The Round 2 for the 2016 Rugby Championship was played on the weekend with two back-to-back games after last weekend’s fixtures. First, New Zealand was hosting Australia at Westpac Stadium, Wellington while South Africa made the trip to Argentina to face them.
New Zealand were confident before that second game against the Wallabies following their impressive disaplay last weekend (8-42 win in Sydney). During the week, the All Blacks coach Steve Hansen backed his players to deliver at home against Michael Cheika’s team.
In a tough situation just before this contest, it was all about making amends for Australia after what happened on their home turf last weekend. Michael Cheika made some changes to his starting XV and gambled a lot, showing that he is struggling to improve his group.
After a very close encounter between the two nations, South Africa and Argentina were also facing each other in a second game. The Springboks won the first game in the last moments thanks to a late try on left wing thanks to the Lions skipper Warren Whiteley.
South Africa was targeting a second straight win to keep their Rugby Championship Title hopes alive. However, it was not going to be easy with Argentina practising an expansive game. All the points were going to be very important to top standings and put pressure.
Going into that Round 2, New Zealand were still the favourites to retain the top position in the standings. Australia were looking for a better performance. South Africa and Argentina are also decent contenders for a win in this competition as they show threat on the field.
Team News : Fair-play from the All Blacks towards the Wallabies
In the build-up of that game, during the weekend, the New Zealand coaching staff did not want to talk about controversies which happened before the opening game. Listening device had been found on the All Blacks’ hotel room with Australia denying involvement.
Later in the week, five players were called in the training camp as injury covers : Hookers James Parsons and Liam Coltman, centre Seta Tamanivalu along back-three players Rieko Ioane and Damian McKenzie. Only James Parsons and Seta Tamanivalu are capped players.
These announcements were made after that concerns were raised over some All Blacks players. Nathan Harris injured his knee, Codie Taylor is concussed, Ryan Crotty had to be replaced last weekend with a leg injury and Waisake Naholo injured his hamstring, as well.
Finally, Steve Hansen named quite a strong team with Joe Moody coming back at prop after missing the first Test match. Dane Coles won his battle against a rib injury and will be partnered in the front-row with Crusaders prop Owen Franks, rewarding by the staff.
With the second-row, Brodie Retallick and Sam Whitelock retained their respective jersey with the back-row, a classic one. Following a magnificient performance last weekend, Jerome Kaino was named at flanker with Sam Cane and Kieran Read, captaining the team.
In the half-backs, the All Blacks coaches trusted Aaron Smith at scrum-half with Beauden Barrett being given another run at first-five eighth. The biggest surprise came at second-five eighth with the uncapped player from the Chiefs, Anton Lienert-Brown, starting.
Having played at inside centre during the first Wallabies game, Malakai Fekitoa was handed the number 13 jersey. There was some re-shuffle in the back-three with, first of all, Ben Smith taking his fullback position back and so switching from that wing position.
Then, in the wings, Israel Dagg and Julian Savea will have some opportunities. With Waisake Naholo unavailable, Israel Dagg takes his wing position with Julian Savea rewarded after a good impact off the bench in the first Test match when he scored a try.
First-half of the game : Forwards battle and Foul play
Staged at Westpac Stadium, Wellington, the second Test in the Rugby Championship was referred by the Frenchman official Romain Poite with Jaco Peyper running on sidelines. South-african official Shaun Veldsman was named as the TMO (Television Match Official).
New Zealand won the coin toss and skipper Kieran Read chose to kick-off and retain the left side of the field in the first-half. First-five eighth Beauden Barrett kicked off and the Wallabies secured the ball in their 22-metre zone and a first clearance from Quade Cooper.
Taking the lineout on the Australia’s own half, hooker Dane Coles connected with Brodie Retallick in the second-row. Referee Romain Poite awarded a first penalty after that Scott Fardy infringed the breakdown. Beauden Barrett found a lineout in the 22-metre zone.
Forwards were working a lot in these opening minutes with prop Owen Franks and flanker Jerome Kaino already making carries. However, Australia were expecting that and the defence managed to get a good turnover thanks to the Wallabies captain Stephen Moore.
