All Blacks review: Tactical flaws and leadership gaps exposed in England loss
THE FACTS
Newstalk ZB rugby analyst and former All Blacks halfback Ant Strachan opens his notebook to analyse what went wrong against England on Sunday.
Since 6am on Sunday, most of us have been asking this question over and over again: what actually went wrong in the 33-19 loss to the English? Quite frankly, the answer is not simple, but for context, let’s highlight some concerns, with the emotion taken out.
Was this result (and, I guess, the season as a whole) actually acceptable, especially now we have navigated our way through two years of change? Some may ask, how’s the changing room? This often gives you an indication of where a team are at after a number of experienced players have left and a brace of high-profile coaches have departed. Are we looking at a team that are well connected, accountable and passionate about producing world-class performances week in, week out?
Being old school, a look inside first doesn’t hurt and our hope is that this team are building a collective understanding of what’s required and that they’re ultimately being steered by a well-aligned script. Underpinned of course by the responsibility bestowed upon those who get to wear a very, very special black jersey.
Acknowledging the cultural question above, let’s look at the technical and tactical inconsistencies we have seen over the past six months.
Set piece
We have had dominance and then been dominated, both at lineout and scrum time. We must eliminate the troughs (especially in the big tests) and make this area a strength of our game.
Defence from set pieces
Fundamentally, it has been sound, but against the English we were slow to react at times and conceded too many soft metres, which shifted the momentum of the game. Tellingly, we conceded a try in first phase from a scrum and another from a lineout.
Phase defence
Peaks and troughs again, which were exposed and fixed during the Rugby Championship, then were strong during the Irish and Scottish test matches. Against England, apart from the first 20m, our “interior” defence was just not good enough. This has only been compounded by ill-discipline and too many yellow cards at critical moments.
High ball
For fear of sounding like a broken record, our aerial game is still not up to international standard.
Tactical game plan
Looking specifically at this English test match, the All Blacks were superb for 20 minutes with a clear plan to jam Sam Underhill and Ollie Lawrence with manipulation, then throw some wonderfully timed passes to get the ball to width.
Then we saw a slide to soft defence and an inability to navigate our way out of our half, which became problematic. Some on-field decisions in the heat of a tough test were confusing, highlighting the need for a more powerfully connected on-field leadership group.
Man, we can attack at times (and we have seen this throughout the tests this year), but then for some reason we shift into what looks like a guessing game, often coinciding with a lift in the opposition’s defensive intensity. Statistics show the third quarter has been a real challenge for the team.
Uncharacteristic errors
As the rot set in, the All Blacks were guilty of basic errors: missing touch, missing tackles and some poor passing/kicking options, which, put simply, cost us in the end.
The bench mystery
Against England, our bench went from gold standard to struggle street – a real mystery. I suspect this was largely due to a less-dominant platform created by the players who were already on the field.
Game management
We need more effective management of the flow of a test match, acknowledging that at the top end, teams do not dominate for 80 minutes. The solution, as simple as it sounds, is part mental, part physical and, most importantly, players must be operating from the same page.
The match officials
As an aside, I’m not convinced the most recent officiating is adding value to our international game. More so, it’s impacting the spectacle, the flow and excitement and this needs to be addressed.
But the reality is that both sides are playing under the same referee and at the weekend, England and the All Blacks equally suffered from whistling randomness.
Where to this week?
The All Blacks face a must-win game against a Welsh team who will be buoyed by the English performance.
Scott Robertson must select a team who have an insatiable desire to win. Fresh legs and fresh minds can sometimes make a difference. They should be coached with confidence, not conservativeness.
In Cardiff, we must unleash everything we have on both sides of the ball. This begins with defending set piece and all phases with intensity, accuracy and discipline and builds as we manage our attack smartly, using well-imbedded tactics.
Where to for the future?
Let’s take a breath, people.
New Zealand certainly has 60 players capable of building an international programme we can be all proud of.
We also have the coaching competence within the current crop of coaches, including others within New Zealand, who can deliver a Rugby World Cup title (acknowledging that right now we are void of Rugby World Cup IP). Let’s make sure that, like the players, these coaches challenge, provide autonomy when applicable and they “fit” – there’s no room for lapdogs at the top. The very best leaders don’t do all the work; they create environments where everyone does their best work.
So, Robertson and his team must keep building a game plan (on both sides of the ball) that is understood and always has room for expansion. They must develop a playing group who can innovate, innovate, innovate and – when the s*** hits the fan – bite down on the mouthguard and reset with simplicity and accurate execution.
We can support our team by asking the tough questions, keep dissecting where we are strong and what we need to work on. Above all else, never be satisfied – the next major challenge for our All Blacks is always just around the corner.
I don’t know about you, but I love this team and will always support them, even if that means some honest opinion.