But now that Dan Carter and Richie McCaw are on new contracts, with special conditions built in reflecting their standing as great All Blacks, I have one and one question only: why isn’t Carl Hayman already signed up on one of these?
With Hayman still available for All Black selection I could have relaxed in the build-up to the test against England at Eden Park on Saturday night, that’s for sure, because about the only thing worrying me in the days before was how well our front row would stand up to the English fatties.
My fears proved more or less groundless, as it happened. For a while England appeared to be troubling us, but then it became apparent that any pressure Andy Sheridan was able to put Greg Somerville under was at least matched and probably exceeded by Neemia Tialata’s humiliation of Matt Stevens on the other side.
Our lineout was certainly shabby, but with the English being the only ones putting the ball into touch we only needed to win half our throws to have a bastardised kind of parity there.
The forward battle was ultimately decided at secondary phase, where New Zealand’s loosies had a clear edge in skill and mobility. Two weeks ago the selectors were being questioned for shifting Rodney So’oialo to six and Jerome Kaino to eight, but now people will begin to understand what they’ve hit upon, an almost perfect loose forward mix. Kaino in particular was exceptional, and the All Blacks only began to lose control of the game when he was replaced by Sione Lauaki. Lauaki dropped every ball he handled.
To begin with the tries were simply an illustration of a difference in class between the two backlines. Carter’s beautifully weighted stab kick that bounced perfectly for Conrad Smith’s opening try was the correct response to a backline coming up as flat as England’s was.
Next, off the back on an attacking scrum, the inside hole for Sitiveni Sivivatu easily created by eight Kaino and nine Andy Ellis was copybook, and Carter can finish off breaks made through such yawning chasms in his sleep.
It was getting to be one-way traffic. There would have been a third try before half-time, but an intercept by English wing Topsy Ojo turned it into a virtual fourteen-pointer down the other end.
A refocusing by the All Blacks during the interval saw their attack intensify further, and the English defence began to seriously haemorrhage. Second five Ma’a Nonu saw Charlie Hodgson in front of him, swatted him aside with almost outright scorn, and set up fullback Mils Muliaina in the corner. Sivivatu followed him over a few minutes later when the English line stretched and snapped again.
For some reason, the bench was emptied at this point (37-13 after fifty minutes). The All Blacks pattern shouldn’t have suffered so irreparably, and many reserves slotted in well in their individual positions, but Lauaki’s role as impact player demanded that he receive far more ball than his ball-protection skills warranted.
The game plan went to pieces, and the All Blacks were held scoreless for nearly half an hour. Ojo’s second try was a perfect example of how the All Blacks’ structure had broken down. Fullback Leon MacDonald got himself into first receiver position with prop Somerville playing halfback. When isolated and tackled, the too excitable MacDonald flung a risky (and therefore, considering the scoreline, inappropriate) pass into Somerville’s face.
With turnover ball and the All Black fullback buried, the English halfback saw his opportunity and banged the ball long. No one of course was at home, and Lauaki’s lack of urgency trundling back in cover suggested he didn’t expect any chasers, let alone Ojo.
37-20 was the final score, but the margin should probably have been more like thirty points. The English forwards bound together well and slowed New Zealand possession down as skillfully as ever, but after half an hour the referee was already pinging them at every second breakdown for going off their feet en masse. He had to yellow-card them twice when they stopped even being subtle about it.
Next week we should bend them to our will again, preserving our long unbeaten home run. The All Blacks themselves will be satisfied with nothing less than an increased margin AND a more thorough performance by themselves.
We might have to wait until the Tri Nations to find out how badly our relative strength has been dented. Hayman’s absence (or Chris Jack’s, for that matter) may only seem significant when we face opposition with more than a tight five to throw at us.
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