Hmm… kind of average. Not bad, but far from great. If we’re handing out report cards for the All Blacks’ 31-27 victory over France over the weekend, it’s a C+ from me – comfortably above a pass mark, but nothing to pop champagne over.
Should we be concerned? Maybe.
Let’s first praise the French though, who boasted a B – some would even say C – side that included nine debutants. They showed up ready to brawl – well-prepared, cleverly coached, and armed with a tactic designed to rattle the All Blacks, and they very nearly pulled it off.
Their attack found holes in our defence, which itself needs some serious tweaking. France deserves a B+ for their efforts – high marks for a rotated team that pushed us right to the brink.
But for the All Blacks? It’s a little bit disappointing. Not because they were terrible – they weren’t – but because this didn’t feel like the standard we should expect from them. For a team with greatness in its DNA, 80 minutes of “yeah not bad” simply isn’t going to cut it.
The good news is, we won. The set piece? Outstanding. Our lineouts? Crisp as a fresh baguette. The scrum? Imposing. The three Barrett brothers, Ardie Savea and Cam Roigard were just a handful of good performers, and the four debutants – highlighted by an 80-minute showing from Fabian Holland – made their mark.
And let’s not forget the three disallowed tries, two of which could easily have been awarded. Score even one of those, and we’re talking about a convincing victory rather than a too-close-for-comfort grind. Still, rugby isn’t won on hypotheticals.
But here’s the thorn in my side – rusty. We’ve heard it before, and frankly, it’s wearing thin. These players are professionals. Playing rugby is their job. There’s no room for rusty. These guys have been slogging through Super Rugby Pacific for five months, not to mention the many tests that most of them have played together.
It was the over-eagerness that bothered me. Time and again, we looked like we were trying to do too much, too soon. A bit too frenetic. A little less calculated. Pragmatism? That felt like it went out the window. We could’ve dialed it back when necessary, played the percentages, squeezed the French out of the contest. Instead, it felt a lot like watching a dog chase its tail – plenty of motion, but not much progress.
Again though, to France’s credit, they fought like contenders. On both sides of the ball they frustrated us, their kicking game in play and off the tee was superb, their backline was buzzing – it was a brilliant performance from a side us Kiwi rugby fans probably wrote off a bit too quickly.
All Black-related grumbles aside, here’s what gives me hope as we move forward. Historically, the All Blacks always seem to shape up by the third test of the July series. For many years the first couple of internationals have never been great, and often by the time the Rugby Championship rolls around, we hit another gear. Nothing brings improvements faster than the sting of an unimpressive performance. And hey, for all the sweat and fluster of this first showing, the headline reads “All Blacks Win.” That’s what matters most, right?
Still, no one within the All Blacks camp should over celebrate, and I doubt they are. There is work to do, and plenty of it. They’ll have their sights set on tightening up the defence, smoothing out execution, and tempering composure when they next take the field. Because while every win counts as a win, we all know it takes more than “pretty good” to meet the expectations of the All Blacks – we have a reputation for a reason.
So a C+ is what I give us – some great moments, a few concerns. Enough to win a test against a worthy opponent, but the return of that all too familiar word – rusty.
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