Post match thoughts

Well not the best showcase for the opening match of the 4N. A very scrappy game with far too many errors on both sides. The handling of the Wallabies in particular was atrocious, particularly in the first half. You got a sense that this pressure to win the Bledisloe back is immense and they just didn't look composed out there.

Deans must surely admit his centre partnership didn't work. Horne and Faiaanga were ineffective. AAC must return to steady the ship at OC and Mitchell must come into the side. I know he's coming back from injury but if he can make the bench he can make the starting team. Beale had a night to forget and though it was a bit of Dagg magic for the first try, you have to say it wasn't the only defensive lapse from Beale tonight. He was guilty of coming in too far and he never got going on attack because the ball was too slow.

Australia didn't look comfortable with the AB rush defence. They showed with some go-forward ball that they were able to penetrate the AB line. But all too often they broke the line and then the ball slowed down, enabling the AB defence to reform and then it was just all too slow and predictable. Mealamu and late in the game managed to get crucial turnovers. The AB backrow may have been taken out but Australia need to blow the opposition off the ball because the ABs were very good at lifting the Aussie players up off the ground, allowing them to not roll away and then all too often a Wallaby player got isolated and the Aussie clearout arrived too late.

The Aussie forwards need to be far more dynamic at the breakdown. This was where NZ got the upperhand and so it showed in the quality of the ball both backlines got. NZ were able to get quick ball and looked dangerous in their offloads. Messam in the first half and the second made a break and took the wrong option both times of not going for the line himself. But in order for Australia to apply more pressure with the likes of Genia, Ioane and Beale they need some quicker ball. That must come from the forwards.

There was much to deride about both sides error count and discipline but you have to salute the Wallabies in their ability to stay in a game which seemed too big an obstacle to overcome. With 5 points needed at the end I had a nasty feeling in the pit of my stomach. But once again it was slow ball and Hore got a vital turnover and Dagg kicked and chased brilliantly. How much of this is attitude and how much is selection? Deans changed the makeup of the side from last year's semi but these forwards didn't look too convincing either. The scrum held on but looked far from solid and the lineouts were even with Higganbotham a good source of Aussie ball which NZ must counter but generally they were ineffective at the breakdown and didn't get any go-forward ball.

Australia can certainly improve on this and will. The problem for them is that so too can NZ. Hansen will be happy with an away win and depriving a vital bonus point for Australia but he won't be overly happy with the performance. They looked rusty and maybe that was down to their limited preparation time. I thought Mealamu was the pick of the forwards. He looked assured in the throws and did some vital turnover work. I think the restarts were strange from NZ. They kicked inexplicably deep to Ioane most times and I'd much prefer those shallow kicks with Read and McCaw competing for the ball. It was a welcome return for Jane and though he should've made more from the SBW offload and scored but I think he looked great on attack and he just seems to take the right options. Nonu seemed good on defence with some huge hits but was pretty quiet on attack. But the centre partnership looked solid and outshone the Wallabies. I think Carter had more time on the ball and Barnes looked rushed. He would do well to mix things up and put some grubbers through the big centre combo for NZ and turn them round more. Most of the time he looked fazed by the AB rush defence and that may well have been to Rolland's generous policing of the offside line particularly in the first half.

NZ looked to always get the game going faster so it seemed strange to me to see Australia reluctant to kick the ball away in the first half. It seemed to put needless pressure on them and they looked rattled for much of that first half. The game lacked continuity which didn't suit Australia. They showed when they get rhythm and front foot ball they can stay with NZ. But if the ball is slow then they seemed to lack ideas. I don't think Barnes and Genia made a good combination and I wonder how much Australia is missing JOC and Cooper. But the fact is they don't have those players available so they must get on with it. They must change the centres and the forwards must find something deep to compete more. I fear Australia will improve a lot but so too will NZ and we might get a blowout next week. Deans can help Australia with the right selections but it certainly seems a tall order for Australia.

I think Australia do massively miss JOC & QC who for them are irreplaceable. Beale and Genia looked out of sorts & theses players need to be at their best for Australia to compete against NZ who for me never really looked like getting beat.

