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To their credit, Ireland fought back strongly against the All Blacks on the weekend and actually finished with four converted tries. But, arguably, much of this could be attributed to the fact that the All Blacks emptied their bench to give everyone a run.
The game actually became very messy toward the end, and one can only wonder what the benefit is in giving everyone a run in such unstructured Rugby.
In the end, it started to resemble a trial more than a Test match and became almost farcical.
The All Black jumper is becoming somewhat cheapened by the day. How many players are they going to use before they settle on their best fifteen?
Yes, they have had numerous injuries and form slumps to contend with, and yes, supposedly now they have greater depth and their best team wouldn’t be much different than their third possibly fourth ranked team.
But that’s where the problem lies.
In days gone by, there was daylight between the starting fifteen and the rest. But that’s also when the All Blacks were at their best, when almost all their starting players would make any side in the world.
Now, with the possible exception of Richie McCaw, Dan Carter, and perhaps Conrad Smith, arguably no one else would feature. That’s a travesty in my book and the current administration of Graham Henry and co must portion some of the blame.
They are making the same mistakes all over again.
All time, effort and energy should be spent on developing the best possible side and if you don’t make it, too bad.
Out of all the players new to the All Blacks on Saturday night, the one that possibly stood out the most was Benson Stanley.
Ironically, he stood out because he didn’t stand out.
The selectors can hardly take credit for it, either, because almost by their own admission he was selected by default. He was simply chosen in his specialist position and did the basics well.
He even made Conrad Smith look good.
All Black supporters would take a one point win over the Springboks any day rather than beating Ireland by 31. But at this rate they will struggle.
Join The Roar rugby editor Christy Doran, former Wallaby Matt Toomua and a cast of regular and special guests as they look at the biggest issues in the game on The Roar Rugby Podcast. If you’re looking for great odds on the next game check out Aussie bookmaker PlayUp. Chances are you’re about to lose. Set a deposit limit.