The All Blacks need improvements before the World Cup. Photo / Jason Oxenham
The All Blacks need improvements before the World Cup. Photo / Jason Oxenham
Throughout 2022 the All Blacks had a significant weakness in one key area. But as Gregor Paul writes, one standout Super Rugby player may be the missing piece which can spark Rugby World Cup glory.
Now the Chiefs have seen off their three toughest Kiwi rivals to reach the halfwaypoint of Super Rugby undefeated, it’s safe to proclaim that Damian McKenzie has re-established himself as a player of significant national interest.
The Chiefs sit top of the table for many reasons – the stubbornness of their defence, the power of their tight five, the omnipresence of their loose trio, the speed and vision of their back three, the straight lines run by their midfield and the astute, subtle work of their coaching staff.
But the most influential factor in their campaign has been the resurgence of McKenzie, who has buzzed about like the house fly he’s always been, but with a greater sense of purpose and control than in the past.
He’s finally managing to keep his feet moving at a million miles an hour but operate his brain at a more sedate pace which has enabled it to make measured calculations and step in on occasion to override his instinct.
Damian McKenzie has been in top form for the Chiefs. Photo / Getty
What’s really set him apart, though, are the endless occasions he’s found a way to get himself half through a hole or partly stretch the defence to enable his teammates to build momentum.
Those little acts are so important as they build the pressure on a defence to the point, as was evidenced in Wellington, at which it caves in.
In a game that was fast and frantic, what eventually broke the Hurricanes was McKenzie’s dedication to not overplaying his hand.
He kicked his team into the right places, threw offloads when they were on, held the ball when they weren’t, and made sure the Hurricanes were going to have to earn whatever points came their way.
It was a performance that built upon his effort against the Blues a few weeks ago when he outplayed Beauden Barrett – by again being more willing to trust that conservatism and pragmatism were the way to go in horrid conditions.
McKenzie’s form is vindication for those who have had a hand in shaping his career and have preached a need for patience.
When Steve Hansen was coach of the All Blacks, he gave McKenzie his first cap in 2016 and suggested it would be quite the process to build him into a world class test footballer.
Hansen always said that McKenzie’s challenge was to learn how to curb his wilder impulses and come to understand that he didn’t need to create magic every time he touched the ball.
McKenzie is not there yet, but there is a sense that he’s more on track now than he’s ever been.
Damian McKenzie continued his good form against the Hurricanes. Photo / photosport.nz
At 27, he has developed the confidence in himself and those around him to appreciate Hansen was on to something, and if and presumably when McKenzie is handed an opportunity to play test rugby this year, he looks ready to bring the same mix of energy and control.
What that test opportunity looks like is a point of intrigue as while McKenzie is the form horse, Richie Mo’unga still appeals as the man around whom the All Blacks need to build their playmaking at the World Cup.
Mo’unga has earned the right to be considered the All Blacks best No 10 given the way he’s played in the last two years and so McKenzie seems destined to make his mark off the bench.
Some with an older school bent continue to see the bench as a place no player wants to be – but how the various coaches select and utilise the eight players they don’t start with at the World Cup will have a massive bearing on who will be crowned champions.
Throughout 2022 the All Blacks didn’t get much, if any punch at all when they unleashed their bench, and it made them vulnerable – consider the final quarter comebacks of Australia in Melbourne and England in London.
Every test team needs that magical sixth gear – that ability to up the tempo of their attack in the final quarter, while continuing to make well-considered strategic decisions that are backed with accurate execution.
McKenzie may prove to be that missing piece: the man the All Blacks can let loose for half an hour when defences are starting to tire physically while mentally believing they have sussed out what is being at thrown at them.
