There were many reasons that the world’s best side couldn’t beat the Wallabies in conditions that favoured them on Saturday night, but the biggest thing to take out of their performance was the lack of go-forward from Kieran Read.
For a player who many see as the best no. 8 of all time, which I bitterly dispute, he really hasn’t had a great couple of weeks.
Read is a major talent and a rare specimen. He has achieved a great deal. At one stage I even thought he may have begun to surpass both Sergio Parisse and Zinzan Brooke as the best 8 of the past 25 years.
Unfortunately he has stopped carrying in the tight and only really plays a wide game – a cardinal sin for an 8.
In a rain-soaked match you need the supposed ‘best ever’ 8 to step up. He made a decent amount of tackles and chased one kick well, but he failed to stamp any authority on the match when in possession.
Read touched the ball 14 times yet made a total of five metres with ball in hand, all of which were in the second half. In fact it wasn’t until the 48th minute of the match that he actually took the ball into a tackle. The other three times he carried the ball into the defence he made little impression.
On the 10 other occasions he had possession he immediately passed the ball and on most of these occasions it was to a player in no better position.
In 80 minutes of wet weather rugby he simply did not front up with ball in hand. Parrise or Brooke would have rolled up their sleeves and made a likely match-winning impact on that game.
On Saturday Read’s team needed him to revert back to the old Read, the one who would frequently make two, three or four metres up the middle. These days he is all about the finishing and we are seeing none of the tough stuff with ball in hand.
The problem is no matter what he does he seems to gain praise. The Fox Sports commentary team showed a highlight package of him at halftime, cooing like love struck teenagers at the fact that he at one stage chased a kick and blindsided Kurtley Beale. That’s great but they failed to recognise that in a huge match, the game after Wycliff Palu had outplayed him in the Super Rugby final by dominating in tight, he hadn’t yet taken the ball into contact.
He ended up making fifteen tackles, which is very good, but I counted only two as dominant. He also missed two tackles and was involved in six rucks. Considering how much possession we had I’d expect these defensive stats. But four runs and five metres from fourteen possessions is poor.
On the other hand, Palu made 12 runs for 36 metres gained, with four passes. Now that’s more like it! Palu also made seven tackles, (five of which were dominant), one missed tackle and five ruck involvements.
It was a similar story in the Super Rugby grand final where Palu had an even bigger impact on the game than Read.
With Read seemingly hell-bent on only playing like an extra outside centre no matter the conditions these days, he is currently inferior to Palu, despite that athletically speaking he needn’t be.
Read also remains inferior to Parisse, who combines the same raw strength, stamina, speed and flair out wide as Read does, yet has the deft skill and go forward in tight that Read does not.
If Parisse had immigrated to New Zealand as a teenager he would be regarded as one of the greatest players to have ever laced a boot. Of course he didn’t, and because he plays for lowly Italy he will probably never get the credibility he thoroughly deserves as one of the most complete footballers we’ve ever seen.
Parisse carries a club-standard Italian side almost on his own to competitive international feats, such as occasionally toppling one of the Six Nation giants, and he always produces stellar performances against the big three southern hemisphere nations which generally go unnoticed.
Parisse is the best 8 of the professional era bar none. If we swapped Read into the Italian side I doubt he’d have made the impact that Parisse has, yet if Parisse had played in Read’s place on Saturday the All Black’s would’ve won comfortably.
It is time for the rugby world to reassess Read’s standing in the game. He gained an IRB player of the year award by being a flat track bully. He needs to improve because the other nations are catching up to the All Blacks and there will be slimmer pickings out wide as a result.
He should start by getting out some videos of Palu and Parisse or perhaps just some video of himself back in the days when he played like a genuine no. 8.
supertrooper
Guest
read a flat track bully? really?if that is the case that must make the bokkes,the poms ,the french and your sorry lot a bunch of babies because they are the ones he employed his bully boy tactics against in order to secure his player of the year bauble and while not so far reaching the giddy heights he did last year perhaps he can be forgiven for choosing to ease his way back into form remembering that this year like last year and the year before is going to be another long season,oh and by the way, was that debacle at eden park evidence that gap between the ab's and the rest of the world is closing if so then i think you just might catch us by 3014
Bring back Buck
Guest
The bloke had a quiet game, but there is no denying that he was the best player in the world last year. If you are wondering why he is playing a 'wider, looser' no 8 game it is quite possibly bcos (a) it works, and (b) McCaw is playing a tighter no 7 role now (more of a 6 1/2).
pick & go..!!
