OPINION
Gregor Paul in Paris
All Blacks 44 Argentina 6
Redemption was both the macro and micro theme of the All Blacks semifinal victory.
All Blacks vs Argentina: All Blacks’ self-destructive tendencies have been cured
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Not only have the All Blacks now put themselves in a World Cup final just 15 months after they were threatening to implode, but Mark Tele’a produced a brilliant individual performance after missing the quarterfinal for disciplinary reasons.
What’s undeniable now is that the All Blacks are not the team they once were. The mental frailty has gone.
The self-destructive tendencies have been cured. The uncertainty and hesitancy that used to occasionally manifest in their attack, has gone.
The defence has tightened up and learned how to stay connected and composed. And everything the All Blacks do now is calm and assured.
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This is a new All Blacks team from the one it was 15 months ago and it is one that now has so much confidence in the way it is playing, so much belief in one another and the coaching team, that whatever happens next week, no one would doubt right now that the All Blacks have the ability to take their performance to another level again in the final.
To see them now where they are from compared with where they once were, it is already one of the great revivals: already a story that compels and inspires as this is the romance and magic of sport.
There is maybe no other genre, not business, politics or entertainment that knows how to twist the narrative in the most unpredictable and fantastic ways.
And on a night when there was once again a sense of raw power emanating from the pack and another impressive, collective defensive shift, there was genuine magic from the All Blacks’ two wings that was impossible to ignore.
Tele’a, who must have feared last week that he had blown his chance of a lifetime by picking up a one-week stand down for missing a team curfew, returned to action with the sort of performance that said he knew he owed his team-mates an apology.
His ability to somehow blast, twist and wriggle out of multiple tackles in tight exchanges was almost impossible to believe and if he let himself and his team-mates down last week, he can console himself that he has made amends.
There was one particular run close to half-time that saw him beat five defenders – four of whom seemingly had him all but pinned down – and set up Shannon Frizell’s first try.
It was a critical play as it enabled the All Blacks to go into the break 20-6 ahead with their foot so firmly on Argentina’s throat that it was impossible to believe the game wasn’t actually in the bag at that stage.
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But as well as Tele’a played, his fellow wing Will Jordan almost outshone him by scoring three tries – the last of which was breathtaking in its execution.
The pace he showed to get outside the defence and then chip over the top and gather his own kick was a sign of just how dangerous he can be, and the Jordan and Tele’a combination drew warm praise from head coach Ian Foster.
“They played well and they had to because I thought Leicester [Fainga’anuku] played well last week, too,” he said.
“And he’s put the pressure on, but Mark was strong in the close-quarter areas and it was that sort of game. He enjoys going in close like that and he does it really well and I thought he defended really well.
“And I thought Will showed how good he is at finishing things off. Their combination I think has worked well since the start of the year. “We have put a bit of time into that during the Rugby Championship and really delighted with the combination we have got and with the glue between them which is Beady [Beauden Barrett] who is the communicator and connects the dots.”
The All Blacks now have a back three that looks equipped to cope defensively with just about any gameplan it may face in the final.
As Foster said, Tele’a defended well, smartly picking when to push up on the outside and when to hold back, and he’s able to operate as both an auxiliary forward close to the rucks if needs be, or as an out and out finisher.
Jordan not only took his chances when they came his way, but he continued to get off his wing, and look to make things happen in the middle of the field.
He’s scored eight tries in the tournament and there is a feeling now that the All Blacks have two lethal weapons on each wing and the ability to use them in almost any way they choose.
Gregor Paul is one of New Zealand’s most respected rugby writers and columnists. He has won multiple awards for journalism and has written several books about sport.
