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I was speaking to Italian supporters as they were leaving the Stade de France, and when they found out I was from New Zealand they said “please tell the All Blacks to keep kicking to the Italian team in their match”, just like they did in the opening loss to France.
“Why did they kick all the time”, they asked. It’s a good question. And why did they keep kicking even when it was clear it wasn’t working? And kicking badly. And why, when you’re losing with 10-15 minutes left in the game, do you still keep kicking the ball away? It’s hard to score points when the opposition has the ball.
As the dust starts to settle and the analyses mount up, it’s clear that something went terribly sideways for the All Blacks, especially in the second half after Mark Telea’s second try (he probably should have come off much sooner as it looked like he was slowing up and cramping).
What happened to Will Jordan’s aerial play? Is Ethan de Groot in a slump of form? Did Richie Mo’unga and Beauden Barrett cramp each other’s style? Why does Beauden Barrett continue to kick the ball away? Where was the mental tenacity and cohesion of the team? Where was the support play as the ball was moved wide? Why were there so many penalties given away (13).
Aaron Smith of New Zealand plays a kick from the ruck ahead of Romain Taofifenua of France during the Rugby World Cup France 2023 Pool A match between France and New Zealand at Stade de France on September 08, 2023 in Paris, France. (Photo by Warren Little/Getty Images)
Sure, there were some mitigating challenges – the rising injury count and Sam Cane’s late withdrawal due to back spasms, the slippery ball on a humid night, the inability to hear each other’s calls or some of the calls from referee Jaco Peyper because of the super-vocal French support in close to 80,000 attendees.
The thing is, as good as the French were, they were certainly assisted by the All Blacks on several fronts. As I’ve mentioned before, and by no means am I a lone wolf on this, the All Blacks needed to put a lot points on the board early on, especially with a less-than-impactful bench to work with.
FACTS
Scrum success:
France – 100%
New Zealand – 83%
Penalties conceded:
France – 5
New Zealand – 13
Territory:
France – 61%
New Zealand – 30%
Possession:
France – 49%
New Zealand – 51%
Lineouts:
France – 93%
New Zealand – 91%
Offloads:
France – 15
New Zealand – 7
Total Carries:
France – 101
New Zealand – 112
Metres made:
France – 423
New Zealand – 652
Defenders beaten:
France – 16
New Zealand – 32
Look at some of these stats. They reflect the fact that there were numerous lost opportunities throughout the match. So, kudos to the All Blacks for creating the opportunities but an F grade for not making the most of them. Errors – way too many.
As for the kicking, surely there was a Plan B, or Plan C if it was seen that the kicking game – kicking tennis Beauden Barrett called it – wasn’t working. We do have X-factor backs but somehow the collective team has lost its way and it’s almost as if the x-factor players feel constrained by directives that are given to the team as a whole. Use these X-factor guys with the many different options available at set-pieces.
I would like to see Damian McKenzie, Cam Roigard, Leicester Fainga’anuku and Samipeni Finau/Ethan Blackadder all start the Namibia match and be told to play their own style of rugby. And why not rest Sam Cane, have Ardie Savea start as openside flanker and put Luke Jacobson at No.8. (and don’t’ drop Ethan de Groot – help him get out of his funk and get some energy and finesse back into his scrummaging).
KEY QUOTES
“When we did get down there we created some opportunities but we weren’t quite good enough. It was a see-sawing game, but you’ve got to take your hat off to them. In the third quarter they really squeezed us with possession.” (Ian Foster)
“… in that last 20 [minutes] our discipline let us down and we weren’t clinical enough in our own half and they punished us. We gave a few penalties away and they punished us.” (Ardie Savea)
“We look dangerous when we had the ball but we let ourselves down, and [we were] not being patient and clinical with out skillset.” (Ardie Savea)
Ethan de Groot . (hoto by David Rogers/Getty Images)
“I was really satisfied with a lot of what we did but they managed to squeeze us for territory and possession in that last quarter and put pressure on us.” (Ian Foster)
“When we had ball, we played with a lot of ambition, there was a lot of good stuff. It was just frustrating we couldn’t really strike in that second half.” (Ian Foster)
“We will be bringing someone in and don’t be surprised if it is a loose forward.” (Ian Foster)
“When you look at the amount of opportunities we had in that game, we are just gutted about the way we let France back into the game when we had all the pressure.” (Richie Mo’unga)
“You’ve got to take your opportunities, you don’t get many, and there were a couple of key moments there that we didn’t execute our simple skills, whether that’s a catch-pass or cleaning a ruck. That’s where we’ve got to adapt and grow and get better.” (Sam Whitelock)
“There was a lot of attention and nervousness around the game, a big game in a hostile environment. But we came out and played quite freely. It was just some of the execution that let us down.” (Aaron Smith)
It may well be masterclass of strategic brilliance by the All Blacks’ coaches – learning, of course, and holding back on some juggernaut of dominance (not yet seen by this edition of the All Blacks) until the quarter-finals. I would like to be believe this, but I’m struggling after last night’s performance. Perhaps the coaches have had a taste of some of Eddie Jones’ recent big-talking-rugby cocktails and believe things will get better as the tournament unfolds.
Put simply, the All Blacks play their best when they take the game to their opponents. Don’t waste possession, stop being predictable, mix things up, and do something about the broken phase play.
The All Blacks could have won this RWC opener. But they did not make the most of their opportunities, let the French team back into the game, and did not do enough to maintain momentum. There is a better All Black team to emerge – the talent is there, but they are running out of time.
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.