McGeechan: Why Kaino v Fardy is the key clash

All Blacks loose forward Jerome Kaino druing the All Blacks team training session. Photo / Brett Phibbs

Much of the talk before the Rugby World Cup final will doubtless focus on the superstars in the respective back rows, Richie McCaw and Kieran Read for New Zealand, and David Pocock and Michael Hooper for Australia.

And that is to be expected because they are all outstanding players, but it might just be that the battle of the back rows, and therefore maybe the destination of the victory, is decided by the two unsung heroes wearing the number six jerseys, Scott Fardy for Australia and Jerome Kaino for New Zealand.

I reckon that if you were asking the respective players of each side as to the identity of the most valuable player alongside them - the so-called 'players' player of the year' that is always given - then Fardy and Kaino would be very close to the top of the list for both teams.

As a coach you are always more concerned with the process of events on the field, as opposed to the outcome. So instead of looking at the try scored, you will first look back at the breakdowns that brought it about, and I bet if you were the coach of New Zealand or Australia you would often find that either Fardy or Kaino has made a crucial intervention at the beginning of such things.

To me these players are gold dust. They are like Richard Hill was for England in 2003. They are almost first on the list when it comes to selection.

They are always there, always contributing something, whether making that tackle when they have no right to be on their feet again, making a tough carry, protecting a player at the breakdown, just doing the gritty job of clearing away, supporting when others cannot get near the ball-carrier or just diving on a loose ball.

They are the players who allow the talent around them to shine. They link everything together. They always seem to make good calls.

While, say, Pocock and Hooper can hunt around the field in a pairing, Fardy has to be cuter, having to make more decisions in his reading of the game. After the first breakdown a six has to read where he has to go and who his next partner is, whether he is pairing up with a centre or a second row.

Both Fardy and Kaino were magnificent last weekend, even though Kaino was yellow-carded. In the first half when South Africa threw all their physicality at the All Blacks, it was often Kaino who was doing most to repel them.

And as for Fardy's contribution in the second half, when Argentina might have scored two or three tries against other team, well, he was quite unbelievable. He is even better now than he was when Australia beat New Zealand in Sydney last summer.

Away from the bigger names, watch closely if you can for Fardy and Kaino. You will certainly not be disappointed by how good they are or how hard they work.

- London Daily Telegraph

*Sir Ian McGeechan is a former Scotland and British and Irish Lions coach.