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McKenzie's small-time tactics will never beat good All Black strategy

23rd August, 2014
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Does Nick Phipps deserve the starting 9 spot ahead of Nic White? (Photo: Paul Barkley/LookPro)
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23rd August, 2014
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After watching the Wallabies receive an utter thumping at the hands of the indomitable All Blacks, I felt the frustration and anger of a Wallabies fan let down for a twelfth consecutive year.

This frustration was amplified by an illogical team selection and a penchant for head games and short term tactics. These ploys will never beat the consistency of a good strategy.

The All Blacks have a long-term approach to the way they develop the game. They have coaching systems in place and philosophy that runs through the sport from the All Blacks through to junior teams.

This delivers a consistent approach and an enormous amount of depth, so when Dan Carter is injured, he’s easily replaced with Aaron Cruden, Beauden Barrett or even Colin Slade.

Each person who comes on the field understands the game plan and their role, and by sticking to it they deliver results time and again.

The Wallabies came into this year’s Rugby Championship on the back of seven straight wins. This team was in winning form and had built some strong systems and self-belief. Not only that, they had other winning combinations from the Tahs, but all involved Bernard Foley at 10.

But for some reason Ewen McKenzie decided to mix it up before the biggest Test of the year. Why would you think that new combinations and a completely different playmaker would be a good idea at this time? The team only had a few training sessions to adjust, and as Scott Allen pointed out in his article, the Wallabies have had to shift and make allowances for Kurtley Beale’s inclusion in this position.

Beale has been outstanding as a second five-eighth. He may be able to play 10, but Foley has got a cooler head, can read the game better, has a better tactical boot on him, and is more reliable in shooting for goals.

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Beale does bring x-factor, but he is also more potent on the back of a team with momentum. He is not a leader in a time of desperation or high pressure. He is certainly the wrong choice for the biggest and toughest Test of the year, where the boys were likely on edge.

They looked rattled from the moment they ran out, and didn’t gain any composure until Foley was back in the driver’s seat.

Secondly, it is high time McKenzie realised that Nick Phipps is a better 9 than Nic White. White’s got a better boot than Phipps, and he was not all bad tonight. But Phipps is dangerous off the breakdown, is a great runner, excellent in defence, and has real fire in the belly. He reminds me of a younger, more agile Will Genia, minus the box kick that can cause its share of problems.

The error-riddled effort by the Wallabies as a whole was a sign of a team that was not comfortable, could not relax into their natural style, and were in a panic. This is not to take anything away from the All Blacks. They played extremely well, and were deserved winners. But not only did the All Blacks embarrass the Wallabies, the Wallabies embarrassed themselves, often making school-boy errors and looking completely bamboozled.

Once again, much of this comes from the pressure applied by a world champion team, but the rest is also having players out of position, and a lack of a plan B when things were not working for them.

I will not lower the level of discussion by picking on the ref for every fault, but the head-high on Folau was a disgrace and worthy of a red card. The fact that all three officials on the field missed it when the ball carrier had made a line break and was out in front is an indictment on them all.

The second head-high came close to the All Blacks line, and I would need to go through the tape again to pick the names. But the Wallabies were given a penalty, when the All Black player should have been given a yellow card, especially when you see Rob Simmons get a yellow card for lifting a leg in a maul. Seriously, what is the worse offence?

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But the All Blacks were so dominant, even these decisions would not have changed the outcome.

Bottom line is that the ARU is putting in place the long-term structures to build depth and develop our game through the development of the NRC (which has had a cracking start to the competition). ‘Link’ now needs to follow the strategy into game day and ensure he picks the best team, with the best chance of victory.

Stop messing with a working formula. A good side was robbed of a chance to be a great side. You certainly don’t see the All Blacks chopping and changing like this, and there is a good reason for that.

Let’s hope Link shows some sense for the remaining games of the Rugby Championship, and the spring tour. For starters a clean sweep of the remaining home games for this year would be an great outcome.

Yes this means beating the All Blacks in Brisbane, and yes we can do it. This would also mean we have had a year of being undefeated at home.

Sure I would love to see victories in South Africa and Argentina as well, but we will need to focus on a good strategy, and less time trying to be tricky with selections and playing head games in the media.

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