The All Blacks will be counting on another Richie Mo'unga masterclass. Photo / Getty
The All Blacks will be counting on another Richie Mo'unga masterclass. Photo / Getty
OPINION
Phil Gifford presents his six talking points heading into a huge test match at Mt Smart Stadium on Saturday night.
A fair reward
Coaches, quite rightly, look to players who have performed for them at the highest level.
So while Richie Mo’unga’s compelling displays at the sharp end ofSuper Rugby cried out for him to start at first five-eighths against South Africa at Mt Smart, how he played last August in the 35-23 win against the Springboks at Ellis Park was surely a factor too.
In a game that rescued the All Blacks’ season Mo’unga was a commanding figure. He played the full 80 minutes, and in that time made one error. In the other 79 minutes he ran a masterclass.
The earth may shake
If there’s one area where the improvement in the All Blacks should be demonstrated it’ll surely be the scrum.
The Boks have two massive props, in Steven Kitshoff, the 120kg loosehead, and Frans Malherbe, a 125kg tighthead.
Both play for the Stormers, the most successful South African team in European competitions, where they’ve battled with the best props the Irish and French can offer.
Two years ago you’d fear for the All Blacks front row against Kitshoff and Malherbe, but in Ethan de Groot and Tyrel Lomax New Zealand now have props who are not only technically expert, but have the sort of cold-eyed, stony faced determination that defies intimidation.
Leading the way
The weird online storm that followed the pitch invasion in Argentina drew attention away from the fact that Sam Cane is now every inch the captain the All Blacks need.
Powerful defence will be vital against the big men in the South African side, and Cane, who looks almost spring loaded as he rebounds back into the line after a tackle, is exactly the man to lead the way for the New Zealand defenders.
Skipper Sam Cane. Photo / photosport.nz
Not life and death. More serious than that
To say South Africa are taking the game at Mt Smart seriously is an understatement on an ‘Elon Musk has lost a little cash on Twitter’ level.
Flying out the backbone of your side early (missing a test with Australia in the process) so they’ll be playing against the All Blacks primed and without any jet lag, is as massive a statement of intent as there’s ever been in test rugby.
For some generations of Kiwis, most notably gold card holders, the Boks will always feel like our rugby yardstick, and just one round of this year’s Rugby Championship has been enough to show they still are.
The winner at Mt Smart will definitely take a psychological edge into the World Cup in France.
Where there’s a Will
It’s great to see Will Jordan back, although I’ll still remain in the camp that believes he’s best placed at fullback.
As two former All Blacks back three players noted this week, on defence the lines a wing or a fullback runs are basically the same. On attack though a fullback’s lines are more direct, and that’s where they, under promise of anonymity, see Jordan’s great strength.
Run them round
The victory at Ellis Park last year was founded on the All Blacks pack lasting the distance better than the South Africans, whose forwards got more leaden footed the longer the game went.
It certainly won’t be a lesson lost on the All Blacks, whose tight five is one of the most mobile in world rugby. The balance between power and agility is always a fine line at test level, but running opposing big boys around is a tactic All Blacks teams have used successfully for decades.
The TAB has the Boks as three-to-one outsiders, which feels excessive, but it’s hard not to see, if at slightly closer odds, the All Blacks as favourites.
Live commentary of All Blacks v South Africa:
Elliott Smith on Newstalk ZB, Gold Sport and iHeartRadio; coverage from 6pm
Alternative Commentary Collective on iHeartRADIO, Radio Hauraki and SKY Sport 9
