Shortchanged

Well I posted on another thread last night that before a match I hope the ABs play well and am not really interested in what the opposition does.

Today's test reminded me that you need the opposition to play well to make it a memorable game. I come away from a 60 point victory feeling hollow and shortchanged. This was not a match where the ABs learned much.

The few positives I can take is that the changes Hansen made were astute ones. Romano added a bit of beef and muscle to the pack as did Messam. McCaw as an option at 8 for Read is good to know if we need it and Cane looks an exciting prospect. I feel for Cruden going off but he'll be encouraged that he looks very comfortable out there and probably has more penetration than Carter on attack. Gear looked aggressive and good to see him come back and put in a strong game.

But sadly I say the few positives the ABs can take out of this game is that really we learned very little from this game because Ireland didn't turn up. If the tactics of standing up flat and getting in the faces of the ABs worked well for Ireland last week, why were those tactics changed? You can't afford to stand off and give this AB side time and space. SBW wasn't closed down and looked a different player tonight. The Irish couldn't compete at the breakdown today and just seemed off the pace and lacking intensity right from the start. Now you could say they had a mental battle coming so close last week. But they looked as though they were still down in Queenstown on holiday. I think it was ill-advised from Kidney. Of course the Irish are tired after a long season but giving them time off was the wrong move. The holiday can come now but they had one more match and that second test result would have been a motivation more than a liability. As soon as Ireland fell behind on the scoreboard the heads dropped and all fight went out of them. That is unacceptable. No way are NZ 60 points better than Ireland. That scoreline should just never be allowed to happen.

So for my mind Cian Healy was my man of the series for Ireland. The Ireland scrum look very good. SOB had a quiet game today but looked very good in the first two matches. The backs are the big problem for me notably the centres where there seems very little depth and the wings.

So I'm sorry for the Irish lads. It's no fun to watch those kinds of matches. There is great respect for Ireland from NZers and it was good to see the NZ media swallow some humble pie after last week. Sadly though today´s performance undoes all the hard work of last week and they'll trout out the usual guff and hot air again today. But really we needed to see another match like last week to prepare us for the physicality notably of SA for the upcoming 4N. The one pleasing aspect for me is that Hansen is getting the selections right and is picking a nice balance of experience and exciting young talent. So it's been great craic talking with you Irish lads on these threads. Great to see you posting again billy. I enjoy your humour like rodders, the logic and prose of Secret Fly and the pride and high expectations of Leinsterbaby for example. But you were let down by the boys today and most notably your coach. I hope they see reason and he gets the boot and someone new who can balance experience with a view to the future. We hear from Wales that on our day we can beat anyone. But really I think it's more applicable to Ireland. And I genuinely hope that you can have a lot of those days on a regular basis because I think you are right to have high expectations of your team and don't deserve to see these abject displays like today. kia kaha

Good post Kia

Maybe the ABs reviewed last weeks game and came up with a plan that negated what worked for Ireland last week? Not so much that Ireland simply didn't turn up, perhaps they didn't. But that's detracting from clinical AB play. To be fair, those early points for Ireland last week and the early points for the ABs this week set the scene for both games. Liked Poite, not so many pens but missed a few things. That YC was not called for mind.

Kia! You were not happy to win a close game and not happy to get big win!

What you want exactly? Losing?

Poor you, I would hate having to see my team thrash everyone by 60pts every time they play.

Those poor All Blacks and Leinster fans

I'll stick to supporting inept teams, like the Blues and Wales.

That way I can have the same heartbreak of losing in the last few minutes week after week.

EBOP wrote:Good post Kia

Maybe the ABs reviewed last weeks game and came up with a plan that negated what worked for Ireland last week? Not so much that Ireland simply didn't turn up, perhaps they didn't. But that's detracting from clinical AB play. To be fair, those early points for Ireland last week and the early points for the ABs this week set the scene for both games. Liked Poite, not so many pens but missed a few things. That YC was not called for mind.

I don't think they came up with a plan to negate what Ireland done last week, and if they did they wouldn't have needed it. We lacked intensity, we didn't carry straight and hard like last week, we went back to the crab like moves in the backs. Go left, left, left, move breaks down, Murray slow at the ruck, finally passes it, go right, right, right and then knock it on. Our backs have been a huge let down this series, no invention whatsoever. And the amount of tackles we fell off today was embarrassing.

Btw, this to say if we replicated last weeks performance that would would have been close, we still wouldn't have been close. The AB's blew us away with their intensity, hunger, skill level and all round game. You have to hand it to them, they are just so good.

Anyway, Congrats to New Zealand.

Kia

I do think we need to recognise that NZ upped their game and got a jump on Ireland who then lost heart while NZ gained confidence.

The best teams can fight back from a few points down (NZ in the 2nd test) not so good teams can't.

Yeah ngan, that jump start killed em. True Gretgael, intensity was up, but I thought the ABs were going to ground quicker and smith clearing the ball quicker from rucks? They weren't trying to struggle that extra yard and get held up/slowed down, which Irish did in G2. Dunno, maybe I'm making this up.

Gretgael1 wrote:I don't think they came up with a plan to negate what Ireland done last week, ...

How can you saying that? Game 2 was all about Ireland close down the contact area and keep the game narrow.

NZ tactic came through the switch combinator.

1. Luke Ramano came in and from his first aggressive direct carry show a new intention to break the gain line and he hit rucks all day with powerful and pace and add muscle to the scrumming.
2. Back row combinator. Sam Cane take the 7 from McCaw and so there already is two fetcher. Then in come Liam Messam who remind me some of Michael Jones in the ball skills - he is so talent he could be a back. He also work like a fetcher and quickly. So All Blacks can move the target for the ruck and get clear ball before the big Irish back row and tight forward can make the appearance!
3. All blacks play two finishing wingers for first time since that 3N springbokwash when they switch to two full back.
4. Aaron Cruden start for "injury" Dan Carter. Sorry but was tactical only. He is more attacking to the line and running and pace.

From before first all blacks try was obvious this would be nz victory because they already take the breakdown area and Ireland were peddling backward early and starvation on the ball.

All blacks tactics signalled by the combinator. All about pace, keep the ball. And it happen and was template to make the big win.

If that is not a plan...then the world didn't see one already.