The first Bledisloe Cup match of 2020 delivered on so many levels, yet such is the quick turnaround and compressed state of competition this year that there is not nearly as much time to soak up a wonderful Test match as it deserves.
Instead, we move straight into the second match of the series in Auckland this Sunday, a match in which All Blacks coach Ian Foster will be desperate to show the Wellington display was a one-off for his team, while Wallabies coach Dave Rennie will be equally desperate to show it wasn’t.
Both sides have plenty to work on this week, and both said as much immediately after the game. There was plenty to like, and plenty they’d rather didn’t happen. And plenty of errors made in the face of significant pressure from their opponents.
The question after a performance like that will be identifying exactly which reins need pulling in preparation for the second Test.
Both sides had players unlucky to miss selection for Wellington, and there are full squads of players in the background angling to force their way into the side for Auckland.
Does either side need to make changes at the selection table? Do some players need a shake-up, a reminder that no player should ever take their selection for granted? Conversely, do the players who left nothing in the tank for 89 minutes deserve a shot at righting the wrongs from Sunday’s performance?
If changes do need to be made, how many players within the respective 23s are in danger of being left out this week? How many players from outside either 23 could make each side better for the next game?
Will Foster give his back-row combination some thought? Sam Cane was excellent and led from the front, but did he get enough out of Shannon Frizell and Ardie Savea?
Sam Cane. (Photo by Kai Schwoerer/Getty Images)
Does Anton Leinert-Brown come into the midfield somewhere? Should he come in at outside centre and force Reiko Ioane back out onto the wing? Does he come into inside centre, forcing Jack Goodhue (and Ioane) out one place?
Assuming Beauden Barrett is fit and available, should he come in at fullback as selected for Wellington? Or is there an argument that he should steer the ship from no.10 after Richie Mo’unga was a way off his best?
Is Jordie Barrett quick enough for the wing, or is he of more benefit to the All Blacks with 15 on his back?
Does Dave Rennie tweak or does he leave the Wallabies alone for Eden Park?
How does he address the one glaring area of concern from the match, their ball retention in attack? He wouldn’t have missed the standout work of his former Chiefs ball thief, with Cane a constant threat on the ball as Australia missed the cleanout on multiple occasions.
It was an area the new Wallabies coach identified immediately after the game.
Dave Rennie. (Andrew Phan/supplied by Rugby Australia)
“We knew the collision area was going to be important and they won that battle,” Rennie said.
“We are well aware the elements played their part. We have got to make sure we defend as well next week, but the collision area is going to be the big thing for us.
“We have done a lot of work on it, but we didn’t go beyond the ball, so we got punished.”
Rennie was happy with the Wallabies scrum, though will he rethink the timing of Rob Valetini’s injection into the game? The Brumbies enforcer didn’t enter the contest until the 74th minute, replacing Lukhan Salakaia-Loto, who in turn had spent the previous nine minutes at blindside flanker after Rob Simmons came on in the 65th minute for debutant Harry Wilson.
And though they switched a lot throughout the game, is there an argument to utilise Matt To’omua’s territorial kicking and game management from flyhalf, with James O’Connor playing that same attacking role where he asked plenty of questions of the New Zealand defence from the wider centre channel?
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Similarly, O’Connor left points on the field with a missed penalty and two conversions. He kicked at 80 per cent throughout Super Rugby AU, but To’omua went at 86 per cent, including 20/22 penalties for the competition. As good a kicker as O’Connor has been in 2020, it perhaps was a little strange that a better performer from the tee was not used.
Clearly, it’s a fine line as international coach and there really is no right or wrong answer to any of the questions above.
But the fact these questions came out of a match that tested both sides to their limits suggests we’re in for another great show this Sunday if either side can find the improvements they will be desperately seeking this week.
Heels
Guest
You are the same punter who really rated Cheika and co`s instructions too. Right ? I think us Wallaby fans just have to face it Hooper cannot play as an on ball 7.He just doesn't have it. I wonder who will be the scapegoat this year when we get belted again. Pete Samu or Harry Wilson? The one constant in this poor performing backrow over the last 6 years is " Hooper ". It`s time for a Wright McReight Wilson backrow with Samu on the pine. Enough is Enough.
Tree Son
Roar Rookie
#justiceforrob the maul penalty was bogus af
Tree Son
Roar Rookie
I heard that episode where they interviewed the former wallaby who was hawking the analytics service. I was less than convinced that cohesiveness is the end-all and be-all, though it was a fascinating listen
Fox
Roar Guru
Yep he was instrumental in the lead up to the two tries the AB’s scored – made 65m – the 3rd highest in match and second highest in the AB’s – Goodue made 5m and ALB when he came on – barely one – and Reiko only missed one tackle all game so I think dropping him would dumb as he is the best attacking centre in NZ right now along with Ennor who is injured, but alas Foster is not a genius when it comes to selection so far!
Fox
Roar Guru
Ricardo - Sotutu is probably the most outstanding young forward in NZ right now and based on Fosters comments with impact he had when he came on - he will play at 8 and should have started their in damn first place and the NZ rugby media thought so in the first p[lace as well. Will he keep Frizell? Not so sure - Ardie at 6 probably. Trust me - Sotutu will start at 8 make no mistake - it was a mistake not to have him their in the first place and they know it now!
