Haha yeah that is a very valid point. It has been an odd tenure.

I guess it hasnt helped with Frizzel and Cane being injured. There is talk Frizzel is still awhile away from some media rumours.

With the All Blacks being short on loosies and calling Blackadder into the squad, I do find it weird he is not even on the bench. They said he needs time to settle after joining the camp but I reckon if he was on the bench and got 20 minutes that would be beneficial especially with the All Blacks not playing the following week.

I am gutted for Marx. He is a World Class player and would have played a big part through this tournament.

The kicking game of the All Blacks seem aimless at times and there was not too many that were genuine contestables. Also the ball slipping out of the hands at times when the All Blacks looked like they were going to break through were costly as well.
I thought France didn’t really show too much in the first half and clicked into gear in second half. Alldritt was brilliant. And their pack were strong. Peanud threaten as well every time he had space.

It is not panic stations yet but do wonder how the All Blacks approach selection for Namibia. Rest top players meaning they won’t play for 2 weeks and probably wanting a settled team at the back end of pool play? Or play a strongish team and possibly risking not utilising the whole squad in pool play?

Great article. Thanks JD.

With South Africa having so many returning players from their 2019 squad that puts them in good stead in being able to handle a tough pool and a potential quarter final against either France or Ireland if they qualify. It will be interesting to see what else they will offer in terms of their game plan. The game last weekend in Twickenham was how we expect the Boks to play and they executed that extremely well.

I do think Ireland are still favourites at this stage (even though I will be going for New Zealand) for the reason they have shown the most consistent form in the last year or so. I know that does not count in one off knockout games but they seem to have the team where everyone is on the same page. Their game plan is also very hard to defend and teams will have to make a lot of tackles against them.

This is going to be a very competitive World Cup.

It was a big wake up call today.

South Africa were outstanding in the way they put pressure on the All Blacks today with their forward dominance. The first 20 minutes set the tone and they should have been up by a lot more. The All Blacks were rattled.

On the lineouts, Jacobson was used a couple of times early and took some clean ball. He had to be the player sacrificed when Scott Barrett was sent off. We did miss Frizell though right across the field.

The concern I had was around our midfield defence. I read Jordie Barrett missed 10 tackles today. André Esterhuizen ran through him a couple of times.

All of a sudden we are in trouble up front again. With Retalick, Frizell, possibly Lomax and Scott Barrett all may not be available for the French game.

Thanks for the effort as always mate.

With the All Blacks, it is not so much something I have learnt but something I am happy with. It is consistency with selection and the lineup is a lot more settled going into this World Cup than the 2019 edition.

The player I would like to have seen more of is Leciester Fainganuku. He is powerful and busy and showed on the weekend he is more than capable of playing on the big stage. It will be a difficult call to pick Fainganuku over Telea but is a good problem to have.

Will Skelton is a surprise as captain but I do see the logic in it, given his experience in France. He knows the environment over there and it is also making a statement having a big man lead from the front.

Was a reasonably predictable World Cup squad and not too many major talking points. I was gutted for Finau as looked like he had done enough.

If comparing to 2019, I think this squad is more settled. In 2019, it was early days of the Mo’uanga/Barrett 10/15 combination. We still hadn’t settled on a midfield and think we never had the same combo play any more than 3 games in a row. We also had not settled on a true blindside flanker. Ardie Savea played a lot there in 2019.

My concern is how we go through juggling our squad through pool play. We have a 2 week gap between Namibia and Italy then finish with Uruguay. I personally think we need close to our best team playing the last pool match so cohesion is kept for the quarter-final. The risk is that might be a big blow out and may not achieve anything.

Wasn’t expecting that many changes but I think as a whole it is wise. Players need opportunities who have had limited minutes and it is one last trial for World Cup places. I am glad Finau, Stevenson and Fainganuku are all getting run. Good to see the old firm lock duo start together for one last time in NZ (and Scott Barrett gets a well deserved break). Excited to see Will Jordan have a run at fullback under the roof.

I would have started Aaron Smith as the game is his last in NZ and is at his home Super Rugby venue.

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I will go with Australia

1. They haven’t put a comprehensive full 80 minute performance out yet. There has been some good patches even against New Zealand on the weekend but are making mistakes and showing some poor discipline that stops them from playing well for a whole game.

2. Rob Valetini: I think his strong abrasive style will suit the big show over in France. He offers a lot of go forward and if he dominants with his ball carries, Australia can play a lot off the momentum he creates.

That was a clear tactic by the the All Blacks to attack the blindside. A couple of times I thought they had stacked too many players on the short time in limited space. I do agree that the they are being more patient with their attack now though and it is pleasing that the All Blacks forwards are going to work.

Thanks for the wrap Geoff.

For the All Blacks, the standout has been the continual improvement of Ethan De Groot and Tyrel Lomax. This time last year they were not even considered to be in the 23 and De Groot was on the outer for a bit. Both have now cemented their spots and they are getting better both at scrum time and around the paddock.

