One down and plenty to go for the Dave Rennie All Blacks, who managed to pull off a close 34-32 victory against France in what was a solid first hit-out of the new era.
The All Blacks entered this one as double-digit favourites and certainly produced the attacking output to match that expectation, it was however, the lack of defence that will be something to worry about heading into the next couple of weeks.
In reviewing this match, and all tests in this year’s calendar, we are going to apply the same format we used throughout the Super Rugby season to review the action. For anyone who didn’t follow along, this will involve a deep dive into the 80 minutes, identifying the five best performers in a black jersey and awarding them points that will accumulate throughout the season, similar to the Dally M Medal in the NRL.
Against France, there were a couple of players who sprung to mind straight away for the highest honours, while there is certainly a debate to be had around the lesser point-getters for this week’s edition.
Now, with all that rambling and ranting out of the way, the guidelines are clear and we know what needs to be done, so let’s crack into the nitty-gritty of the France test.
1 Point – Peter Lakai
Numbers won’t tell the whole story of Peter Lakai’s evening, as I think, unless there was some kind of injury we don’t know about, he was very unlucky to be the one pulled from the loose forward trio.
I was of the mindset that Jacobson was the one who had a poor first half and should have been dragged. However, he did have a good second half to justify that decision from Rennie & Co.
Regardless, back to Lakai. He was dominant in collisions, whether that was in the carry, tackling or while cleaning out, which I noticed him doing plenty of. He also once again flashed his athletic ability when he strode over the try line early doors, and at the other end made a try-saving tackle alongside Love when he was yellow-carded.
Personally, had he been given a full 80, I have no doubt he would have climbed this list. I just hope they don’t see him as some 55-minute player, because outside of Savea, he is the best talent we have on the flanks.
2 Points – Ruben Love
Like I mentioned with Lakai, had Love played the full 80 minutes, he would have been higher on the list. But as we know, the young fly-half was the recipient of a yellow card barely 90 seconds into his All Blacks career in the 10 jersey. Luckily for Love, it didn’t really affect the side too much, as the team stood tall and actually won that 10-minute period.
When reintroduced from the bin, Love was excellent for 70 straight minutes. He was devastating when given half a chance with the ball in hand, playmaking well out of the first-receiver slot or even when running in behind a Jordie Barrett-led pod. The most telling sign of not only the confidence he has in himself, but also the confidence the side has in the youngster, was his effectiveness with the kicking duties, where he was essentially flawless in both dead-ball situations and open play.
All of this, along with a test win under his belt as the conductor, makes it feel like New Zealand are one step closer to finding that long-term solution at the pivot.
3 Points – Will Jordan
There was a bit of doubt over whether Jordan was going to be fit for the opener, as he had an injury cloud looming over him towards the end of the Super Rugby season. With the news not really getting out that he was going to be fit and firing, it was a nice surprise to see the now second-leading All Blacks try-scorer in history deployed into the backline.
The surprise for some came with the fact that he was indeed back out on the wing, as Rennie wanted a side that allowed “the two best fullbacks in the world” to be deployed alongside each other.
Of those two, Jordan was the one who took the headlines on the evening, starting with him fittingly scoring the first All Blacks try in his hometown at Te Kaha Stadium. From there, Jordan continued to be dynamic with ball in hand and looked a lot more assured under the high ball, which is a major boost from what we saw last year.
The question for me heading into this weekend surrounding Jordan is whether he will be deployed at the back to allow the likes of Fehi Fineanganofo to get a start against Italy.
4 Points – Ardie Savea
A great captain’s knock from Ardie Savea, who played his first test as the official skipper of the All Blacks on Saturday. As many would expect, the crown looked far from heavy on his shoulders as he led his side around the paddock.
While there were never really questions about his leadership, there were some murmurs about whether he would be ready to fire for 80 minutes based on his lack of rest coming back from Japan. However, for anyone who has followed Savea closely throughout his career, it was no surprise that he was at his prolific best, even deployed in the 8 jersey.
Again, when questioned as to why he wasn’t deployed on the openside, Savea showed his jersey number is merely semantics and played as he always does. Starting with his attacking prowess, he was always making unpredictable runs, breaking through tackles and, in trademark fashion, leading the game in ruck turnovers.
5 Points – Cam Roigard
I will get the only gripe I had about Roigard’s performance out of the way early, because outside of a couple of errant passes, he was near perfect. It is a bit of a pattern I have noticed in Roigard’s last two games, where at a few inopportune times he has had a couple of passes go astray. In this one, he was recorded with four “bad passes”.
As said though, outside of those instances, he was perfect, clearly showing why he is no doubt the best halfback in the world. And yes, that includes Antoine Dupont, who once again managed to dodge that high-profile clash.
Starting with his kicking game, Roigard was elite, able to constantly peel off good distance on his box kicks, essentially always providing a good exit plan for the All Blacks. Then, of course, we could not go without mentioning his potent ball-carrying from the base of the ruck, where he dotted down for a five-pointer in the first half and continued to gain metres through his long spell. Lastly, we also have to mention his ability to be in the right place at the right time in the black jersey, as in the second half he secured a brace, capping off a nice team try.
Leaderboard After One Test:
1st Cam Roigard 5
2nd Ardie Savea 4
3rd Will Jordan 3
4th Ruben Love 2
5th Peter Lakai 1
