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OPINION: After Dane Coles told us there was no A and B team in the All Blacks, Head Coach Ian Foster asked to defer by returning his first lineup to action for their penultimate Tri-Nations clash against Argentina on Saturday.
Clearly, last week’s 24-22 loss to the Wallabies in Brisbane, to end Bledisloe’s series on a false note, put some strain on Foster’s hand. The decidedly second-line lineup just didn’t get the job done and Foster has returned to the big boys for his first clash of 2020 against a team other than Australia.
This is his best lineup available, and the All Blacks coach made no secret of it this week. He has emphatically underlined that this is the lineup he sees as his first XV, and he expects a major correction from them this week.
Here are five things to see at Bankwest Stadium:
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* All Blacks vs Argentina: Ian Foster restores top lineup – ‘We didn’t act last week’
Will the referee (Australian Angus Gardner) be a factor again?
Not if the players don’t let it. He will call him firm but fair, as always, and he will fall hard against any contact in the head area, as he has been instructed by those who run the international game.
Of course, we don’t want to see red cards, which can potentially make a contest favor a team, but equally the zero-tolerance policy around hitting the melon is not new and it’s up to players to adjust techniques accordingly.
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The All Blacks coach says he is returning to the winning combinations he used earlier last month.
Last Saturday in Brisbane was a perfect storm, with two high contacts in a game that warranted red cards. At least they were evenly distributed, and left things to be decided by rugby. You can even argue that it was Scott Barrett’s late yellow card (excellent decision; ridiculously silly game) that cost the All Blacks the game.
Expect Foster’s men to adapt accordingly. They did very well at the World Cup when the cards were flying for similar successes, and they are nothing more than a quick learner. It may be the Pumas, who will surely come out of the skin, the most vulnerable to an error in judgment. I hope not.
Enjoy This Top Lineup Of The All Blacks While You Can
This is pretty much the group that played so well at Eden Park, and then went even higher at ANZ to lock up the Bledisloe. We know that when they click, this is a lineup that can knock any team out of the park.
And we should enjoy the connectivity, the explosiveness, and the intoxicating combination of power up front and the X factor at the rear while we can. It’s hard to see Foster repeating the dose for last in fifteen days.
You will likely swap some new faces for that, as long as there are no keys in the works at Bankwest. Some All Blacks (like Sam Cane and Jordie Barrett who have started all the trials) deserve an early finish, and some who float on the wings cry out for another chance (Akira Ioane anyone?).
So let’s hope the greats get the job done early on and see Richie Mo’unga, Caleb Clarke, and the Barrett brothers off the leash once more. After Brisbane, we could do it.
Which All Blacks have the most to play for?
How about Patrick Tuipulotu, Shannon Frizell and Tyrel Lomax in the pack, and Jordie Barrett and Jack Goodhue in the back?
With Scott Barrett in the doghouse, this is a real opportunity for Tuipulotu to cap off an excellent year by reinforcing his status in the second row pecking order. And Frizell’s No. 6 has been good, but not great so far. The good does not keep you in an All Blacks starting XV in the long run.
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Jordie Barrett is back on the right wing for the All Blacks this week, and he could use a good showing.
Lomax only gets one shot due to the suspension of Tu’ungafasi, but as a young man who has just made his way into test football, this is a great opportunity to advance his claims.
Questions remain about Jordie Barrett’s suitability at right wing, but while Foster has Richie Mo’unga and Beauden Barrett at his disposal, that’s the only spot available. You need a set of statements there.
The manager likes the fit and compatibility of Goodhue and Lienert-Brown in midfield, and after last week Ngani Laumape’s train has been quiet. That said, a timely expression of his abilities would do no harm to Goodhue’s long-term prospects at all.
Joe Moody returns to the loose head: big thing or not so much?
Given the absence of Tu’ungafasi on the other side, it could be significant.
The Pumas are not the scrum force they once were, but they will still meet there. Moody should provide the straight back and the presence of steel that will help ease the Lomax newbie through the initial anxieties.
After a couple of weeks cooling his heels, the great Cantab should be ready to unleash. It doesn’t have to be dazzling, but if he makes his tackles, takes two or three times, hits the rucks and does his job at the lineout, it will be a marked key square.
Do we give Argentina any chance to score the first All Blacks win?
Er, no. Between Foster sending in the heavy artillery and this is the Pumas’ first test since the World Cup last year, things are too heavy against him.
The All Blacks and Wallabies were pretty rusty at first, and you can argue that the Australians took until their fourth tryout to show their best. Argentina’s players haven’t had a super competition to find their way In fact, they haven’t had much when it comes to competitive rugby in 2020.
Add that this is a bit of a new era for the South Americans, and it’s hard to see them approach a first win over the All Blacks.
