Patrick Tuipulotu on the charge against the Chiefs. Photosport
Patrick Tuipulotu on the charge against the Chiefs. Photosport
COMMENT:
New Zealand's big men might have forgotten how to go about their business at the lineout, but plenty of them have rediscovered the general dynamism that was missing last year.
The first two weeks of Super Rugby have revealed plenty about the desire and fitness of a few keytight forwards.
Dane Coles has pitched up with a renewed hunger to play hard for every minute he's on the field. He's looked as quick and dynamic as he did in his peak back in 2016 before injuries struck and left him battling to regain his pace.
It has been a tough last three years for Coles as a result of those injuries and the All Blacks never looked quite the same team the moment he damaged his knee against France in late 2016.
He looks like he's back now to being the athlete he was and right now it's not important to wonder for how long that will last.
Dane Coles has pitched up with a renewed hunger to play hard for every minute he's on the field. Photosport
He's sharp and eager right now – causing problems for opponents - and yes he's almost 34 but that can be ignored until there is reason to believe his age is impacting his dynamism.
Joe Moody is another who has fired back into action with the sort of work rate and venom that he didn't consistently produce last year.
He popped up plenty in the Crusaders' victory over the Hurricanes, showing a rare turn of speed and athleticism to make some critical support plays.
What a difference it makes to a side's ability to break down a defence when someone like Moody is able to beat defenders, offload and keep the continuity flowing.
Patrick Tuipulotu is the biggest improver of all in the tight five category. He has been in the form of his career and his increasing influence as a ball carrier later in the second half against the Chiefs was a key reason why the Blues surged ahead in Hamilton.
Big men making a big impact is an overdue storyline. It didn't happen enough last year or in 2018, and the story of New Zealand's World Cup semifinal loss to England could be summarised as an across the board failure by the All Blacks' tight five to deliver enough ball-carrying impact or defensive punch.
Patrick Tuipulotu on the charge against the Chiefs. Photosport
To a man, they didn't have the same energy as their English counterparts. Sam Whitelock and Brodie Retallick couldn't match Maro Itoje around the park and England got more productivity from their front-row in general play.
Tight five productivity was a bit of a sore point for the All Blacks since the middle of 2018. It was about then that it started to become apparent that the likes of South Africa, England and Ireland were getting more out of their big men.
Other teams were seeing their props get on their feet quicker, carry more, tackle more and work harder off the ball. The rush defence systems they were utilising worked as well as they did because their big men were able to hold up their end and get off the line quickly and tackle with the mobility of loose forwards.
Props Cain Healey and Tadhg Furlong provided much of the ball carrying drive when Ireland beat the All Blacks in November 2018 and the week before at Twickenham, England's Kyle Sinckler was the hardest working and most influential prop on the field.
It was a tough watch for the All Blacks coaches who could see that they were missing something - that their tight five needed to be doing more to help the team break opponents down and build momentum.
If the penny didn't quite drop on that front in 2019, it looks like it might have now and with Moody, Coles and Tuipulotu having set an early benchmark it is up to others such as Nepo Laulala, Ofa Tuungafasi, Scott Barrett and Whitelock to follow.
Whitelock in particular was looking jaded at times in the last couple of years as a result of too much rugby. He made a welcome return to Super Rugby action in Wellington and while he didn't set the world on fire, he looked to have found a little more zip and intensity and there is a strong expectation that he'll lift his impact significantly in the next month or so as he has more game time.