Scrums were a mess but I thought the 2 set piece tries were excellently executed aided & abetted by some dodgy defending by Beale.

Yes, I couldn't fathom why Australia wanted to run the ball from so deep inside their 22, espesially considering their handling was so bad.

They put themselves under ontinuous pressue with very poor handling.

New Zealand manged to negate Pocock and he had little effect at the breakdown, Australia's up and in rush defence was not very effective at all as they missed some one on one tackles.

Overall I am sure both teams will improve, wht surprised me about NZ was they didn't use the offload as effectively as they did against Ireland, maybe that was down to rust and defence from Oz.

Before the game I was thinking there is a lot of newness and rust in the ABs.
Jane, Mealamu, Read had not played much for quite awhile. A Smith, Retallick, Romano newish to the team and a new centre combination made for an average NZ team. Lots of lineout errors and silly penalties meant that the ABs didn't take advantage of the opportunities provided by a stuttering Wallabies.
So overall a pretty average game.

I felt for Aus, I think that's the worst centre partnership I've seen them put out for 10+ years. Horne & particularly Fa'ainga are really not International class and were completely out played today.

I thought your set piece held up quite well although Franks was a thorn your not going to face a TH of his quality from the other sides.

Intensity at the breakdown thus fast ball will transform Aus. McCabe, JOC need to come into the side when fit but until then a backline of:

9. Genia
10. Cooper
11. Mitchell
12. Barnes
13. AAC
14. Ioane
15. Beale

Would be my pick for the next game.

Sgt Pooly I'm a Kiwi!

Beale needs to be operating at his best. He didn't look comfortable out there tonight. Poor option for the quick tap and atrocious handling and some pretty poor defending. That was the worst game I've seen him play for such a classy player.

Cooper isn't available I think but that does seem a much better backline and if JOC were fit he'd replace Barnes or be on the wing with Mitchell coming off the bench.

Nganboy , it was an average game. Romano is not the finished article but I think he does have potential. His size can punch gaps and he can get us some front foot ball. Retallick is also young and unproven but doesn't look lost at test level.

But Mealamu was superb and Jane is super consistent in black. Our bench was average but no way this team could be called average. Conrad Smith back at 13 and that's a hell of a backline, even when SBW heads off. They can improve a lot on their performance but that's a good thing knowing Australia are much better than their performance.

Sorry fella...lol

I thought AB's did what they had to and looked in control for most of the game. Set piece was very impressive and backs done pretty well also.

I'd be pretty content if an AB fan.

No worries mate. But we AB fans are never content. A win is never good enough. Performance is just as crucial as well and there was much to be critical about discipline, passing and handling. Plenty to be encouraged about too but always looking for that elusive perfect game. The semi last year was as close as you could wish for but we always demand more. Quite an ungrateful lot really!

Yea just a little....I'd have wet my pants if England had just played like that.

Beale had a shocker, plain and simple. The quick tap under the posts that went nowhere, 2 missed tackles that led to tries, a couple of knock ons (1 under no pressure whatsoever), held up in the tackle (turnover), and bundled over the sideline on attack. He was the stand out worst but the whole team was pretty ordinary to be fair.

I've been reluctant to blame coaches in the past because they're not the ones out on the field dropping catches, missing tackles etc, but it is their job to motivate and organise the team. Tonight Australia came out lethargic and disorganised, and for that Deans must shoulder some of the blame. You may not be able to keep it up for 80 mins but how hard is it to come out with some fire and brimstone the first 20-30mins? In the first half we threw the ball around from everywhere with no regard for percentage plays looking like we were playing catchup 7's and the backline was set so deep that we had to break 3 tackles just to make the gainline.

I can't remember the last time the Wallabies gave a complete 80min performance. Deans has made some awful selections over the years, highly dubious substitutions at crucial times, and just generally doesn't seem to be able to get the best out of the Aussie players. His record in super rugby is one of the best but with Australia is one of the worst. It has to dawn on someone at the ARU sooner or later.