Guest
OJ, Palu Plays more like Willie O. But I do agree injuries have forced him to play a lot tighter. Which is sad because in 08-09 IMHO Palu would of been close to the best #8 running around in world rugby. Palu does what Kaino does for the all-blacks. And it is the work that these type of players do, that allow the likes of Read & Hooper to shine & pick up all the accolades. Imo Kaino is without a doubt the best blindside in world rugby. & is a crucial clog to the All-Blacks, if they want to go back to back in the w/c.
Edward Pye
Roar Guru
Ouch, I think you're going backwards there Prince - if that post was in your article you would have gotten even more slayed than you are now.
Edward Pye
Roar Guru
Inconsistent in that game but one of Mealamu's strengths over the years has been his throwing. All Black coaches always talk up the importance of core skills and that's the reason both Mealamu and Hore were in the team for such a long time.
Edward Pye
Roar Guru
For sure, he's not back to peak form yet (repeat concussions would knock anyone's confidence) but the "what if" comparisons are a complete waste of time.
Reality
Guest
Hey Rugby Tragic, My line of thinking was if we used a time machine to transplant them as a player at their peak into the modern game, I think they would get walloped. However if the time machine brought them forward as a child and they went through the modern system then it is more than likely they would cut the mustard, although they may struggle being smaller than their sons and grandsons! (although size may be a product of their environment/time too, very tricky this speculation business)
Ben.S
Roar Guru
Even Anthony Foley was pretty indispensable to Ireland for a while.
Ra
Guest
What's your background coach ? Who did you have doing the sweeper role while he's charging it up for you? How often did we get front foot ball so he could through the middle and create mismatches for our backs. You completely miss the point of value of off the ball play and presence. It's like you know nothing about off ball play at all.
Ben.S
Roar Guru
I'm not a fan of these comparisons, because different players mean different things to their team, but number 8s of recent vintage: Dallaglio, Quinnell, Parrisse, Fernandez-Lobbe, Kefu. Let's not forget Taine Randell either...
firstxv
Guest
yes and given the choice of read or parisse both italy and oz wouldnt blink before picking read, thats for certain
bennalong
Guest
Wouldn't be surprised Aaron. Similar things happened with Polotenau who willed his body to science for research into brain injury. After he dies of course! I think it's a beat up as so many things are these days, but knowing your brain's been knocked around and reading the amount of stupid press dramatisations is going to make you watch yourself He'll probably move on. TPN did. Now it's a knee,,,,but they all understand that one !
Stellenbosched
Guest
The word 'appearances' was a good one in describing Spies. He certainly didn't have any GAMES for the Boks. I always thought he should have been a wing, like his dad was.
Matt
Guest
Parisse is the best right now and has been for the last 5 years. Read is up there, agreed. However, the best performance I've ever seen by an 8 was Dallagio in Wellington in 03. Brooke must be in the top 3 of all time on anyone's list.
RobC
Roar Guru
He has one soft game in attack, along with the rest of his team mates. I believe its premature to call Read out, esp vs Palu. Next few games will be a litmus though. re B1: - 15+ tackles, amongst the highest in his team. - I thought ABs including Read as captain played the wrong game, going for tackles turnover and counter attack. Backfired. I think they under estimated the WBs, as soon as their pack started controlling the ball. re SR: Read had 2nd highest metres from a Sader forward, same for tackles. Read should continue to look for opportunities wider out against softer teams, whilst continuing his other duties. Playing Read like a Palu is as useful as playing Hooper like a Pocock. Having said that, when I saw The Bus run through Read earlier this year, it was a clear his fitness/form is off this season
Sylvester
Guest
I don't totally buy the line the concussion has made him gun shy. He hasn't shirked his defensive work and you're just as likely to get hurt making a tackle than being tackled, probably more likely given you can brace your body for a hit when ball carrying.
Sylvester
Guest
I have this etched but probably false memory of Read setting up about 80% of the ABs tries last year. Whether that's the traditional role of the No.8 or not, who really cares, right?
Sylvester
Guest
Smith often doesn't get the credit he deserves because it's the small but critical plays the casual observer may not pick up that he specialises in. People tend to think small centre, no impact.
dsat24
Guest
Agreed but Read was on a 'winning team' in 2013 and got the award.
Sylvester
Guest
Consistent enough to play 100-plus tests though Bazza...