb Clarke scored.
Some men are from Mars
Eddie Jones didn’t let us down after the march. “If you arrived from Mars and watched the first 20 minutes, you would probably think the gold team was the strongest team,” he said. “That is the reality.” Sure. And if the visitor from Mars had stayed for the next 60 minutes he may have seen another reality.
Eddie Jones found some positives to take out of the Wallabies' loss to the All Blacks. Photo / Photosport
Watch and learn
In the lead-up to the game, I was disappointed to see Jones blathering about his rookie first-five, Carter Gordon, saying the young man had elements of the great Stephen Larkham and the crash-tackling Butch James.
Poor Gordon looked rattled for most of his 49 minutes. Comparing a newcomer to the greats is something really good coaches may do in private to boost the inexperienced player, but should never blurt out in public.
On the other hand, Ian Foster stayed quietly grounded about another 22-year-old test newcomer, Cam Roigard, and the Hurricanes halfback responded with an excellent debut. When 83,944 are watching live at the ground, adding pressure is not just thoughtless, it borders on stupidity.
Pick and mix
Who the All Blacks start in next weekend’s test with Australia in Dunedin has its own fascination.
Do they field basically the same team they had in Melbourne in the hope of burning any last vestiges of Aussie confidence? Or, with the Bledisloe Cup and the Rugby Championship locked up, do they run out the rest of the squad?
The Wallabies, between their bad luck with injuries, and lack of a first-five who can run a game, hardly look a threat for the Cup in France, so ringing changes may be the best course for New Zealand.
Who knows what to read into the Springboks scraping to a 22-21 win against the Pumas at Ellis Park? With all due respect to Argentina, this is either a pretty average South African side, or the Boks have a shrewd long-term plan which won’t be sprung until the World Cup.
We may not really see what the Boks are up to until the All Blacks play them at Twickenham on August 26.
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