I fear an AB blowout next week FC and then surely the knives will be out.

Selections and tactics just seemed all wrong from Deans. I'm starting to think if he's a NZRFU plant undermining the game. Australia seem capable of beating anyone except NZ and losses against Ireland, Samoa and Scotland just seem to hide that fact! Ewen Mckenzie must be thinking a call-up will come sooner rather than later. Jake White might be sniffing out opportunities as well but you'd think the Queensland man could get these backs operating like they should be. The Crusaders style just doesn't suit the Aussie backline.

Yeah it could get ugly next week. I may have to go camping or somewhere where there's no electricity.

I obviously don't know what's going on in the Wallaby camp but is seems that kiwi sides (whether domestic or national) bring a certain intensity quite naturally and it probably goes unsaid before a game. Aussie sides seem lazy by comparison and unless someone's put a rocket under them before they run out they dish up the dross you saw tonight. I'm not saying McKenzie's going to do a better job but at least he's in a position to understand the psyche and what needs to be said and done.

Luckily I'm away watching the League Cup final at Wembley next week so will miss the match, but will know the score.

I don't think it'll be a blowout, close win/loss either way. Deans must know that was a below par performance by his side, and no he didn't drop the ball or miss the tackles, but his tactics were wrong and the side just didn't seem interested. Maybe they don't agree with his (Dean's) style?

But I'm confident next week will be like the 1st Welsh match after the loss to Scotland, pride, passion and skills back... for sure!!!! ... maybe...

I certainly hope so! Eden Park is not a happy hunting ground for Australia. Not too many close scores there. There were perfect conditions for rugby tonight. God help them if it rains or the ball gets slippery with dew.

I expect a big improvement from the Wobblies. But I expect the ABs to be more clinical and better at finishing off their opportunities.

Just finished watching the match,a competent win by the ABs,Rolland did OZ no favours by constantly blowing up the scrums.He is an ex Scrum half so presumeably wise to the ways of the Front row mafia.Both sides looked rusty,All Blacks offensive defence and Set piece went well,especially at the breakdown.Mc Caw,Carter,Mealamu, had immense games ,Dagg was back to his best.The Tight 5 went well hopefully Woodcock isn`t badly injured .Handling by both sides was iffy at times Kurtley Beale was dread ful.No Bonus point and an away win first up on to Eden Park ,hopefully get the Bledisloe tied up.Pocock spent most of his time at the bottom of a ruck as predicted.
Weepu on for a minute what was that all about,food for thought OZ took two short range tap penalties gimmes in the first half.A 2 point game and a losing bonus point could be vital.Boks won as expected could be a 3-0 start going int o a Home game versus the Boks for the AllBlacks.With a Home game v Argentina and an away match to the Boks to close it out .At the moment early days but barring bad injurie run or surprise home results looking good .First up was must win and they`ve done that.Nonu/SBW were used mostly as decoys or in defence attacking wide instead.DC at Test level has kicked most of his goals and topped1300 test points today.Not quite finished yet,and "Captain Tackles" was every where even winning Lineout Ball.SBW butchered a chance late on trying his special offload .When a simple weighted pass would have given Jane a try.

Luke Romano or "Prickle" is being developed as a grunt Lock on the Thorn/Robinson lines.With the bonus he is a good Line out option and ball carrierplus he knows and complements Sam Whitelocks game.Is also a great Scrumaging Lock that is important.Owen Franks and later Ben Franks both looked on there game.IF Woodcock is injured Wyatt Crockett can deputize with no loss of scrum power.

Kia - a little point on the kick offs going too deep to Ioane; I too thought we'd go shallow which Carter and Read have almost perfected into an attacking weapon. However on seconds thoughts, it was quite clever because we forced Ioane into running at a brick wall, instead of forwards setting up a ruck and having Ioane waiting off Barnes' inside shoulder (a pass which he may or may not get), a line which he runs really well from deep. It's only a little thing but I thought it was quite clever...

