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How the All Blacks won the Bledisloe Cup, again
louis2533
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24th August, 2014
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Kicking a field goal is an under-appreciated art. (Photo: Paul Barkley/LookPro)
louis2533
Roar Rookie
24th August, 2014
2
1271 Reads

For those of you reading this expecting a long-winded spiel about how the Wallabies statistically should have won the Bledisloe Cup again, sorry to disappoint.

The truth is that the All Blacks were simply unstoppable. They put on an absolute master class in rugby union, and despite the sting of defeat for being Australian I couldn’t help but sit back in awe at this All Blacks performance.

They came out with an intensity and hunger for victory that we just couldn’t keep up with. Which other team in the world could receive two yellow cards but still outscore their opponents in both of these ten minute periods?

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It also doesn’t help that nearly every player on the All Blacks team is just better than who they were marking on the Wallabies, save for Israel Folau, Matt Toomua (only because Ma’a Nonu was injured) and Michael Hooper.

On this point, Ewen McKenzie needs to shuffle in a few changes for our next game against the Springboks. While Nathan Charles has been ruled out of the game with injury, I would seriously consider not replacing him with James Hanson after Hanson’s performance on Saturday night. He was awful to be quite frank.

I’m not sure on his amount of errors but he dropped it cold at least twice, and made four carries for zero metres. In saying this, he was not the only forward who failed to show up to the game, with only a handful of players leaving Eden Park with a performance they could be proud of.

Rob Simmons needs to be replaced immediately. His line out jumping is surely not worth justifying his very average general gameplay. Despite trying to add mongrel to his game, it just hasn’t worked for him. Experiment over, ARU. Scott Fardy or Will Skelton would be a worthwhile replacement.

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Next, Scott Higginbotham needs to be selected in the starting XV. If Simmons is taken out of the team, I would put Fardy in the second row and Higginbotham at six. Higgers was outstanding when he came on and showed the mongrel that I mentioned earlier.

I would love to say we should replace the front row, but the scary prospect is that they are really the best front rowers in Australia. They really are. Oh lord.

Next to the backs. Nic White out, Nick Phipps in. Kurtley Beale out, Bernard Foley in. The Wallabies’ attack gains so much structure and threatens the line a lot more when the Waratahs halves combo comes on. Beale and White have had their chance, and failed, and they both need to be dropped if we hope to have any chance of winning any piece of silverware in the Rugby Chanpionship.

I would also shift Adam Ashley-Cooper to one of the wings and put Tevita Kuridrani at outside centre, but this isn’t really too much of an issue at the moment.

In any case, like I’ve said, the Wallabies just couldn’t keep up with the steam roller that is the All Blacks. They way they played last night, I just can’t see them losing a single game this year, once again.

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