Just over two minutes into the Māori All Blacks’ defeat to Ireland in Wellington recently, the Māori executed a set move off an attacking lineout that was so well done – resulting in a try in the left corner for Shaun Stevenson, who went over untouched – it could not have contrasted more with what the All Blacks came up with in Dunedin.
It was a triumph of deception and simplicity – a long throw and quick release by flanker Billy Harmon (playing at halfback and providing an early extra man) when the Irish were expecting a driving maul, with first-five Josh Ioane and right wing Stevenson doubling around to provide a five-on-three overlap.
The Māori lost the match 30-24 but their willingness to try something different, never mind the creativity and execution integral to the move, was a highlight because it came a couple of nights after the All Blacks attacked the Irish with all the panache of a man stepping on a rake.
Actually, it was less a highlight and more like a ray of hope because the All Blacks turned up to the indoor stadium apparently expecting to do what they did at Eden Park during their victory a week earlier but faster.
Any variations were difficult to ascertain and while they were dealt harsh blows in the form of cards for wing Leicester Fainga’anuku and Angus Ta’avao, that’s the way the game is being ruled at the top level: with a paranoia that hints at a world body fearful of being sued, never mind common sense.
Ta’avao, sent off after colliding with Irish midfielder Garry Ringrose, looked like a man being arrested for wilful damage after being hit by a car, and, worryingly for the game, that’s how referee Jaco Peyper appeared to view the sequence of events too before he flourished his red card.
Regardless, Ian Foster, now presumably coaching for his All Blacks career this week ahead of Saturday’s series decider in Wellington, may have underestimated Ofa Tuungafasi’s scrum struggles for the Blues during their three Super Rugby playoff matches.
After the squad was announced, Foster called Tuungafasi’s problems on the tighthead side “glitches” but they appear to be more deep-seated than that and there is little doubt the All Blacks’ set piece will now be targeted with a little more intensity when he is playing – particularly by the Springboks in South Africa next month.
Nepo Laulala replaces Tuungafasi in the No.3 jersey after recovering from a neck issue, but while the three backline changes for Wellington make perfect sense: Sevu Reece swapping wings to replace Fainga’anuku, Will Jordan starting in the No.14 jersey, and David Havili replacing Quinn Tupaea, even those changes were, dare I say it, predictable.
The selection of Karl Tu'inukuafe in the squad despite his imminent departure for France was one large indicator of the selectors' inherent conservatism and while the Irish coaches may be planning for a new attitude from the home side - and their forwards in particular - they will likely feel confident that there will be little in the way of surprises or new approaches.
Roger Tuivasa-Sheck’s selection on the reserves bench is the only departure from that trend – and it’s a good one, because while the former Warrior struggled with the intensity provided by the Crusaders in the Super Rugby final, there is no point selecting him in the All Blacks squad just to fill out a training jersey.
The Irish deserve enormous credit for their victory in Dunedin, their first in New Zealand, and they’re on the cusp of a final frontier – a series victory here – that would have seemed utterly fantastic this time last year.
Other records are destined to fall if Foster’s men fail to break out of their cycle of inconsistency which has seen them lose three of their last four Tests, an up-and-down cycle which appears to be rooted in a default mode of near mindless repetition on the park. It is an approach built on comfort and past successes, but those good times are long gone.
Looking ahead, the All Blacks' unbeaten streak at Eden Park stretching back to 1994 is now looking less secure than it was a week ago (the All Blacks host the Wallabies there in a Bledisloe Cup Test on September 24).
And if that seems a long way off, imagine how it feels for Foster and company who are overseeing a side which includes some of the best players in the world but which has dropped to fourth in the rankings and with three seriously tough Test challenges ahead: a resolute and confident Ireland in Wellington and the world champion Boks in Mbombela Stadium and Ellis Park.
Familiarity can be comforting - but in this case only for the All Blacks' opponents.
It's time for something different, starting with the mental approach, and including the game plan, because it's starting to look a little dark in here.
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