The All Blacks’ pursuit of fast, attractive rugby faces challenges from defensive rules and player safety concerns.
Inconsistencies with TMOs and refereeing decisions frustrate fans and disrupt the game’s flow.
Despite potential defeats, the team remains committed to an attacking style, acknowledging perfection is unattainable.
Six years ago, Beauden Barrett told the Herald after a difficult season: “I’m such a perfectionist and I want to do everything right, kick every goal, do everything perfectly, but that is not reality. You’ve got to understand and accept that nothing in the world is perfect. Thesooner you understand that, the better it will be.”
That came to mind after the first test against France. The All Blacks’ ambitions to play fast and attractive rugby were dented by a bit of ring rust, and when the desire to play at pace became a little frantic, errors – offensive and defensive – ruled.
It’s a matter of style, you see – players and coaches want to play a certain way, but that quest for attractive rugby comes with inherent problems.
They want to play at pace, with ball carriers puncturing massed defences and/or getting around them. They want a dominant set piece and warriors at the breakdown to clear the opposition out of the way or burgle their ball. They want a good kicking game for territory, or so the ball put to boot is retrievable, promoting the broken field running they are so good at. Oh, and a watertight defence.
Not much to ask for, is it? Precision is one thing, perfection another.
The last time I heard any All Black talk openly about attaining perfection was back in 1988 when Buck Shelford’s All Blacks backed up their 1987 World Cup win by swamping all opposition with a then game-altering style of power blended with pace and expressiveness. Their search for perfection wasn’t fulfilled, of course. Barrett was right. Perfection isn’t reality; it can be touched but never owned.
Coach Scott Robertson wants his men to play attacking rugby. Photo / SmartFrame
The way the All Blacks are trying to play is what most New Zealand fans want. They – and the players – generally don’t want the grindy-grindy, forward bash, kick the penalties, percentage-based game. The players, even the hardened professionals (maybe especially the hardened professionals), want the thrill of a break, a pass, a team try full of running and elusiveness; the kind of thing that made them love rugby in the first place.
There are just two teeny-weeny problems with pursuing a game plan essentially at odds with the way the rules shape the modern game. First, the rules and structure of the game favour defences hugely. Look at the first test against the under-strength French – all they had to do was defend and feed off All Black mistakes; inevitable errors from such a high-octane, risk-reward game plan.
Second, rugby’s bete noire, player safety, means referees and TMOs are constantly on the lookout for why things shouldn’t happen or potentially dangerous infringements. Yellow and red cards abound and alter a match. Perfection? Pernickety, more like it.
As for the TMOs, it often seems we have changed old human error (when refs made mistakes) for new human error. In the first test’s third non-try, dismissed for obstruction, there is no way the French tackler would have got to Beauden Barrett before he threw the scoring pass to Will Jordan, even without Pasilio Tosi impeding him.
Billy Proctor’s scrubbed-out try did involve a micron of separation, we must accept. But look at the slo-mo of Jordie Barrett’s try in the 38th minute; the same momentary loss of control when scoring wasn’t picked up by any official. Consistency much?
Ardie Savea and French captain Gael Fickou discuss with referee Nic Berry an All Blacks try that was later disallowed. Photo / Photosport
This stuff just makes fans angry and want to do something more fun – like clipping their toenails or getting a tongue stud.
In September last year, when the All Blacks lost 31-27 to the Boks at Ellis Park (coincidentally the same score as the first test against the French), Bok hooker Bongi Mbonambi knocked on when scoring a try – undetected by the TMO and the referee. I mean, what’s the point of the TMO? What happened to getting the right result?
If it doesn’t work at 100% – yes, perfection – we might as well return to the old, less-than-perfect system. The TMOs would stay, but World Rugby needs to tweak the dial enough to restore control to referees so they don’t fear for their future if they overrule TMOs, particularly those pushing their perspective so hard they force a ref’s hand. It wouldn’t mean accuracy is sacrificed – but it would preserve something of the flow of the game and appeal to fans and sponsors.
Kiwi ref Paul Williams did exactly that when controlling the British & Irish Lions match against the Waratahs last weekend. The TMO wanted to scrub out a Waratahs try for an illegal cleanout involving contact with a Lions’ head. Williams disagreed – and the world felt a slightly better place.
The world champion Springboks are the acid test this year for the All Blacks’ attacking style. It makes sense – their chances of winning are reduced if they take on the Boks at their own “bomb squad”, arm-wrestle game. Watching the French forwards puffing and blowing last weekend was enough to convince this watcher it’s the right approach.
Whatever happens, it won’t be perfect. Defences, player safety, refs, TMOs and errors will apply. Defeats will occur while pursuing the attacking ethic, but, as Beauden Barrett says, we must accept that nothing is perfect … and that it will get better. Hopefully.
Paul Lewis writes about rugby, cricket, league, football, yachting, golf, the Olympics and the Commonwealth Games.
For live commentary of this weekend’s All Blacks v France test, go to GOLD SPORT or iHeartRadio.