Getting the counter-attacking ball, the Wallabies playmaker Bernard Foley, playing 12, threw the ball to Samu Kerevi but the outside centre kicked the ball directly into touch. Weather conditions were difficult with rain falling on the Wesptac Stadium in Wellington.
Some tension was there at the breakdown with both sides showing pride. The All Blacks executed the gameplan and retained possession in the Wallabies’ 22-metre zone. Dane Coles threw the ball at the lineout with Sam Cane securing it before moving wide to right.
Highlanders scrum-half Aaron Smith combined with Beauden Barrett and all the backline. New capped player Anton Lienert-Brown got the ball and made the great assist to winger Israel Dagg who touched down for the first try on the right wing after only 8 minutes (5-0).
From a difficult angle, on the right touchline, Beauden Barrett converted the try to extend the lead (7-0). Australia immediately came back into this game thanks to huge physicality brought by Scott Sio and their flankers Michael Hooper with David Pocock, a true leader.
Under pressure, the All Blacks were penalised for coming to the side in a ruck. Bernard Foley took the kick and managed to put his team on the scoreboard only two minutes after New Zealand’s first try (7-3). Beauden Barrett made the re-start near the 22-metre zone.
Looking to secure the ball at the breakdown, the Wallabies conceded a penalty as Romain Poite stated that prop Sekope Kepu made a side entry. On the 22-metre line, that was okay for Beauden Barrett with the All Blacks back to a 7-point lead after a quarter played (10-3).
Michael Cheika was a bit nervous in the coaching box with the Australia’s set-piece not up to the standards. The Wallabies lost two consecutive lineouts with Kane Douglas and Adam Coleman struggling to find the good combinations with their hooker Stephen Moore.
More misery was on the Australia players when winger Adam Ashley-Cooper, who was having a quiet game, had to come off the field for an HIA (Head Injury Assessment) protocol. Michael Cheika decided to bring the uncapped player Reece Hodge on the field.
It was a bit better from Michael Cheika’s men with scrum-half Will Genia playing with speed. Quade Cooper looked to throw the combos in midfield with Samu Kerevi trying to find space. Winger Dane Haylett-Petty was waiting patiently on his wing for the good ball.
Referee Romain Poite rewarded Australia for their efforts. The All Blacks second-rower Sam Whitelock did not manage to steal the ball with his Crusaders teammate Joe Moody. Centre Malakai Fekitoa took informations with Ben Smith helping the defence.
Stephen Moore opted for the kick on the left touchline with Bernard Foley taking the penalty. The Waratahs player was successful and Australia was hanging on despite not a lot of possession. The Wallabies were back in this game with 21 minutes played (10-6).
Australia took the ball from a long re-start and calmed things down. Flanker Scott Fardy made it sure to protect the ball with Will Genia throwing the ball to Quade Cooper. This time, the clearing kick was not good enough with New Zealand having possession back.
In their opponents’ 22-metre zone, Dane Coles found his jumper Brodie Retallick and some All Blacks deacoy runners appeared when the ball was unleashed in the midfield. Misdjudging, Samu Kerevi gave too many space for the Hurricanes man Beauden Barrett.
Taking the space, the New Zealand first-five eighth made a great run and threw the assist to Israel Dagg for his second try on the night on the right wing again in the 23rd minute (15-6). Beauden Barrett tried to convert the try but it was wide to the right (15-6).
Having failed his HIA (Head Injury Assessment) protocol, Adam Ashley-Cooper was not going to come back on the field. The Wallabies Israel Folau provided a couple of good runs for his team but the All Blacks defence with Kieran Read leading it was just unbreakable.
New Zealand came back near the Wallabies try line with good carries from the forwards and Joe Moody in particular. Scrum-half Aaron Smith played short-side but the ball was intercepted by Will Genia but the TMO (Television Match Official) was called by referee.
Review showed than New Zealand hooker Dane Coles cleaned the breakdown illegally with a swinging arm on Scott Fardy. Romain Poite reversed a penalty which had been given first to the All Blacks. Kane Douglas looked to call the good combination on resulting lineout.
Steve Hansen’s men managed to steal it first and then earned a penalty with Julian Savea and Ben Smith looking for space in the midfield. Beauden Barrett lined up for the penalty on the 10-metre line but the ball fell to the left of the posts with 10 minutes to go (15-6).