The improvement is on the bench and also who is on the bench. One example is Nepo Laulala. Yes he is a strong scrummager but his lack of mobility and ball skill undoes some of the good work the starting props do. Damian McKenzie is a must as he can take advantage of tired defences in 2nd half. And I want Samisoni Taukehiaho to start but hes a good man to come on and bring extra go forward.

That would have been a tough call with the locks. Scott Barrett has been in great form so would have been hard to bench him. He has played big minutes. Will be interesting to see how this pans out later on in the year.

Points 2 and 4 are very important.
Established combinations help in a massive way. Having the confidence that you know what your teammates are likely to do is big in high pressure games. With point 4 having your entire squad up to speed is important especially if depth starts getting tested with the high attrition rate a World Cup can bring. Having players who are familiar to the squad and can fit in as they have been in the mix helps and means coaches are not having to coach someone new systems.
I am going to contradict myself though, if Tawera Kerr-Barlow gets a call up to the Wallabies squad for the World Cup, I think it is a very good and brave move. He plays in France and has been in outstanding form.
Thanks for the enjoyable article Geoff.

The skill level in the first quarter displayed by the All Blacks was some of the best it has been in a couple of years. They showed a willingness to keep the ball alive and play at a great tempo. This helped them exploit space and evade the rush defence.

On Grant Nisbett, I also noticed he called Sam Cane, Sam Whitelock when going over the team sheets at the start of the game.

It was a good weekend of International rugby.

Thanks Geoff.

The way the All Blacks played in that first half was outstanding. A good mix of hard direct play and being good enough to exploit some space out wide. What impressed me was their willingness to keep the ball alive with some great support play and also playing to that level when the Boks still were in their faces with their line speed.

Another top read Highlander. Thanks mate.

Very good game. I was nervous all week as the South African team was strong enough to win and wasn’t sure if the All Back pack could match them.

The first half from the All Blacks was outstanding. Willingness to keep the ball alive and evaded the rush defence really well with a good mix of direct play, playing with some width and attacking kicks. Jordan and Frizell were superb. It was Frizell’s best game as an All Black.

Nienaber’s comments are spot on. The bad start with their errors and discipline set the tone. They had barely any ball in first half and had to play catch up.

Adjustment wise for the All Blacks will be around how they can hold the Boks predicated rush defence. It’s going to be a lot stronger than the Pumas last week. Will Mounga and the two Barretts in the backs bring some variation with their kicking game to make the South African defensive system second guess. I also hope their will be more impact from the bench. Taukei’aho is coming off the bench (even though I think he should start) at least there is some impact there.

Player that stood up for me was Josh Lord. After only playing 120 minutes of Super Rugby, I thought his shift was very good on Saturday. Some good lineout steals and busy around the field. De Groot and Lomax are continuing to make good progress as well.

Really surprised McKenzie is not on the bench. I thought he did enough last week to remain in the mix. This tells me Beauden might get some minutes at 10 this week.
Was Leicester Fainganuku available for selection this week?
Really looking forward to seeing Williams up against a big pack when he gets on.

This was the best performance in a first half for a first up game of the year for awhile for the All Blacks.

The set piece was very good. The scrum dominance was good to see. The forwards as a whole in general play were busy with everyone contributing. I was impressed with Scott Barrett. His work rate was outstanding. There will be a big decision next week if Whitelock is fit. The way S. Barrett is being playing this year, it will be hard not to have him on the field. Josh Lord made a good showing after only playing 120 minutes of Super Rugby this season.

The backs showed some great glimpses as well. I am glad Narawa scored on debut. Jordie Barrett showed why he needs to be continued at 12. His allround game is going to be a key for the All Blacks moving forward. I liked some of his breakdown work this morning.

I have a feeling Roigard will be on the bench next week. His bigger frame for a halfback could suit playing the Boks. I was surprised he didnt get a run this week though.

A lot of the main stadiums in New Zealand are out of action from next week with Woman’s Football World Cup. FIFA take full control. Even the staff at Auckland Rugby and Auckland Cricket based at Eden Park have to give their office space up for the duration of tournament.

Sorry guys have only seen this today. Thanks for a good start to The Rugby Championship Panel.

1. For the All Blacks, I am hoping our forwards bring the physicality especially with dominant ball carries. Also seeing a plan B if they struggle to break down a strong rush defensive system.

2. I think Scott Barrett is going to be a key man for the All Blacks. He finished last years international season very well and was particularly good at charging down box kicks. He has a good workrate and has a good set of hands. He may feature quite heavily especially with Whitelock managing is injury. Whether he plays lock or 6 remains to be seen.

Also want to see Tamaiti Williams get stuck in a big test. Very exciting prospect with a big mobile prop.

I am surprised that McKenzie is starting at 10 but don’t mind it. Let’s hope he can show his Super Rugby form.

I can see that there was balance of giving some guys a run as haven’t played in a while (Highlanders players especially) or barely any minutes such as Coles and Lord, as well as resting some of the players who had big shifts in Super Rugby. I thought a couple more debutants may have been at least on the bench. Makes me wonder if they play next week against the Boks?