Kieran Read sitting on the ‘Naughty Chair” after being Yellow Carded in the Tonga game
The New Zealand All Blacks’ image as surefire Rugby World Cup winners is starting to fade.
Not only critics, but also the team’s fans, are beginning to question coach Steve Hansen’s master plan.
Even Kieran Read, the stand-in captain for Friday’s 47 / 9 win over Tonga, admitted there were problems to be addressed.
Hansen put on a bold front after the game, declaring himself “very happy” with the way things are going.
“What’s happening now is irrelevant. What happens next week will be and it’s about maintaining performances from here on in and winning,” he said after Tonga finally folded at St James’ Park.
“We had a plan and we stuck to that plan now we have to wait to see if it works.”
In a relatively easy pool, the All Blacks maintained their record of never losing a game before the quarterfinals in all 8 Rugby World Cups, and Hansen said they were building towards the sudden-death phase of the tournament.
But in all 4 pool matches in this tournament they have not once put in the full 80 minute performance that Hansen said is necessary in the playoffs.
For the last half hour against Tonga they looked thoroughly in command with precision finishing that netted 5 tries.
But, for the 1st 50 minutes they struggled.
Read dropped the ball the 1st 3 times he tried to catch it, Waisake Naholo dropped the ball with an open line ahead of him, and the scrum creaked and groaned and conceded 4 penalties against a feisty Tongan pack.
“What has happened to our game” tweeted Mark Stafford, reflecting the thoughts of many other All Blacks supporters.
Other tweets included: “The All Blacks are going to have to improve if they are to win this World Cup” and “Are the ABs holding everything back or are they really not that good in this comp”.
Read acknowledged that Tonga had exposed shortcomings in the All Blacks’ forwards.
“They really took us on up front. I was pleased the way we just stuck at it. They put some pressure on our scrum but we held our line there,” he said.
“Certainly our work up front needs to probably improve.”
Among the British press, the Independent believed the other quarterfinalists would be heartened by what they saw.
“For anyone else with designs on lifting the Webb Ellis Cup – and there are a few – this was a thoroughly comforting evening.
“The gulf between this, and the energy and execution laid on by Australia against England at Twickenham last week was a class apart.
“And if Australia live up to last week’s highs again in their mouthwatering clash with Wales, they will surely have established themselves as the team to beat.”
The Guardian said the world champions were “still to shake off their ring rust” while The Times noted “something close to panic in their ranks during the middle period of the match when they were reduced to 14 men and Tonga surged forward with confidence, strength and skill.”
The Telegraph said the All Blacks’ title defence was “far from being straightforward. They looked wobbly and rusty, their only real point of difference being in their finishing, admittedly a rather significant factor.”
(rugby365)
Joe Moody replaces injured Tony Woodcock:
Joe Moody
Loosehead prop Joe Moody was a late withdrawal from his Canterbury provincial rugby team on Saturday and on his way to Britain after Tony Woodcock suffered a hamstring injury in the All Blacks’ final Rugby World Cup pool game.
Moody had been expected to start Canterbury’s provincial game against Southland in Christchurch but sat in the stands before leaving the ground at halftime, local media reported.
The 27-year-old flew out later on Saturday to join the All Blacks in Britain, in case Tony Woodcock was ruled out, the Press newspaper said.
According to Rugby World Cup rules, replacements from outside the squad have a 48-hour stand down before they are able to officially join the team.
The 34-year-old Woodcock limped off shortly into the 2nd half against Tonga in Newcastle, with coach Steve Hansen indicating the injury could be serious.
“If it’s a bad tear, obviously a lot of stress goes through their buttocks and hamstrings, then it’s reasonably serious,” Hansen said. “We won’t know until he pulls up tomorrow.”
Woodcock is widely expected to retire after the Rugby World Cup, though the injury could end his 118-test career earlier than expected.
“He’s played a lot of games for the All Blacks and if this happens to be the end of his tournament it would be a sad way to finish because he’s been a great All Black and probably deserves to go out better than that,” Hansen added.
The All Blacks beat Tonga 47 / 9 at St. James’s Park and will meet France in Cardiff next Saturday in the quarterfinals.
(SuperSport)
This arrticle will not go down well with some of our All Blacks supporter friends!
China might just drop his ovaries in the process!
@ grootblousmile:
We put 50 points on Tonga, you get beaten by the Japs and the spotlight is on us 😀 😀 very amusing stuff when you think about it, surely it’s about time your team actually did or won something rather than their fans praying for the demise of their greatest foe. We’ll beat the Frogs in Cardiff and then take you in the semi if you get that far.
NZINCHINA wrote:
How can you beat us on Saturday
We do not even play rugby ? 😛
2 @ NZINCHINA:
Ah, there the overies go… in a puddle on the floor!
