A Tale of Two Cities: Auckland and Sydney

It’s been a while. I’ve been busy. Most of it not fun. I want to blog after every thing that happens. I have so many ideas, so many thoughts, so many mental notes. And then something somehow syringes the life out of any creativity. I have a sneaky feeling as to what it might be.

First things first thought. What about that decimation of the Wallabies by a rejuvenated All Black side at Eden Park. The 12 all draw from last week in Sydney seems like it was light years away now, and AB supporters are wondering why they even scratched their heads for as long as they did. It’s amazing what motivation can do to a side. When ability meets a wounded ego, and a reputation in need of salvaging, they make for a deadly combination. Couple that with the intense and clinical preparation the All Blacks put in, in the last week, and there was a recipe for Wallaby soup being discussed in the dressing room.

In Sydney, the Wallabies dented All Black pride and also ended an 18 match winning streak. Not an unbeaten streak, a winning streak. The draw meant that they now have to start from scratch. And that is enough to piss anyone off, especially Richie McCaw who may not have another 20 tests left before impending retirement.

Clearly the riot act had been read. It is clear from the body language that Richie is very much a man who commands the respect of this All Black team to the extent that it borders on fear. The junior players will do anything to placate probably the Greatest All Black ever. The fact that he was yellow carded and also scored two tries, shows how much he wanted this win and to prevent the NZ public from going into that tailspin of woe that takes such a slight bit of turbulence to cause. Make no mistake, this was an important match for the Blacks. Failure – or perceived failure – in successive weeks is not tolerable. Not after the standards that this team has set. And they didn’t falter.

In the lead up to the game Richie spoke of a ‘sharpness’ in practice that was missing from the week before. It’s the same players. Why is the zip different? It’s desire. Which goes to show that even the best teams and sportsmen in the world can get ever so slightly complacent, and it is hard to keep that intensity in order to play every game like it’s your last. But after some criticism, Richie McCaw was determined to show the fight he has left, and his team was determined to back him up.

Regardless of the end of the game however, the beginning was still fraught with tension. There was no denying that the Wallabies, and their latent potential, had made the All Blacks take them seriously. They broke out Kapa O Pango again, and Liam Messam led it with aplomb. It was the best thing he did all night. After trading early blows, the All Black tight five dominated in a manner that only they know how. They battered, they damaged and came out of contact proudly displaying their bloodied brows and bruised faces. Towards the end it dissipated into almost bullying, but the coffin was closed when they scored the penalty try in the first half. Australia never really recovered from that embarrassment of being almost walked over the line, and from then on it was a masterclass.

McCaw’s yellow card at the start of the game was stupid. It was probably one of the silliest things he’s done all career and something that a coach would bench a player for. He was on the ground, missed the turnover a few seconds previously, and then in full view of the ref swatted the ball out of Nic White’s hands like a petulant schoolboy. He realised his folly immediately, but that doesn’t explain what he did. It was uncharacteristic and indicative of the sort of pressure around this game and the Great All Black’s personal pressure also. McCaw is a very very smart man. And an even smarter rugby man. He knows Sam Cane is waiting respectfully in the wings. He knows Jerome Kaino is a beast and Read is a supreme athlete. Some part of his rational self is asking whether this third row will be more complete without me in it. His ego says no, but the result of that debate is Richie’s desperation to play well, which showed in that single incident.

The great thing about him, is that the ten minutes in the bin calmed him down. He came back after Reid had selected the safe option of a kick at goal, when the corner was an option with Rob Simmons going off. It didn’t matter at the end, but result shouldn’t gloss over the pressure the camp is feeling. Pressure is good, when it results in wins like this. It’s not good when it makes awesome players make ordinary decisions. So chill…New Zealand. This is the greatest team in the history of sport, led by probably the greatest player the game has ever seen. They will have extraordinarily shit days in horrendous weather once in a while, and they will still not lose. Don’t be spoilt and entitled. Your country is lovely, but you really do need to learn how to take a draw, leave alone a loss.

What was different apart from the mindset and the response to pressure? What was different was also the fact that Conrad Smith was back. Yes, I may be blowing Conrad’s horn a little loud [pun NOT intended], but the fact is that he is simply the most intelligent player on the park. If he wasn’t, a guy with his physical limitations has no business cutting it in international rugby. But what I love about Conrad is that he has shown exactly why brains with adequate brawn will outdo a surfeit of the latter without any of the former. In fact the centre pairing was superb. Ryan Crotty, playing in an unfamiliar position, in his first run on Test match, was tremendous. He made tackles, busted tackles, ran good lines and was always available. He didn’t make a lot of mistakes. In fact, on this performance I don’t think he should be dropped even if Ma’a is available. The Crotty/Smith axis had a nice look about it. For so long Conrad has been tidying up the litter left by his inside man, and it will be good to see how he fares when he doesn’t have to do as much of that. So for me, that tight five performance, coupled with the centre pairing were the differentiating performances.

Brodie Retallick is a beast. A singular behemoth whose heart is even bigger than his boots, which are only slightly smaller than his lungs. The man’s work rate is unbelievable. He works harder than McCaw, and that is saying a LOT. In the tight, in the loose, in the line out, the scrum and in defence. He is the complete second row, and quite honestly makes the likes of Both and Matfield look average. Aaron Smith put some revs on the ball through to Cruden although the half back is in danger of becoming a little one dimensional and George Gregan like. He lacks the physicality of Marshall and Weepu and also the box kick which could be so effective against big packs like Saffa and Argie. As far as combinations go the half back pairing is the one in need of the most oiling.

What Sam Cane brings in terms of speed and agility, cannot be adequate replacement for McCaw’s experience, nous and most importantly leadership. You could see what getting those tries meant to him. He called the line out drive knowing that he needed the dot downs as well. ‘Perks of captaincy’ he said after the game. And goodness knows he deserves some privileges. But for the captain the relief in the sheds was obvious. It was the most emotional and cheerful I’ve ever seen a Richie McCaw moment. Hopefully, this match will help him start enjoying his rugby again. To remember why he does, and how good he is. It’s time for him to realise that he doesn’t need to do it all on his own. The likes of Retallick, Ben Smith, Kaino and Read are the best players in their positions by a country mile. He’s got plenty of support, and his smiles were largely because I feel he realised it this Saturday in Auckland. If it felt lonely in Sydney, he would have certainly realised there was no need to feel alone as he sat in the bin watching 14 guys that would put their lives on the line.

This test was the culmination of a long redemption for Richie, which started as far back as the World Cup Final.