Scrum time was a major issue in that game as the two front-rows never managed to go into a fair contest. On halfway line, Romain Poite awarded a penalty to the Wallabies with the All Blacks prop Owen Franks penalised for angling in and Scott Sio winning his duel.
Melbourne Rebels versatile player Reece Hodge took the kick and there was plenty on it. Australia was remaining in the game with the 35th minute coming (15-9). Two minutes later, fullback Israel Folau made a territory kick with New Zealand on the counter-attack.
Throwing the ball to his left, winger Ben Smith was tackled without the ball which had reached Malakai Fekitoa. Referee Romain Poite did not hesitate and quickly branded the yellow card to the Wallabies lock Adam Coleman for that very dangerous shoulder charge.
Second-rower Dean Mumm was immediately brought on the park with Scott Fardy temporarily making his way. Stephen Moore received treatment while Jerome Kaino gained valuable metres on the lineout which resulted from the sin-bin and the penalty.
Following a last phase of play, Bernard Foley said that it was enough and kicked the ball into touch. It was half-time at Wesptac Stadium, Wellington with tough weather conditions and a brutal first-half with a physical contest and too much foul play (15-9).
Second-half of the game : The All Blacks finding their game
Going back on the field for this second-half, the All Blacks players knew that the job was not done yet with the Wallabies still in contention to get the win. That first-half was a brutal contest between the two sides and not much attacking phases of play were made.
New Zealand came back on the Wesptac Stadium pitch with much more intent. Aaron Smith played with a higher tempo and Anton Lienert-Brown made good yards on the midfield. Winger Julian Savea was getting the ball more and his impact was really obvious.
Flanker Sam Cane brought the linespeed both in attack and in defence. Finding the balance between forwards and backs, Beauden Barrett made a crossed-field kick for Julian Savea on the left wing. The Hurricanes winger collapsed with Quade Cooper in the air.
It was a turnover with Australia getting the ball back as it was a fair turnover. Thanks to this new momentum, Will Genia found a gap in the midfield with Ben Smith and Israel Dagg not closing the door. Nevertheless, the All Blacks defence recovered very quickly.
Skipper Kieran Read made a huge contribution at the breakdown with Joe Moody in support. Taking the ball and making progress, lock Brodie Retallick made some offloads. On the right on the field, Aaron Smith decided to play with his backs on the left open side.
Beauden Barrett received the ball and put fullback Ben Smith into space. Dane Haylett-Petty was too late and numbers were found on the left wing. The ball reached Julian Savea who showed physicality to score his 41st Test try on his home turf after 47 minutes (22-9).
In an extremely difficult position, on the left touchline, Beauden Barrett made an outstanding kick and converted the 3rd New Zealand try (24-9). Couple of minutes later, Australia had the opportunity to come back into this game with a big 48-metre penalty.
The Melbourne Rebels and new capped player Reece Hodge took the kick following the decision of Stephen Moore. However, that was a tough kick and the New Zealand players had the 22-metre drop-out with Beauden Barrett making a little chip for Jerome Kaino.
Cleverly played from the All Blacks first-five eighth, New Zealand was on the run with another good build-up and strong phases of play. Australia did not quit in this game and had the turnovers but Samu Kerevi made an handling error with 54 minutes played, there.
With 25 minutes still to be played in that contest, both sides started a kicking battle for territory. It was not a high tempo as there were many scrums ordered by the referee Romain Poite. Handling mistakes cost the two teams which wanted to play their game.
The All Blacks back-three tried to go for the counter-attack after the ball was kicked away by the Wallabies. David Pocock had managed to clear it from the scrum before throwing it to the playmakers Will Genia and Quade Cooper who made the clearance for his team.
In the back-three, Beauden Barrett, in a fullback position, tried to find space in the midfield with Ben Smith in support. Michael Hooper managed to steal it in a first time but the Wallabies were penalised for losing their feet at the breakdown to protect the ball.
On the Australia’s 10-metre line, New Zealand first-five eighth Beauden Barrett lined up for the kick but it was pushed just to the right of the posts (22-9). Australia had the 22-metre drop-out with Bernard Foley kicking with Israel Folau and Reece Hodge chasing.
