All Blacks prepare for second test against South Africa. Video / allblacks.com
OPINION:
The curious thing about last week's clash between the All Blacks and Springboks is that the former, despite being the winners, came across as decidedly less happy about events than the losers.
For the All Blacks there was an element of satisfaction about the result and pride that theyhad found a way to stay in the fight and land the knockout punch.
But that was all they were happy about, even though victory secured them the Rugby Championship and cemented their place at the top of the world rankings.
What it didn't do was provide definitive evidence that they have learned how to play their own game against the muscular, kick-chase rugby so-loved by the Springboks, and other than Jordie Barrett and Ethan Blackadder, the victorious changing shed was mostly full of glum faces lost in thought about why they had played well below their own expectations.
The Boks, on the other hand, seemed remarkably chipper about the way things played out, resolutely defending their strategy to kick the ball every time they had it, and perhaps the most telling illustration of how the two teams are feeling about the game in Townsville can be seen in the selections they have made for the rematch.
The Boks have made only two changes, both of them injury-enforced – which should be read as a sign they are convinced that tactically they were on the money in Townsville and are planning to unleash a largely similar aerial assault on the back of the heavy infantry unit doing some serious damage with a ground assault.
The All Blacks, in contrast, have made four changes to their starting team, with five to their bench – a scenario that partly reflects a desire to inject some fresh legs into what will be the team's fifth consecutive test.
But what it really says is that head coach Ian Foster's dissatisfaction with the performance was of such strength that he wasn't prepared to simply administer a bollocking and then send the same troops back out again to make amends.
Ardie Savea of the All Blacks reacts to a Springboks sin-binning during the Rugby Championship Round 5 match between New Zealand All Blacks and South Africa. Photo / Photosport
The back three, unsurprisingly given the difficulties they had, has been changed. George Bridge and Will Jordan have both been dropped. Not rested or rotated.
They were both picked for the clash last week on the basis they were bringing greater physical presence and more polished technical skills in the business of catching high balls.
Neither produced in that specific regard and so both have paid the price.
To some extent, they are also being punished – or at least one of them is – by a combination of the return to full fitness of Anton Lienert-Brown and a poor performance at centre by Rieko Ioane.
The latter has been shifted to the wing largely on the argument that he's been in stunning form other than last week, is running better than he ever has and will give the back three the physical presence they need to balance the injection of Sevu Reece.
The Crusaders wing has been brought back because his fast feet and ability to escape defenders from a standing start can help the All Blacks generate momentum from the many static situations the Boks will create. And to see if he can do a better job at catching high balls than both Bridge and Jordan managed.
Akira Ioane is the beneficiary of Foster's thinking that some players who didn't perform will be better served in the long term by having an immediate chance to make amends.
Ioane was a passenger for large tracts of the game, unable to find a way into the contest amid the endless kicks and dropped balls that killed so much of the All Blacks' momentum.
He didn't look convincing but this was his first exposure to the Boks and the great hope is that having now gained a true sense of what they are all about, he'll prove himself resourceful enough to be an influential force second time round.
Beauden Barrett (centre) of the All Blacks is knocked off his feet in the air by Duane Vermeulen of the Springboks during the Rugby Championship Round 5 match. Photo / Photosport
He'll need to be because Ethan Blackadder has made an impossible to ignore case to start at blindside and is perhaps only not doing so this week because he's hammered himself so hard in the last two tests as to make the coaching team wary whether he can do a third straight 80 minutes at that intensity.
The decision to switch the running order of the halfbacks and start with Brad Weber is as much tactical as it is a reflection of TJ Perenara having a torrid time last week when he started.
Perenara is relatively big and bruising for a halfback and able to defend hard on the fringes if the game is tight, or use his athleticism and speed to make his running game count if the test is opening up.
What we can be sure of from the team that has been picked is that the All Blacks are not in the market for another ugly win.
