OPINION
There are few more entertaining sights in rugby – especially modern rugby – than the ball beating the man, and Scott Robertson’s All Blacks appear to be developing that to a new level, based on the evidence of the first three tests of the season.
Part of that was due to England’s highly effective rush defence. The All Blacks knew it was coming and, though there were plenty of errors, outflanked the English a couple of times with deliberately applied hot-potato passing, particularly in the last quarter.
It was more in evidence against Fiji (they had more time, the Fijian defence nowhere near as aggressive) and the quick-hands upgrade to the old catch-and-pass maxim worked well. It was team-wide too, with players such as Asafo Aumua, Luke Jacobson, Sam Darry and Jordie Barrett all using the ultra-fast transfer to thwart onrushing tacklers and, more importantly, make space in a game where space is not easily found.
Prime exponents, however, were Damian McKenzie and new centre Billy Proctor. Their passing games are a convincing argument for their retention for future, harder tests.
McKenzie needs to stay at first five-eighths and develop further at this level. He was under far more pressure against England but still performed well; his running and passing against Fiji were top drawer. His kick-pass to Sevu Reece opened the way for Caleb Clarke’s early try, with Proctor making a bust. Aumua’s fast-hands to McKenzie allowed the little bloke to send the ball to his outsides, more quick transfers delivering the scoring chance to Clarke.
McKenzie also produced a snap pass to Beauden Barrett for Proctor’s try and he nearly engineered a second to Clarke when he somehow got his pass away before a hurtling Fijian tackler briefly rearranged his molecular structure. That try was ruled out because of a ruck infringement; a similar McKenzie tap-on pass sparked another good All Blacks attack about halfway through the first half – with that chance lost to a dropped ball.
His scampering runs and lightning transfers are an intriguing addition to the All Blacks’ lock-picking skills when it comes to opening tight defences, though the jury’s still out as to whether this is the right way to play the big boys; risk and error factors are higher. One thing, however, maybe the All Blacks could do away with fielding McKenzie at fullback or wing when the opposition have the ball. He defends better at 10 and has more cover, more teammates around him, to help – and his slight figure doesn’t help when it comes to last-ditch tackles in the backfield. That said, his defence was just enough to save one Fijian try, though he was lucky not to be penalised for a head-high.
McKenzie’s kicking from hand still needs to improve – but more time in the driving seat could fix that; it’s to be hoped the All Blacks resist the temptation to station Beauden Barrett at 10 for the tougher test matches against Argentina and South Africa. The latter will be McKenzie’s key moments in an All Blacks No 10 jersey.
As this column has previously argued, Barrett should stay on the bench or at fullback though that could be complicated by Will Jordan’s imminent return. Robertson repeatedly fielded Jordan as a fullback during his golden era at the Crusaders – but it could be on the wing where Jordan makes his return, to accommodate Barrett’s vision and control.
One of the noticeable elements of the England series was how much quicker wing Immanuel Feyi-Waboso was than anyone in a black jersey. Mark Telea, Sevu Reece, Emoni Narawa and Caleb Clarke are all fine players but none has the kind of express pace Jordan brings – also a key to unlocking defences.
However, returning to the All Blacks’ hot-potato passes, Proctor showed his distribution skills are a big part of his game. Under real pressure, he delivered the scoring pass to Reece for his try against Fiji and did the same for Clarke’s disallowed second try.
The ability to deliver an accurate, lengthy pass in a nanosecond with a defender on top of you hasn’t been seen in the All Blacks midfield for some time. Incumbent Rieko Ioane is still deservedly that – but he has not consistently shown Proctor’s distribution skills; that will not have gone unnoticed by the brains trust.
Ioane’s early days at centre were marked by some indecision on the pass or forcing of one and even some ball-security issues. He’s tidied that up and he has express pace – but little seen in the crowded turmoil of the midfield. Proctor, on the other hand, has an elegant body swerve which often takes him past – or enough past – the defender to make that pass under pressure to a support player.
It’s early days and there will be harder and more revealing assignments than Fiji, but Saturday was also a good day for the future. Debutants such as Darry, prop Pasilio Tosi and Wallace Sititi also impressed in their cameos – and demonstrated the enhanced passing skills that are not only good to watch but seem to be an integral part of this All Blacks squad.