Playing the 60th minute, both sides were still trying to find their rhythm in attack. There were too many infringements at the breakdown, discipline concerns and the two coaches re-shuffled their backline early, adding to the struggles in all the attacking movements.
Australia decided to play Israel Folau at wing with Reece Hodge at fullback but Dane Haylett-Petty was not enough accurate in defence. Kane Douglas did not have the required impact though Scott Sio and Sekope Kepu made huge efforts at scrum time to earn pride.
However, the strength of this All Blacks team is this ability to score from everywhere when they have a good build-up. That is what happened at the 60th-minute mark with Dane Coles providing good runs and Brodie Retallick making the link with the backline.
Centres Anton Lienert-Brown and Malakai Fekitoa showed pace and New Zealand was centimetres from the Wallabies try line. Aaron Smith recycled quickly and passed the ball to Sam Cane who dove over the try line for the 4th try of the night in Wellington (27-9).
From the right of the posts, from 30 metre out, playmaker Beauden Barrett stepped up and made a good kick for the conversion (29-9). With a quarter to go, Steve Hansen and his players had a 20-point lead with Australia unable to threaten the All Blacks on home turf.
The Wallabies did not find momentum in this game though Michael Hooper and David Pocock worked very well in tandem at the breakdown. Earning a penalty, Bernard Foley went for the lineout but the ball was caught by an All Blacks player for the counter-attack.
Winger Israel Dagg showed his skills and made some good attacking moves with all the players committed to the cause. It became a bit scrappy with Steve Hansen deciding to give some game time to the bench. Prop Wyatt Crockett came on to play his 50th Test match.
The Chiefs first-five eighth Aaron Cruden got some game time with Julian Savea being replaced. There was a re-shuffle in the backline with Ben Smith switching to the wing and Beauden Barrett taking the fullback. Seta Tamanivalu got some time on the pitch, as well.
Australia tried to salvage something from this game and they went for the try. Nick Phipps and Tevita Kuridrani came off the bench to bring more power to the backline. Nevertheless, that was not enough as both teams were less accurate with their basics.
It was a huge battle at scrum and at the breakdown with Australia conceding another penalty at the 72nd minute. The All Blacks skipper Kieran Read said to the French official Romain Poite that he really wanted the scrum on the 22-metre line, in the Wallabies half.
New Zealand was building a score with Kieran Read picking the ball at the back of the scrum and offloading to Aaron Smith. The ball reached Aaron Cruden who attempted a grubber kick but he knocked it on with Quade Cooper turning the ball over on his try line.
Few minutes later, the Wallabies playmaker linked with his fullback Israel Folau who found a gap in the defence. Australia pushed for the try at the very end and scrum-half Nick Phipps scored a try after ambitious phases of play from Michael Cheika’s players.
Referee Romain Poite called for another TMO review with Shaun Veldsman confirming that the Australia scrum-half had knocked the ball on just before scoring. The try was ruled out with New Zealand team having the 5-metre scrum on their 5-metre line, then.
On that last scrum, Ardie Savea made a huge effort and TJ Perenara tried to build something. Finally, the ball was lose and he kicked it over the line. New Zealand have retained the Bledisloe Cup for the 14th consecutive year since 2003 with great win (29-9).
The Barrett Review : Cementing the number 10 jersey
Kicks : 4/7 – The kicking conditions are always tough in Wesptac Stadium with rain and wind. That was a good performance from Beauden Barrett with one penalty and three conversions scored including one from the left touchline. That will give him confidence.
General play : Beauden Barrett managed the game well with good territory kicks and an assist on Israel Dagg’s second try. He was invloved in 3 of the 4 New Zealand tries and also made a good crossed-field kick with a good attacking threat thanks to great linespeed.
Conclusion : Beauden Barrett has cemented the All Blacks number 10 jersey. He backed his performance from last weekend and guided New Zealand to another convincing win. His versatility is key in the last 20 minutes with his ability to play in the All Blacks back-three.
Congratulations Beaudy ! Another Bledisloe Cup !
Max.
Rugby, Only Rugby ! 