What is wrong with the All Blacks?

Why the heck was Jimmy Cowan starting.

The only way the All-Blacks were going to win this game was by running the ball, something that Jimmy Cowan doesn’t seem to understand. Leonard should have been the starter for this match.

We have two problems that need fixed. 1 – Line out, 2 – Confidence

1. Remove Hansen and bring in a lineout coach. Mike Cron has the scrum going great guns, our guys already know what to do at the breakdown, so I don’t see what Hansen contributes. Smith coaches the backs (see item 2 below) and Henry does the defence, which has been pretty sound. We ain’t playing great, but we ain’t leaking tries.

2. Confidence is the big killer, and a form slump can be contagious. The backs have no confidence in Donald execeuting the basics. Imagine you are Nonu for a moment. Could you run hard onto a pass from Donald when you don’t know if it will be at your head, around your ankles, or miss you altogether? Likewise chasing his kicks, you’d have to also be thinking “5 bucks says he gets charged down so I’ll need to turn and get back pretty damn quick!”

Otherwise, our backs aren’t too bad. Sivivatu and Nonu made same great runs from broken play and regularly broke tackles, Smith is in the form of his life. But Roks is done at this level. Yesterday was the first time he actually looked scared and I don’t think he’ll make it back. Sad, because he was a great player.

Sivivatu and Mils are no longer sure of what’s happening in front of them either, and it looks like Weepu has caught the bug as well. No point blaming the coaches, players at this level should be able to pass and catch a rugby ball!

Bring back Carter to add balance to the side, accuracy on the attack, and you’ll see a totally different team. We know they’ve played well before and you don’t just lose your skill overnight. They’ll be back.

In reality there is not much wrong Allblack rugby, but you are only as good as your last few games. The June tests took place without their regular captain and should not be analyzed in the same way as the Trinations where he was present. After beating the Wallabies they lost two away matches to the Springboks. The Sringboks are on a high since they have been able to field their best team bar none. There are few ways to beat a team whose tight five are dominant. I know of only two. You have to kick better or you have to exploit a weakness in the opposition. Kicking against Du Preez, Steyn and Steyn is always going to be tough and I honestly cannot find a genuine weakpoint in the current Springbock line up except perhaps on their bench that could be targeted. The Allblacks have to look at ways to develop/strengthen their current forward pack particularly the tight five. Until this has been achieved the backline, which is very talented, will continue to misfire due to pressure. Seasoned AB veterans need to be made available from greedy clubs overseas so they can repay the investment that Allblack rugby has put into them over the years.

The All Blacks are playing Super 14 rugby in a Test match.They are afraid to kick the ball out because they can’t throw in properly. Any schoolboy team is told to kick the ball out when in their 22 but an arrogant disrespect for any opposition sees the ABs tossing the ball around despite poor conditions. I can’t understand why the entire rugby watching population of the country can see this but a team a professional coaches can’t. When Andrew Merthens or Dan Carter were in charge these silly low percentage decisions weren’t made. Did you ever see Grant Fox throwing the ball around in his own 22? No – he was kicking for the other end of the field and targeting the touchline. ABs -Either show some respect for the opposition and play for territory or it will be embarrassing again and again. NZ play well when we have a 1st five with the strength of mind to make these decisions. When conditions change, such as rain you go back to basics. Throwing the ball around in your own 22 with a slippery ball is asking for mistakes. And we do it week after week. Dumb rugby, predictable result.

In short everything and nothing.

We lost to a better team, the best team in the World. There is nothing wrong with the All Blacks, unless you consider losing wrong.

We played desperate rugby, it hardly ever works and to be honest with the current line-up, even if everything went our way, I dont think we would have won anyway.

That ‘simple plan’ is simple only if you have the talent, the strength and the fitness. Confidence helps here, and confidence comes from being talented, strong and fit. They have more of this than we do and it gets stronger with every win. Confidence nullifys fear, and helps to limit the error rate and increase the success rate…everywhere.

Player selection needs to be improved definately, after watching some S14 games over the weekend, it does make you wonder about some of the choices that have been made recently.

The All Blacks are just missing a bit of magic, that x factor that gave the opposition the jitters. Roko has lost a little, Woodcock looks a little frail, Tialata needs a rocket, Meleamu’s legs are looking past their best, I could go on and down trough them all and compare them with past greats of the game….but for what?

This current S.A team reminds me of the All Blacks of the late 80’s. Dominant players all over the park, ready to side step, run straight past or through you, out muscle or out smart you or both. Working more like a family than a corporate team of specialists.

S.A have specialists, but more in the mould of Zinzan, i.e strong and smart and could probably play any position on the field because his confidence and inteligence of the game would let him, they definately have more Zinzans than we do.

Its simple what’s wrong with this AB team but not so simple to fix. It all starts with a game plan that doesn’t work instead it puts pressure on the ABs to to play at mental pace playing a stupid “box kick to mid field” program that just doesn’t work.

Time to put a game plan in to play that can promote confidence, simplify the systems and let the players play a plan that they all understand because at the moment and after this last lose its very clear that half of the players have no clue whose doing what on the field.

Running it out from the 22? come on, not even school boys try stupid stuff like that and not over and over again even after it doesn’t work the 1st couple of times. Just looks stuck in time, need new direction and there’s only one why to get that….. new management?!

Firstly Woodcock if he doesnt keep his hand on the ground will go down most times, from the French game through to now. Franks was getting bent sideways but is a novice and has to develop. The SA Number 7 and 8 are focused on playing rugby, our 6 and 8 are focused on spoiling rugby for which there are no points. Leonard needed another run and is the best for the running game. McA made as many mistakes as Donald in quarter the time. The two wingers are not tri-nation standard. ABs are only as good as we see because SA are too strong and SA havent hit their straps yet or been really tested. Carter cant change that, because even though Mils was the only back that didnt make a silly mistake, if Carter added one more who doesnt, it wont turn it all around.

Too many has beens and new faces. Missing the middle layer of talent that is now playing off shore and not eligible to play in black – Scott Hamilton Rico Gear and Nick Evans to name but three players all would have had a huge impact on all the French and RSA games.

Have to find a way to cover the loss of players going overseas and high rate of injury so that the ABs don’t look like a bunch of bumbling old fools and school boys in the face of something as simple as pressure from the high ball.

Its what I’ve been saying for years, Rokocoko shouldn’t be there. 03 proved that. He has no defensive game and just isn’t suited for International rugby. Sev isn’t as bad, should go too,their defence is crap. Cory has the talent to go right through to the world cup. Has great potential. We need Carter and a thinking halfback. They get caught trying to kick from the base of the scrum. Thats where Marshall and Kelleher were good because they had that depth to think and carry the ball in hand forward, like loosies. 8 forwards, they had the talent then. Make me wander like you????????? I think Henry is past it…. Aussies will get world cup at this rate with their nurtured talent.

One Word Coaches , the worst coaches I have ever seen , no game plan line outs shocking should sack the lot now before the world cup otherwise we are bound to lose henry sucks,hansen is an idiot he cant even get a line out right . All I can say is good luck for the WC . And the board needs to be sacked as well for putting noddy and his mates back in.