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The All Black team for the first game of the World Cup has an appealing blend of pragmatism and experimentation.
The forward pack has no great surprises (that’s the pragmatic side) with the need to keep Mealamu and Hore occupied, but not burnt out over the course of the next six weeks (assuming all goes to plan) playing its part.
Ali Williams has to begin to dominate rather than just participate (at times, illegally) and Victor Vito will earn his lumps.
This is a chance for him to show his ability to score tries which is not something you normally require in a number 8, but with his speed, it’s a capacity he has more than most. It will help his confidence.
What the forwards, as a group, most need to demonstrate, is their ability to function as a pack. The contemporary game often seems to scatter the forwards over the field, but as the All Blacks showed against the Wallabies early in the second half of the last Test, an aggressively cohesive pack can control games.
The English and the Springboks play by this rule and the All Blacks need to stake their claim for this style of play.
The experimentation comes in the backline, where I think Henry and co. have got the balance pretty right. They have sensibly given Dagg and Sonny Bill a start, offering them both the chance to make a serious claim for admission to the A team, even if it it’s only off the bench for Sonny Bill Williams.
Dagg brings real creativity and pace, something Mils now lacks. Oppositions have to take account of him in their defensive plans, which they don’t now do of Muliaina, something that creates opportunities for those around Dagg.
To waste Sonny Bill’s creativity and enthusiasm would be criminal at the start of the tournament. Sure, he has been a bit petulant, and has foolishly tried to use the press to pressurise the selectors, but he has been underused.
Like Dagg, he has a keen cutting edge that needs to be kept sharp. Clearly too, Henry has taken into account the physicality the Tongans bring to any game, with Nonu and Bill Williams, a more physically formidable midfield than Nonu and Smith.
Toeava and Kahui also add power on the wings, as well as pace, and while Kahui does not have electrifying speed, he is intelligent, deceptive and powerful.
Toeava really has to have an exceptional game to keep the faith. He was mesmerising for the Blues in the Super 15, but needs to keep the error rate to a minimum at Test level and show that he can make breaks and off load where necessary.
Hopefully, the back three will try to interact more creatively than have recent combinations. There was a time, not long ago when to kick to the All Blacks back three was a dangerous tactic, but not recently.
Friday presents the chance to build those counter-attacking networks.
Given Dagg’s unpredictable brilliance, Toeava and Kahui will have to be very alert. This is the third revamped backline in as many Tests, which normally would be cause for concern.
But Henry had to go for the experimental backline against South Africa in order to give underdone players a run. The fact that Dagg, Kahui and Toeava of those players (as well as Sonny Bill) are in the Friday team underscores the sense of that tactic.
The conservative backline against the Wallabies was meant to close out the Bledisloe Cup.
For several reasons, including tough Aussie defence and rather muddled lines of communication in the backline, it didn’t really work on the night.
A few weeks before, it had worked, and can do again. The backline selected for Friday, thoughtfully integrates the experimental and the tested.
If the All Blacks went into the final with this backline, I wouldn’t be anxious (except, perhaps for Toeava. But then Jane is there as back up).
As only Carter retains his run on spot from the Wallaby game, it shows the exciting options Henry has available. Just as importantly, it reveals his willingness to use those options in a positive way to enhance the overall strength of the team.
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.