Self-belief, which led to terrific game control from – in particular – first five-eighths Damian McKenzie, the player of the match, hit new heights. The backbone that won the test with England at Twickenham got even steelier. Finishing off the second half, which had been a problem, was the key to the victory in Dublin.
This side has found their mojo and it could fairly be said that reports of an All Blacks demise are greatly exaggerated.
Night-time is not the best time
Playing the Dublin test on a Friday night, cutting down the turnaround time for the All Blacks after the England test, had seemed a shrewd move for the Irish when the November test schedule was announced.
But on a wet, slippery pitch, as the Dublin night chill fell, the skill levels in the Irish ranks descended to an embarrassing degree. The slippery ball was a problem for the All Blacks too – but in an ironic twist, it was the home team who struggled the most with the conditions.
What pressure?
In an interview with an Irish journalist straight after the game, McKenzie deflected all praise for his stellar performance to his teammates. Good on him for his old-school modesty.
The reality was that his display bordered on the extraordinary. He ran out for a game played in a stadium packed with fervent Irish fans, knowing the reason he was at No 10 was because Beauden Barrett was injured.
McKenzie then matched his brilliant goal-kicking with tactical play that was perfectly designed for the conditions and the opposition. The Irish test showed that at 29, McKenzie has come of age as an international first five.
Looking right at home
Asafo Aumua hasn’t always had a smooth, Rolls Royce ride into the All Blacks’ hooking role so, near the end of his best test to date, there was something joyous about the fact he was a key man in Will Jordan’s 68th-minute try.
There are centres playing at a high level who would be proud to own the skill with which Aumua took the ball on the bounce as the All Blacks swept inside the Irish 22, and the perfect timing and accuracy of his pass that then put Jordan into the clear.
It speaks volumes of Aumua’s range of abilities that he was able to call on his inner Conrad Smith after more than an hour toiling in scrums and at breakdowns.
An unsung hero
Sam Cane is a constant reminder of the attributes that All Blacks of the amateur era brought to the game. There’s no swagger, no flash, just a huge work ethic that he mostly expresses with a determination to be back on his feet and into the defensive line, no matter how bone-jarring the tackle he’s just made has been.
Off the field, I have no doubt that Cane, as mature and thoughtful as any All Black I’ve ever interviewed across five decades, has been a huge help to the coaching staff as they worked on building a common goal in the squad.
When hype meets reality
Nobody likes a bad, swaggering winner. It was therefore good to see the All Blacks being suitably humble after their Dublin win.
But they wouldn’t be human if in private moments they didn’t think back on some of the hype leading into the test, and smile at how wrong it was.
They were, according to former Irish fullback Rob Kearney, “scared” of playing Ireland. Brian O’Driscoll, Ireland’s captain for 11 years from 2003, was sure the “fear factor” playing against the All Blacks once provoked in opposing teams had gone. Media commentators said the mystique around the All Blacks had evaporated, and Ireland, who, to be fair, were ranked No 1 in the world before the Dublin loss, were apparently about to take over the worldwide game.
Kiwis are the great worriers of world rugby and until there’s another World Cup win, there’s unlikely to be a lot of local chest-beating about the All Blacks. On the other hand, a 10-point New Zealand win in Dublin might dampen down some of the more overwrought praise in Britain and Ireland for the northern game.
Earth calling Campo
The great Wallabies wing David Campese has never seen a media pot he didn’t want to stir, so his blistering attacks on Kiwi Joe Schmidt coaching the Wallabies (“Schmidt has no idea about our rugby culture or history”) were par for the course.
But a fair observer could surely have only had praise for the gutsy attitude of Schmidt’s team as they famously beat England 42-37 in a brilliant afternoon game at Twickenham. Schmidt’s Wallabies kept fearlessly running the ball into injury time, and their reward was a thrilling 30m dash by replacement wing Max Jorgensen for the winning try.
Next weekend, England face South Africa. My money’s on a third win for the south.
