Monday feature: A talisman's worth
Mon, 04 Aug 2008 13:58
New Zealand got their Tri-Nations campaign back on track at Eden Park in Auckland on Saturday as they thrashed the Aussies 39-10 in a four-try romp.
The All Blacks won back more than just their pride with a magnificent turnaround from the nightmare at Sydney the week before.
It is remarkable to think that a week can make such a huge difference between two of the top teams in world rugby. It just goes to show how small the margins are between success and failure, and also, how important key players are to the dynamic and momentum of a team.
Two weekends ago, the Kiwis got their backsides handed to them as they lost by 15 points to the Aussies. Seven days later, the All Blacks engineer a mammoth 44 point swing to obliterate their critics and take the lead in the Tri-Nations. Who's brave enough to bet on their next encounter then?
It is clear that home ground advantage is a huge factor in Tri-Nations. It is no secret that away victories are rather scarce, especially for Australia and South Africa.
But what was the biggest factor in New Zealand's transformation from a bumbling 19-34 capitulation to a thundering 39-10 bonus-point triumph?
In my opinion, there were many things the All Blacks did differently this time round, but the most important by far was the influence on the team of skipper and talisman Richie McCaw.
Player of the Weekend:
Many top players, especially forwards, are not fully appreciated until they are not there to contribute to the team effort. The value of such players is only realised in absentia. Never was this more clearly illustrated than with the return of Richard Hugh McCaw.
The first job of the captain is to fully motivate and animate his players so that they can deliver maximum effort. Secondly, he has to lead by example and make a great contribution to the game.
McCaw did both to the extreme, but his influence did not stop there. His mere presence gave the All Blacks much more menace, more power, more intent and more precision.
He made more tackles than anyone else in the match - 15 to be precise - and he bossed the breakdowns ahead of Australia's two world-class fetchers, George Smith and Phil Waugh. McCaw also inspired Rodney So'oialo to greater heights, as the No.8 completed 13 tackles of his own and physically dominated the shell-shocked Aussies.
McCaw added the steel and the belief that the All Blacks were lacking in Sydney. He was the catalyst that made them a fearsome unit once again.
Player Bio:
Position: Openside Flank
Weight: 106kg
Height: 1.87m
Born: 31/12/1980
City: Kurow, Canterbury
Test Debut: 17/11/2001 v Ireland at Dublin
Tests: 63
Test Points: 65
Province: Canterbury
Super 14 Team: Crusaders
Rock star of the Week: This award undoubtedly has to go to Kiwi
prop Tony Woodcock, who doubled his Test try tally in the space of three minutes with two great tries. The prop was ever-present at the breakdown and stole a few Aussie balls from the rucks. He tackled impressively, and even had time for a little encore with a side-stepping run down the touchline for a complete performance. Interestingly, Woodcock has scored all four his Test tries against Australia - he clearly relishes playing against them.
Contentious call of the week: Television match official Shaun Veldsman ruled that Ma'a Nonu scored a legitimate try in the dying moments of the match, despite the television replays proving rather inconclusive. It was a 50/50 call at best, and although the official cannot be criticised for his decision, the try meant that New Zealand score a four-try bonus point that could go a long way in deciding the fate of a very closely contested Tri-Nations title.
The Second Coming award: Jimmy Cowan showed that he's serious about rehabilitating himself with a dominant performance at scrumhalf. The combative No.9 is on a last warning with the New Zealand Rugby Union, following charges relating to public altercations due to excessive alcohol intake. The award is shared between Cowan and Piri Weepu, another long-lost No.9 back in black after a year in the wilderness.
The Houdini award for the Disappearing Man: Australia centre Berrick Barnes had a storming match in Sydney. This time round in Auckland, he was rarely spotted, as Ma'a Nonu took charge in midfield. Barnes had a rough time against the dreadlocked Kiwi centre, missing some crucial tackles and failing to exert any influence on the match when in possession of the ball.
Interesting facts: According to the official Tri-Nations statistics, New Zealand effected almost twice as many turnovers as the Aussies, securing 27 turnovers to the Wallabies' 14.
This statistic illustrates that New Zealand were almost twice as effective at the breakdown as Australia were, which reflects McCaw and So'oialo's dominance over Smith and Waugh. In their defence, the Aussie flanks probably had very little chance of contesting for the ball at the breakdown once their tight forwards lost the physical battle so drastically against their Kiwi counterparts.
In hindsight, Deans' decision to play two relatively short flanks (Smith and Waugh) backfired badly in the line-outs, as Australia had one, possibly two less line-out options than New Zealand.
This was clear during the game as Thorn and Williams pilfered Aussie line-outs at will. It is also reflected in the line-out stats, which show that Australia lost eight of their 24 line-outs (33 percent), while the All Blacks lost only one out of 10 (10 percent).
The Tri-Nations is now wide open, and South Africa's home matches against New Zealand and Australia will now take on an even more mouth-watering dimension.
By Phil Coetzer