You… yes YOU… are predictable to the extreme!
This article is not penned by me… and the article refers in a number of places to media opinions from around the world!
Nobody said the Springboks do not have problems of their own…
You must read, choppie… read with special attention… so that it does not escape your pea brain…
Now where’s the up-yours smiley when one needs it…. hahaha
Arrogant prick!
Interesting to note that the team who scored the most points in the pool stages is Argentina, followed by the Boks ( and both those sides suffered a defeat as well )
Third was NZ.
Yes, it has no bearing on what will happen from this weekend onwards, but it does show that NZ haven’t been their usual awesome self
5 @ nortie:
Yeah, I also had a good look at the overall Logs when I updated them… some interesting reading there.
@ grootblousmile:
Especially if one considers that Argentina and NZ faced the same opposition.
If you subtract the 10 point difference Argentina lost by to NZ, for them to still end above them on total points after the pool stage, shows they dominated the minnows much better than the AB’s
with a bit of luck
world rugby will name Craig Joubert for NZ FRA to boost our morale
7 @ nortie:
Difficult couple of weekends to come!
I guess no team is safe, is what this article and the overall Logs says.
So, a muppitt with an arrogant attitude does so out of stupidity and sheer incredulity.
Tough road ahead for the Bokke, 1st they have to get past a difficult Wales side, and if they do it most probably leaves facing the freegin All Blacks in a semi… and then IF they get past that, most probably a strongly firing Wallabies side in a final!
@ rebop75:
The kiwis won’t want Wayne Barnes, the frogs won’t want Craig Joubert, so I guess you will be getting Nigel Owens
8 @ rebop75:
Oh fark no, then the All Blacks will canter through, Craigie loves the All Blacks!
@ grootblousmile:
I will consider myself a muppit 😀 and venture to say only Aus is a shoo in, by far the easiest game of the 4
10 @ nortie:
Nortels, check bietjie of daai comments probleem waarmee jy en Gobbles die naweek gesit het en waarvan BullScot ook melding gemaak het vandag, steeds sy kop uitsteek as jy nie by R-T aangelog is nie, seblief.
Op nie een van my klompie rekenaars kry ek reg om die probleem somehow te dupliseer nie… of ek nou op R-T aangelog is al dan nie!
@ grootblousmile:
Lyk of dit nou reg is, kon as guest al die nuutste posts sien
14 @ nortie:
Dankie, monitor bietjie dit vir my en skree as iets abnormaal is… dis maar deel van ongoing dinge wat aanhou dopgehou moet word.
Het jy my comment aan Bully gesien op die ander artikel?
Caching is soos om van tyd tot tyd ‘n snapshot te vat van ‘n bladsy, sodat daai snappie dadelik laai en dan slegs veranderinge te laai as updates. Maak load speeds moer baie vinniger en plaas baie minder druk op die web server.
nortie wrote:
Ja flip ek het later opgegee.
16 @ MacroPolo:
Flok, julle moet vir julle almal ook ordentlike Internet aanskaf!
grootblousmile wrote:
Nee hel al die ander websites werk, stream ook sonder enige probleem.
Wat veral gebeur is, die home page is up to date, maar waneer jy in n draad in gaan dan stop dit by ou poste, dit is moontlik n funksie wat afgeskakel word gedurende live games.
18 @ MacroPolo:
Al wat ek afskakel (tydelik de-activate) gedurende Live Games (as ons moet begin Web Host CPU times watch), is buite-plugins wat baie queries genereeer… ek sit nooit caching af of verander daaraan nie.
Queries wat hardloop het ‘n daadwerklike invloed op laaispoed sowel as die gebruik of oorgebruik van Web Host server resources.
Ek sit goed soos die groter smilies af, die comment attachment dingetjie, en paar ander goedjies… en dan wanneer dit op sy ergste is, ook Recent Comments widget (in sidebar) en Who’s Online (In sidebar).
@ grootblousmile:
Ek weet glad nie wat dit is nie, maar Gister spesifiek gedurende die Nam game was die live game article reg, maar die ander drade het n ou cache’de bladsy gewys (m.a.w. die home page wys 233 comments, maar as jy die draad oop maak wys dit net 166) al maak mens die cache skoon of restart die rekenaar.
Maar anyway, die ander ouens het seker dieselfde gese.
20 @ MacroPolo:
Kyk op die John Smit artikel, wat ek daar geskrywe het vir Bully, dit sal dit vir jou beter verklaar hoekom en waarom dit gebeur het.
Haha…. these are one off games…. you have to bring it or you’re gone….The Abs have the players to dismantle the French… but it’s on the day. Abs by 23…. Then bring on the Bok I suppose….. dunno….hoping Meyer will stuffup to make it a tad easier…. looking forward to an amazing battle…
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