Mintie
On that point, I felt both teams started off with the short low trajectory kick offs, but when it was becoming obvious that Genia wasnt going to kick then why not kick it deep and high? and play down in Australian territory.

My Post match thoughts on this game?? by half time I had sub concsiously clicked a couple over a couple of times to check out what was happening in the Cronulla- South Sydney game, some thing I wouldnt normally do in an All Black Wallaby test.

20 penalties in the first half was the game done and dusted.

Good points mintie and laurie. I hadn't thought of it like that. That was certainly true in the first half but in the second half I would've liked to have seen us be a bit more attacking and mix the restarts up a bit.

I don't think it was done and dusted Laurie. It should've been but somehow Australia stayed in the hunt right up until the 77th minute.

It was done and dusted in terms of how the game was to be played out, not in terms of the ABs having any great dominance over Australia.

Some of those penalties were so pedantic that, New Zealand adapted better to the refereeing than Australia, in other words there was always going to be points, if you played the game in goal kicking range, when the penalties come just kick the points, Thats what i meant by done and dusted, maybe its the wrong phrase.

I'm not sure we adapted better either Laurie. He certainly is pedantic but we gave him ammo to blow his whistle. It was disappointing to see Richie late in the second half after we had them down in the right end of the park give away a needless penalty. Barnes got a great clearing kick away and we were 5 points in the lead and I had flashbacks to Hong Kong. Totally unnecessary. If we ever have Rolland back, we need to sharpen up a lot more in discipline.

I thought there were some harsh calls. Forward passes called that seemed fine to me, Nonu supposedly crossing. That said, I think the disruptions and stop start nature of the test suited NZ better than Aus.

I was wondering if some one at half time told him (Rolland) what the penalty count was , as he went through a period in the second half where he did try to let it flow, however players were by then trying to play to him.

Territory wise we adapted better than Australia, but in terms of giving away penalties no.

Actually I agree with Loey.


http://www.nzherald.co.nz/rugby/news/article.cfm?c_id=80&objectid=10827950

Do you agree with Loe that Romano had a good game? Not so sure about that. Like a few players he did some good things and some other not so good things..

It was certainly a rusty performance but we had the same preparation time as for the first test against Ireland and Australia were probably much worse than Ireland. I do expect a much better AB performance in Auckland and think it'll be a comfortable victory to make the later Bledisloe match a non event.

I have had further thoughts after rewatching the match both sides were rusty as you could expect first up.First the referee Rolland made one or too contentious calls.Pinged Nonu for crossing/obstruction when it appeared he was tackled high and off the ball.The Scrums were a lottery Rolland seemed to be working on guesswork.Dan Carter was excellent his kicking game right on the money except for a couple of missed touches.The two kicks at goal he missed the conversion was close,the penalty probably out side his range.The tactic of kicking to Ioane was probably a coaching strategy.The comments about the AB line speed in defence/Rush defence is pertinent but was bordering on off side at times.Read was back but did`nt look match fit [to be expected] .Messam was OK but difficult to judge because the Aussie back row went missing like most ABS did some good/bad things. Romano had a great Game ,if anything over shadowing Whitelock .Franks had agreat game[both] ,Woodcock was a bit subdued.Aaron Smith had a very good game but got a bit cheeky with it,one of his antics with another Ref may have seen yellow.Mealamu immense,Mc Caw every where playing better than for years taking Lineout steals as well.Nonu/SBW were outstanding in defence and as decoys but were`nt used much to create [probably a deliberate tactic]. Jane and Dagg[especially] were very good,Hosea Gear was very quiet .He has`nt really recovered his 2010 form at all Savea may get a run next week.BUT he was great in the first Ireland test and non existent in the second so its a fine line.B .Smith would be the conservative option.Australia were good and bad in patches ,twice they took tap penalties when the sensible one was to take 3.Over all Australia can`t play that badly again and they have key players coming back.AllBlacks a competent but rusty win should do the job at Eden Park.Some Changes for the Argentina game to bed in the youngsters[without getting complacent about it]Conrad Smith back for the Boks.Over all very satis factory.