Richie Mo'unga of the Crusaders looks on during the Round 1 Super Rugby match between the Crusaders and the Waratahs. Photo / Photosport.co.nz
Richie Mo'unga of the Crusaders looks on during the Round 1 Super Rugby match between the Crusaders and the Waratahs. Photo / Photosport.co.nz
COMMENT:
Turns out the All Blacks weren't bucking the trend last year with their dual playmaker strategy, they were setting it.
Super Rugby has gone mad for the idea of playing two first-fives in the same team and if it was considered a little unconventional last year when the AllBlacks tried it at the World Cup, it certainly isn't now. The line between madness and genius is always fine and maybe now it has been crossed in regard to working with two No 10s in the same backline.
The Blues dabbled with it at Eden Park on Friday night when Stephen Perofeta shifted from first-five to fullback to make way for Harry Plummer.
It wasn't a roaring success but it probably will be when the Blues are able to inject Beauden Barrett into the No 10 jersey and run Perofeta at fullback.
The Crusaders, of course, played 80 minutes with two decision-makers at No 10 and 15 – with David Havili having shown this year that he can play first-five.
His game intelligence is high, his skillset vast and he and Mo'unga in tandem give the Crusaders the ability play with two thinkers and orchestrators, be it either side of the ruck or one in the frontline and one in the back field.
It's the decision-making of the Crusaders that sets them apart - the right things being done at the right time and so much of that coming through Mo'unga and Havili.
The new look Chiefs are flying high for many reasons, not the least of which is the dual play-making combination of Aaron Cruden and Damian McKenzie.
Those two have brought direction to a backline that has long had ability, but not quite enough structure and composure.
The Highlanders have pushed the boundary even further, starting the season with three playmakers in the backline with Mitch Hunt at No 10, Josh Ioane at second-five and Josh McKay at fullback.
Presumably at some stage that will prove to be one too many and Aaron Mauger will be forced to determine whether he wants his playmakers to be wearing 10 and 12 or 10 and 15 and it would be a surprise if he doesn't opt for the latter – reverting Ioane to his natural home at first-five and then working out whether it is McKay or Hunt at fullback.
Beauden Barrett poses during a Blues portraits session. Photo / Getty Images.
Jordie Barrett's best position is not first-five but that is not to say he doesn't have the skills and awareness to play there as he demonstrated at the World Cup when he wore No 10 for the All Blacks against Namibia.
His natural home looks to be fullback where he can bring the skills of a first-five to the party, without necessarily being burdened by the weight of responsibility that comes with wearing No 10.
The point, though, is that the Hurricanes are using two playmakers in the same way as the Chiefs, Blues, Crusaders and Highlanders are.
That it is now orthodox in New Zealand to use two No 10s in the starting team, doesn't in itself mean that new All Blacks coach Ian Foster will opt to do the same when the test season rolls around.
But it does significantly heighten the probability he will want to persevere with the dual-maker concept.
If it was alien to the players last year, it no longer is and understanding the concept is half the battle in making it work. What was the exception last year – using Mo'unga and Beauden Barrett in tandem – is now the norm.
And it's working with two genuine playmakers which may in fact be the key to the All Blacks finding a way to attack effectively through the relentless defences they know they will face this year.
Not everyone agreed with the Mo'unga-Barrett partnership last year. Some critics saw it as a robbing Peter to pay Paul idea that diluted the impact of Barrett.
There was an argument, as there still is, that the best No 10 should start and the best fullback should start – rather than picking the team to comply with a concept.
The attack certainly didn't always flow for the All Blacks last year. It took time for Barrett and Mo'unga to find their respective roles in the partnership. It took time for the rest of the team to understand how having two generals was going to work in practice.
Having invested that time in those two specifically and with every Super Rugby side now using the dual playmaker strategy, 2020 could be the year it suddenly blossoms and delivers what the All Blacks hoped it would in 2019.
