Gregor Paul: More change is needed – something is seriously wrong with ABs

OPINION:

A result, it turns out, that one summer doesn’t warrant or warrant having persevered with the All Blacks training regimen and wider management team.

There are still many problems to
mill – the kind that can’t seem to be fixed without further changes to the team’s leadership.

The New Zealand Rugby board moved last week back to its natural conservative mode by opting for a slight change to the coaching staff by elevating Joe Schmidt as attacking coach.

Maybe they need to think about revolution now before it’s too late. Records can’t keep falling like this. A brand that was worth $3.5 billion at the start of the year must lose value and it must be honestly assessed that the hope that emerged following the All Blacks victory at Ellis Park has proven false. .

An impostor of the worst kind as the All Blacks picked up another unwanted first losing a home test against Argentina and their sixth in their last eight matches.

Surely everyone can agree that there is something seriously wrong with the All Blacks: that the cosmetic surgery applied to the coaching staff in recent weeks has not cured all the ailments plaguing the All Blacks. Blacks.

The discomfort is much deeper. The rot set in and while everyone wanted to believe that victory in Johannesburg and the decision to back Ian Foster as head coach with Jason Ryan and Schmidt as assistants would herald a fresh start, the performance in Christchurch did not. not said.

The performance in Christchurch said pieces of the machine were working. There is power in the free kick and bite in the defense.

But the balance of bits running at broken is heavily weighted at the latter. The breakdown was carnage. Not in a physical sense, but in terms of discipline. A young referee might have been guessing at times, seeing things that weren’t quite there, but still the All Blacks either didn’t adapt, or found a way around the issues they were facing. had in this and were penalized out of the game for a lengthy infractions.

And the All Blacks failed to capitalize on the control they had in the first half, when they were keen to demonstrate the full extent of their attacking power, not because that was necessarily the good strategic ploy, but more fair to show everyone what they can do now.

It wasn’t always particularly effective, but it was mostly impressive – especially the ability to keep the ball in the scrum and press Pumas past the breaking point.

Scrutinizing for penalties seems somewhat wrong, like waiting for the reminder to pay the electric bill, but it has its advantages. The All Blacks were able to make big and quick territorial gains by winning scrum penalties inside their 22, sabotaging them to touch down, and then driving a maul out of the lineout.

None of this was pretty. None of these were entertainment, but there is no doubt that this type of rugby is an important string for the All Blacks to have in their bow.

The big lament so often is that the All Blacks have no other plan than to play wide and fast and therefore to be able to rely on a set piece and return to conservative mode with such ease, would have may not have been something to celebrate on a freezing night in Christchurch, but it could be next year in the milder climes of France during the World Cup elimination.

But if the All Blacks come to rely on this alternative style, they will have to learn to add additional elements to the basics of scrum, maul and kick.

And that was the problem with the representation in Christchurch – it lacked any kind of finesse. The show of force was proud, but it required creative balance; a pass key and catch-up class.

However, that never really came and the All Blacks simply weren’t able to transition from their power play to smooth running strength.

They could create pressure and opportunities, but they couldn’t take advantage of them because their discipline was poor when breaking down.

Their ball retention was poor on contact and they reverted to running on predictable lines, ball carriers dropping their heads and charging.

They looked like a team plagued by doubt again. They once again looked like a team that didn’t know how to break free from a resilient defense or how to find ways to force the pace and prevent Argentina from being able to keep the contest going from stop to stop. : an icy encounter that dragged from free kick to free kick.

They were beaten again – the story of 2022.