Fox
Roar Guru
Fine Old Bugger the two tries the AB’s scored were only because of Ioane’s lead up to the try. Sure he put his foot out in one but so what he wasn’t called out and a try resulted. Ioane made 64m second only to J, Barrett with 69 and the 3rd highest for the match over all players for goodness sake- Goodue gained a poor 5m ( hardly Nonu like) but was strong in the D as he always is but I have always had question marks over his attacking prowess at international level but he is outstanding in the D no question. Ioane only missed one tackle at 13 and ALB when he came on made – wait for it – no metres at all and only one run and it wasn’t like he was on for 5 minutes. Ioane proved he is – as he has been this year – the most dangerous attacking centre in NZ and if Foster pulls him from the starting lineup after one match when he was instrumental in the lead up to the two tries he is a clown. He will not make the mistake with the try again that is for sure. I think ALB at 12 would be a better option with Ioane outside and he is a more attacking 12. The AB forwards need to be more aggressive at the breakdown but…they made over 220 tackles making 91% of them which is simply top world class with Sam Cane making 25 from 25 easily the best defensive forward in the game. It’s time to give the AB’s credit for their outstanding D in that game when a very good Wallaby side had 61% possession and their kicking from the base was outstanding. But the AB’s dominated the lineout stats and the scrum – driving the Wallabies backwards twice to earn penalties. The Wallabies were excellent but they were not dominant in the tight five at set piece – though their locks were strong around the park. But the loose tri was excellent in disrupting ball and full credit to them. But a lesson in wet weather rugby? – absolute and complete rubbish and the stats tell you that is inaccurate and the score-line would have shown that as well but it does not – not even close. They made almost 100 less tackles and made just over 85% success rate – still very good but hardly a lesson in wet weather rugby in comparison. I think we will see a very very different AB’s at Eden Park – notoriously not up to scratch in the 1st test year in year out for whatever reason … though Whitelock looks out with a bad concussion but Barrett is back from injury at lock. But one would think the Wallabies will improve strongly as well under Rennie. Sotutu will play at 8 – he is a very special player with a huge future and made a big impact when he came on as did Clerk on the wing and Foster has strongly hinted this will happen – so who plays 6? . As I said above, I would like to see B.Barrett at 10 and Jordie at 15 but I just think Foster and Fox are convinced the current 10/15 set up is the way to go – time will tell if they are right but they may surprize as Mounga has a minor shoulder injury but they won’t want that damaged further – he just may come off the bench this week. Weather report is for a fine cloudy day – bring it on!
Bodger
Roar Rookie
Apart from his brain fade in the maul he went okay on the weekend I thought. Hosea I'm not sure about, he was okay for the Rebels but certainly not a better ball carrier at this stage of his career.
Bodger
Roar Rookie
Whitelock, Mounga and BB are all under injury clouds. Josh Ioane has been brought in and training with the team. Oz coaches said they expect NZ will make 3 to 4 changes, going to be interesting.
Bentnuc
Roar Pro
Yeh good point. He was playing LH last year and is down on the list as both too. Shame bell didnt get more of a run in super rugby AU
Old Bugger
Guest
The players are all pros so a change in tactic, would probably fall back to how some of them have already been playing their SR anyway. But IMO, the emphasis still remains with the AB pack having to stand up and be counted, otherwise....... Interesting couple of days before team announcements then and possibly, more changes for the ABs??
Old Bugger
Guest
I have to admit, DR has certainly found some venom in his communications, ever since he left NZ and went north. Personally, I think he's just getting back at NZR for how they treated him by saying, he needs to get overseas head coaching experience, before considering coaching the ABs. Only to be asked to apply last year, at the same time as NZR also invited Razor to apply who by the way, had no overseas HC experience, at that time. DR gave that initial invitation the heave-ho by saying "thx but no thx" as Raelene Castle, had already offered him the WB job without, an interview - just a sit-down discussion, over a cup of coffee. The feeling is good, when you know you're wanted, init?? And so, what better way to rub it in their face than by pursuing the possibility of bringing down, NZR's most commercialised entity.....the ABs. Fozzie gets it both ways if DR is successful - as the bloke who coached the Chiefs and now, the bloke who's coaching, the ABs.
Old Bugger
Guest
Yeah, I'll tack onto BBs coat-tails also but it seems, there's still a concern about his Achilles. Also Whitelock doing HIA protocol doesn't look too rosy at all.
CO)))DA
Roar Rookie
Then you’d have the core group of young loosies competing for spots at the next world cup – Wilson, Valetini, Wright, McReight, Swinton etc. I’d be happy with that. Still, none of those players has quite the same skillset as Samu… (Fraser McReight has the potential though)
CUW
Roar Rookie
apart from norms by Tuipolatu - penalized - didnt see any , but then ur free to point out. there were there or four late on Mouanga , i think Wilson was very lucky not to get a yellow. then i saw a no arms by a wing ( not sure if it was Koribete ) in the lead up to Ioane no try.
Diamond Jackie
Roar Rookie
True RC. I feel more strongly re the 7/8 change It also has an eye to the future. Samu as good as he is won't be a 50-100 test wallaby Wilson and Wright may just be....
Phil
Guest
Heels,I think I would rate Rennie and co's instructions as to how Hooper should play higher than yours.If Hooper was going against orders all the time,he wouldn't be in the team!
Jezdexter
Roar Rookie
Yeah, I was using the combined numbers. Just covering 2020.
Phil
Guest
Nuance,I am not sure why Gordon doesn't have a few more supporters to stay in the side.I was very apprehensive when White went off,as I thought he still looked to be going OK and was so instrumental in how the Wallabies were performing.However,except for one high pass,I thought he handled what was a pressure cooker situation,very well. I was impressed with McDermott in Super rugby,but I think his time will come,and it would be tough to drop Gordon after doing the job Rennie obviously wanted him to do.
Mr T
Roar Rookie
They were fizzing during the Haka, so I reckon they were pretty up for it.
Phil
Guest
Rosco,don't you remember when Cheika did that a few years back?Wallabies had a great performance(well,OK,anyway)in Sydney,then Cheika changed the team and we got thumped at Eden Park.I don't think anyone wants to see that again!