Damian McKenzie, on early at fullback for the All Blacks in Dunedin, may find himself back on the bench in Wellington, writes Patrick McKendry.
Such is the determination of this group of All Blacks selectors to put their own stamp on the team 12 months into the job, it is probably foolish to predict what they will do for the second Test against France.
But with Sevu Reece out as he recovers from a head injury and Scott Barrett unlikely to play after hurting an Achilles – an announcement on the skipper will be made tomorrow, which sounds ominous – Scott Robertson and company may elect to keep other changes to a minimum.
The head coach today said the biggest area of improvement for the All Blacks this week after their 31-27 win in the first Test is their ability to finish opportunities.
“We broke 20 tackles and made 13 line breaks, so that’s probably a reflection of what we created,” Robertson said.
“It’s just the finishing part… just the ability to keep trusting your instinct. The conditions this week might be a bit different. You expect everything here [in Wellington], so we’ll have to adapt to that and have the same mindset around backing ourselves.”
Improving combinations will likely lift cohesion, which would make big changes more likely for the third Test in Hamilton than Saturday at the Cake Tin.
Waiting in the wings to replace Reece
The big question — one we’ll address shortly — is what the selectors do with Damian McKenzie, who was on early in Dunedin and is a chance to start in Wellington but who may be better used as a pure impact player.
The inclusion of Patrick Tuipulotu to the starting line-up – and probably alongside impressive debutant Fabian Holland — may be the extent of the changes to the pack.
The selectors rolled the dice on playing Tupou Vaa’i at blindside flanker and that was, overall, a success. There will be no complaints about the All Blacks’ set piece – their last-minute scrum penalty to help close out the game was a highlight – but they will want to pressure the French lineout a little more this week.
Centre Billy Proctor, in his third Test (and first at home), was caught out defending too narrowly in the build-up to France’s first try in Dunedin and later threw a wayward pass as the All Blacks swept on to the attack. But he deserves another crack on his home pitch.
The biggest call for the selectors will be how to adjust to the withdrawal of Reece, who departed after just 57 seconds at the weekend.
McKenzie was a little uncertain under the high ball but virtually all his teammates were. This, and their defensive alignments, will be the team’s two work-ons this week.
Overall, McKenzie did a solid job at fullback as Will Jordan shifted to the right wing, but the selectors may want him back on the bench to allow Jordan to play in his preferred position at the back and Beauden Barrett to have full reign as game controller.
If it is a straight swap for Reece, Caleb Clarke could come into the frame but so too could the uncapped Timoci Tavatavanawai. The Highlander’s power game and breakdown excellence could add a new dimension to his team’s attack and defence.
Possession is nine-tenths of the law
Otherwise, the All Blacks’ inability to consistently retain possession will have disappointed the coaches.
Forwards coach Jason Ryan said yesterday that part of the issue was the way his players carried the ball into contact but just as important will be supporting runners finding an extra urgency, and, after being reminded of the realities of Test rugby, the All Blacks should be better here second time around.
Beauden Barrett’s accuracy off the tee (five out of five) – which proved crucial in the end – and key involvements in two of his team’s three tries means he is a shoo-in to continue in the No.10 jersey.
Barrett told 1News today: “We were probably a bit disappointed with the amount of errors we made in those conditions which are perfect for running rugby.
“That came from us being a little bit too flat at the line at times, putting our skills under pressure, but also we’ve got to give the French defence some compliments around the way they like to connect and work hard together.”
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