KEY POINTS:
I have no doubt the All Blacks will perform better in all areas at Eden Park tomorrow. In Sydney the tactics and techniques made it impossible to achieve a win.
In fact it was amazing how close the All Blacks came to winning the first Bledisloe Cup match
match despite shocking handling skills, an amateur tactical kicking game, inaccuracy at the breakdown and such flaky defence.
Sure the final score blew out, but once the Wallabies dropped the goal and were eight points ahead the All Blacks started playing an even more high-risk game and suffered accordingly.
Robbie Deans was pleased with the Wallabies' performance whereas there was very little quality to see in the All Blacks' game.
Under the ELVs a consistent tactical kicking game is absolutely compulsory. The All Blacks looked to rectify this with the inclusion of Leon MacDonald - although they are still handicapped with the non-kicking Ma'a Nonu at second receiver.
Now with MacDonald out there will be continued pressure on Daniel Carter although I think we will see more kicking from Mils Muliaina and whoever plays halfback - to turn the flat Wallaby defence around.
In this age of full-time professional athletes and full-time kicking coaches, why the likes of Nonu have not improved their skills in this area is beyond me. Surely daily practice and tuition would go some way to fixing the problem?
The All Blacks' inferiority complex at lineout has meant they have preferred not to kick the ball out. Instead they have looked to keep the ball in play and hope the opposition cracks first.
Against teams like the Crusaders ... sorry, the Wallabies ... this concept is flawed. Field position is now more important than phase ball.
Modern defences make it difficult to successfully attack from deep inside your own half of the field. I am sure the All Blacks will not repeat this folly again tomorrow.
The ELVs allow for lineouts to be sacked and for more pressure to be placed on the opposition No 9 and No 10 - surely that's another reason to have confidence to force lineouts in the opposition half?
In recent times, teams that have been successful against Deans-coached sides have dominated the breakdown area by having more numbers and being very physical. Last week the All Blacks didn't have numbers and often Daniel Braid was a lone ranger in this area.
Richie McCaw will make a big difference tomorrow and the placing of Rodney So'oialo and Jerome Kaino in their usual positions will be helpful - hopefully the experiment of left-and-right flankers and the use of So'oialo as a spare-parts man are over.
The Wallabies have decided Phil Waugh is a smart replacement for Rocky Elsom. They assume this will negate McCaw but if the All Blacks get good numbers and consistently thump the Wallabies at the breakdown then they may be on the road to victory. The selection of the shorter Waugh will also improve the All Blacks options at lineout.
The situation in the halfbacks has been forced on the selectors but I suspect Weepu could be the ideal player for what will become a dogfight at the breakdown. If he plays, then he will need to run at the defence a lot and may exhaust himself, but he has a point to prove. If I were Graham Henry I would be wanting to ensure referee Mark Lawrence polices the breakdown as per the rules of the game. In times past it was the All Blacks who took the laws to the edge and beyond. Times have changed and unfortunately now it seems George Smith and Co are getting away with more than the All Blacks. Good on them - when in Rome and all that.
However, the All Blacks should be desperate to win and if it takes talking to the officials then so be it.
Ditto at scrum time where last week the Wallaby frontrow not only survived but probably out-smarted the All Blacks. They collapsed, slipped and slid their way out of trouble.
Again the All Blacks need to be more streetwise. At the moment the Wallabies are successfully negating a perceived AB strength.
The Wallabies have the momentum but I still think Henry's side has enough quality to win. The weather looks average, which is another reason to keep things simple and eliminate errors. Concentration on attacking the Wallabies at scrum, lineout and breakdown should be enough to win.
The flash, running rugby was exciting to watch last weekend but produced no cigar. It's time for old-fashioned All Black ruthless efficiency - it might not be pretty but it will renew the shattered confidence of all concerned.
