A generous free-kick was given to All Blacks centre Conrad Smith when a Kiwi journalist inquired why New Zealanders should not be concerned about Rugby World Cup 2011 after the loss to the Wallabies on Saturday night.
“Perhaps they should be concerned,” Smith responded, surprising his audience as he effectively kicked the free-kick into touch.
“They should understand that it’s going to be a tough contest, which is positive. There are strong teams out there, and being at the top of your game from the start is crucial to winning these types of contests.
“I expect some panic will ensue. However, when you’re a good team and face pressure, that’s when you typically play your best. If we’re any good, this will serve as a lesson that can help us move forward.”
Graham Henry, the All Blacks coach, remained optimistic about his team’s 25-20 defeat.
“Hopefully, any complacency in this group has been shaken off now,” he stated.
Henry also noted that historically, there’s no consistent link between winning the Tri Nations and the subsequent Rugby World Cup in the same year. He was indeed correct, as the southern hemisphere championships in 1999, 2003, and 2007 were claimed by teams that then fell short during the Rugby World Cup.
“There is no guideline that suggests winning a Tri Nations guarantees success at a World Cup,” Henry commented.
What he failed to mention was that in those three years, it was the All Blacks who could not carry their winning Tri Nations momentum into the Rugby World Cup.
For New Zealand, concerningly, there were reminiscent echoes of the 2007 disaster when the All Blacks were knocked out in the Rugby World Cup quarter-finals by France.
During that match in Cardiff, the All Blacks displayed a concerning lack of tactical awareness, sticking to a one-dimensional pick-and-go strategy that wasn’t effective, while there was no on-field leader, including Richie McCaw, who could adjust the game plan in real-time.
In the match against the Wallabies at Suncorp Stadium, the All Blacks repeatedly tried to stretch the play wide in the first half, despite playmaker Dan Carter observing that the Australians had adjusted their defensive strategy “slightly.”
And indeed they had, implementing an up-and-in defense where the wingers quickly closed in and funneled the attack into the midfield, where Pat McCabe and Anthony Faingaa, supported by backrowers Radike Samo, Rocky Elsom, and David Pocock, effectively shut them down.
“I noticed, particularly in the first half, we struggled to effectively attack wide, which is why we shifted to more direct plays in the second half, and that worked for us,” Henry explained.
It wasn’t until the All Blacks retreated to the dressing room at half-time and received guidance from the coaching staff to abandon the wide strategy and focus on a narrower approach that New Zealand managed to re-enter the game.
Buford Balony says: The hands are around the throat already.