All Blacks revolution: new players and ‘new’ coaches

 
Spiro Zavos Columnist

By , 19 Oct 2009 Spiro Zavos is a Roar Expert

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All Blacks coach, Graham Henry. AAP Images

All Blacks coach, Graham Henry. AAP Images

None of the New Zealand pundits got anywhere near picking the 33 players selected for the All Blacks Spring tour. Four of the tourists have never played Test rugby (Mike Delany, Tamati Ellison, Zac Guilford and Ben Smith).

Three of them have six Tests between them (Tom Donnelly 1, Tawerau Latimer 3, and Liam Messam 2).

Of these seven new or newish All Blacks, only Guilford looks certain to go on to become a first choice All Black.

Guilford was one of the stars of the IRB Junior World Rugby tournament this year. During the final, while he was playing brilliantly on the field, his father who was watching in the grandstand suffered a fatal heart attack.

Guilford (20) is big, fast enough and has a nose for a try. Graham Henry likened him to a young John Kirwan, arguably New Zealand’s greatest winger. This is rather like comparing a young cricketer to Bradman. Guilford, though, is level-headed, mature (he handled his father’s tragic death with dignity and composure) and has all the attributes to be a great winger.

Ben Smith is 23, has played one season of Super Rugby and three seasons of provincial rugby. This year he has been outstanding for Otago on the wing and at fullback. He comes into the squad as a sort of permanent back-up, I would guess, for Mils Muliaina (who is on his way out of the starting XV, unless he regains his old form) and Cory Jane who is a Cullen-type of running fullback who will probably get a chance in one of Tests.

The intriguing aspect of the selection of Guilford and Smith is the non-selection of Hosea Gear, Joe Rokocovo and Rudi Wulf, all Test wingers.

And the reason why these wingers have been dropped? Because Graham Henry has acknowledged that the high ball kicking game is here to stay and that New Zealand has to have players who are sound catchers and (this is the important point) who also have a strong running-back game.

The interesting aspect of rugby is that it is a clever game. Tactics are developed that allow sides that pioneer them to become dominant. But sooner or later, generally later, someone develops counter-tactics and trains new skills in his players to thwart and overturn the old current dominant style.

For some years, and luckily in the 1999 Rugby World Cup, the continuity and re-cycling game developed by Rod Macqueen, when his teams went through phase after phase until they found a gap to exploit, was almost impossible to defeat. Macqueen’s Wallabies scored a memorable try, a touchdown by Matt Burke, against the All Blacks at Christchurch with 19 phases.

Robbie Deans finally devised the counter to this continuity game. His Crusaders committed few players to the rucks and mauls while the phases were being played out UNTIL one of the attackers went in too high or without a proper support. Deans’ players would then attack the vulnerable ball carrier, force a turnover, put the ball wide and a try was on on most occasions.

So far no one has been able to create a winning strategy against the high-ball kicking game of the Springboks. But the British and Irish Lions, who were unlucky not to at least square their series earlier this year, showed the outlines of a counter-strategy. The bombs have to be defused and then run back at the Springboks.

When the Wallabies were able to do this at Brisbane they had a rather comfortable wins over the Springboks. The next week at Hamilton, the All Blacks dropped their high balls and were monstered in the lineouts and were out of the match by half-time. But when they began to win some lineouts and catch the high balls and run them back they piled on the points against the Springboks and if a cross-kick had been caught in the last play could have won the Test.

The thing about the high-ball tactic is that it relies on the catching side to make mistakes. The kicking side gives away possession (something the Springboks can afford to do if their lineout is dominant) and relies on getting the ball back from a catching mistake. No mistakes, no ball for the Springboks to run to score tries.

Moreover, if the referees force the attacking forwards out of the 10m circle near the catcher, big areas of unguarded territory open up for the catching side to exploit (provided the ball is caught, of course). In the excellent New Zealand provincial championships this year, players like Guilford, Smith and Mike Delany (27) have been catching and running back brilliantly.

Delany has been outstanding at five-eighths and fullback and clearly is being given a chance to displace Stephen Donald as Daniel Carter’s back-up whenever that great player is injured.

Henry has selected this touring side, therefore, with an eye on the 2011 Rugby World Cup tournament when South Africa, England, France and Argentina, Scotland and Ireland (at least) will play the kick high and chase game.

The real revolution in the make-up of the All Blacks touring squad, though, is in the changed duties of the coaches. Henry himself is taking over the forwards, after concentrating on defence (which was the only part of the All Blacks game that was sound this year).

Wayne Smith, a sort of mad professor on back play, has been given the role of defensive coach, presumably to implement Henry’s systems and practices.

And Steve Hansen, who was widely and correctly criticised for his work (?) with the All Blacks forwards, has been given the status of the attack coach. This is not as curious as it might seem. Hansen, like Henry, was a provincial centre in his playing days. He had Wales playing a most attractive and dangerous running and attacking game in the 2003 RWC tournament.

It will be interesting and informative for followers of the Wallabies to see how this new system works out. There may be something in it for the Wallabies and their coaching staff and its systems, if it works.

For all the criticism they have received, the Henry/Hansen/Smith triumvirate have not lost a Test in Europe during their reign. In fact, in the 29 Tests in the professional era the All Blacks have played in Europe (aside from the 1999 and 2007 RWC tournaments), the All Blacks have won 25, lost 2 and drawn 2.

Given this splendid record and the poor record this season with four Tests defeats, it is hardly unexpected that the NZRU has forced the selectors/coaches to come up with something new to get back to the old winning ways.

The senior players have been empowered, too, with greater input into the tactics and playing style the team will adopt after the rather confused style presented by the team for most of this year until the final Test at Wellington against the Wallabies.

So we have an experienced All Blacks side (with one new long-term starting player), a longtime captain and a re-gigged coaching staff taking on a stable Wallaby coaching staff, a number of new potential Test players and a new on-field leadership at Tokyo in two weeks.

This confrontation is set to provide an intriguing Test with implications for the success of the Wallabies grand slam quest and Rugby World Cup hopes in two years time.

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