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The scent of bad intentions was all over the All Blacks’ ferocious haka as entrée for their dogged defense of the hallowed Bledisloe Cup.
Unpacked especially for this particular pompous Wallaby line-up, Piri Weepu led the souped-up alternative haka, ‘Kapa o Pango.’
Its signature cutthroat action with eyes rolling simultaneously to the back of one’s head and tongue protruding requires no explanation. For those who are interested though, the PC interpretation is said to mean “the cutting edge of sport.” Ahahaha!
Now I’ve picked myself up off the floor, what it really means is “I’m going to rip your head off and punt it back to your place of birth.”
That’s exactly what 22 All Blacks meant. And that’s exactly what they did.
Well, at least for the first 40-minutes anyway. It was without doubt, a World Cup-winning 40-minutes. Each piece of the machinery at full noise and in complete cohesion with the sum total of all its parts. It was so beautiful I nearly cried.
There was one piece though, that was particularly polished.
Dan Carter. I mean, don’t ever mention Quade Cooper’s name in the same sentence again. Not even the same page, or book. A Google search should not return their names in the same ten million results.
Carter was to Cooper what Mr Miyagi was to the Karate Kid.
For Dan, it was a complete all-round performance. He was and looked extremely dangerous with ball in hand. The rugby world’s leading points-scorer kicked with the precision of a surgeon and defended like a madman on meth. He was everywhere, all at once. Carter was masterful.
Indeed, that first 40 minutes was the best rugby you’ll ever see. The Wallabies pulverised, carved up, sliced-and-diced and handed back to coach Deans on a platter for a halftime huddle. Or cuddle.
So what about the second stanza then? From the All Blacks’ perspective, all of the above less 15 percent.
A 15 percent lapse in concentration and intensity is all it takes for a Wallaby to find its second wind and with it, the strength to unravel from the fetal position, straighten its legs and run again.
Enter Digby Ioane. The Wallaby winger is mighty, at times playing the All Blacks singlehandedly. To that end, somebody forgot to give Digby the message that he was only meant to cover Cooper’s defensive frailties. Not take over his offensive duties too.
But for the All Blacks, the nature of the two Wallaby tries in minutes 50 (Digby Ioane) and 75 (Rocky Elsom) were concerning, and not unlike the momentary lapses that cost Henry’s men their lives in former Rugby World Cup campaigns. The kind of lapses the French live for.
In the context of this match though, the All Blacks maintained control. And that’s solely because this squad is comprised of seasoned warriors who carry the scars of former failings.
Pre-match banter around the All Blacks combined ages earned them the tag, “oldest All Blacks in history.” It was treated in the negative. Fodder-food for rugby media.
The Wallabies foolishly brought into it, to their demise. As to the contrary, this All Blacks XV proved to the Rugby World why age is their greatest mental asset.
In saying that, on occasions the forwards were only a millisecond away from losing possession at the breakdown, which is an issue. Note to Henry: pure speed cannot be compromised.
Speaking of speed. All eyes are now on the wing-men, numbers 11 and 14. Who deserves mainstay starting rights going forward? Or will it be horses for courses?
Gear was solid in his first outing against opposition far superior to that Jane and Guildford encountered. Siti still looks fractionally sloppy. Not sure if that was injury related.
It’s semantics though. Because what we must be thankful for, is that this All Blacks machine is purring at exactly the right time, which is credit to lead mechanics Graham Henry, Wayne Smith and Steve Hansen.
And on the strength of this performance, all that’s required is a little fine-tuning via a few more test-laps and she’ll be rumbling on the start-line and in pole position for Rugby World Cup 2011, now only 32 days away. Can’t wait.
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.