Nations Championship: All Blacks overcome Italy but Billy Proctor and Wallace Sititi fail to convince at No 13 and No 6
Saturday, 11 July 2026
ANALYSIS: The sight of the All Blacks struggling against Italy in the first 40 minutes in Wellington should ring alarm bells as New Zealand Rugby with the tour of South Africa on the horizon.
Billy Proctor’s missed tackle on Tommaso Menoncello, which led to Italy’s first try, and Wallace Sititi’s knock-on in the face of aggressive line speed summed up an unsettling start to a test the All Blacks eventually won 47-17.
The Springboks will do what Italy did - except with more aggression and accuracy. And and they will do it for longer.
But the sight of the All Blacks scoring four tries in the third quarter with skill and pace will remind opponents of how they accumulate points in a hurry, even without playing that well.
Read more:
Hurricanes Poua continue dream season with thrilling comeback win against Matatū
China threat, record NRL deal could ‘destroy’ rugby union in the Pacific
Dropping tunes and dropping kilos: All Blacks prop Pasilio Tosi embraces Dave Rennie regime
That was the test in Wellington: hard to read because the All Blacks looked shaky in patches but ultimately won by 30 points against the big improvers of the Six Nations (albeit with a one-man advantage for 20 minutes after Niccolo Cannone’s red card).
Dave Rennie and co will be content but they might also feel that their problem jerseys, at No 6 and No 13, remain problematic.
Italy No 12 Tommaso Menoncello was the best midfielder on show in Wellington, and is equally as comfortable in the No 13 jersey.
What Rennie would give for a Menoncello, because Proctor’s defensive issues at test level were again on show against Italy.
Menoncello’s power and pace were too much for the Hurricanes No 13 for the first try, and although Proctor worked hard to get involved with ball in hand for the rest of the game his missed tackle was a significant black mark.
Sititi, who still looks more like a No 8 than a No 6, failed to take his chance in a jersey that continues to be an issue for the All Blacks.
The Chiefs loose forward was busy but he was also guilty of too many turnovers in possession and looked less convincing than Peter Lakai last week.
Could the answer be staring Rennie in the face in the form of debutant Anton Segner?
The German-born flanker looked right at home in the test arena after replacing No 7 Luke Jacobson at halftime.
Segner is deceptively powerful, an excellent lineout option and highly accurate in everything he does.
The No 6 jersey might be a more natural fit than No 7.
There were positives. Big lock Sam Darry again showed he is made of the right stuff, bringing a hard-nosed approach the All Blacks desperately need up front.
Ethan de Groot did likewise, and those two have been the pick of the All Blacks forwards in the first two rounds of the Nations Championship.
But Rennie admitted before the test he was uncertain of his top XV, and he didn’t find all the answers against Italy.