Handling errors were a constant issue in the All Blacks' win over Georgia. Photo / Brett Phibbs
Handling errors were a constant issue in the All Blacks' win over Georgia. Photo / Brett Phibbs
The Herald on Sunday's Andrew Alderson notes three things we learnt from the All Blacks' 43-10 win over Georgia this morning.
Handling errors
The All Blacks gave the appearance of being too blasé, despite scoring seven tries in their 43 points. In the first half they had the bulk of possession but turned the ball over on 11 occasions compared to Georgia's five.
The knock-ons were endemic as more than half the team had moments coughing and spluttering up the ball. You'd have been reluctant to give anyone a starting spot in an egg-and-spoon race.
Passes were forced and often too ambitious with the aim of creating space, particularly from set pieces in the midfield.
Surely any World Cup winner will need to play more compelling rugby than this? How would this type of performance have stacked up against a Tier 1 nation?
Fine finishers
It was a dour spectacle with diabolical handling at times but one bright spot was the finishing of Waisake Naholo and Julian Savea, at least in the early stanzas.
Naholo scored with his first touch by swerving into the line and, when the All Blacks got their launching pad right, Savea was an unstoppable rocket on the left.
Somehow, in the coming weeks, they need to rejuvenate their continuity to exploit this duo, and Nehe Milner-Skudder, when the chance presents again.
On the back of such an unconvincing performance, this will require a concerted effort.
Image 1 of 12: All Blacks captain Richie McCaw before the Pool C match between New Zealand and Georgia. Photo / Brett Phibbs
What a scrum duel
In the early 1990s the Georgians used to convert old Soviet era tractors into scrum machines and this match showed the benefit their descendants have derived from such ingenuity.
To the Georgian tight five - Giorgi Chkhaidze, Levan Datunashvili, Levan Chilachava, Shalva Mamukashvili, Karlen Asieshvili - take a bow. Their scrum would make a plough which could till a field in a jiffy.
The All Blacks' scrum looked bruised by the physicality at times but should benefit as a result. The arrival of first-choice starting props Owen Franks and Tony Woodcock made a difference to their scrum's vitality in the second half.
