Welcome but straight into it

After a few years absence of writing a game by game review of the All Blacks performances, I am back with my words of "wisdom", views from the sidelines (or the couch mostly) and my general ranting and raving about the rugby team, the refs (!) and anything rugby related really.

Enough of the introduction, let's get straight into it.

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The current All Blacks team - hmmm, where does one start? I could start at the top with Graham Henry. I will let you all know now, I was in support of Graham retaining the top spot as coach of the All Blacks. The NZRFU and the rugby public have this obsession of turfing someone out as soon as he loses a few matches. Yes, yes, I know it was the Rugby World Cup but look at his record. Compare that to the coach of England in the lead up to their Rugby World Cup win. It was shocking. If he was a NZ coach, his days would have been numbered long before the RWC started. We need some continuity in the game. Graham did introduce the rotation policy which I did not like. It didn't work too well but at least he tried it. Everyone would have been singing his praises if it worked and we won the world cup.

Graham does need to take some responsibility for the way the All Blacks have been playing of late. With it seems one game plan only per game, the players are more than likely doing what they have been instructed to do. But the calibre of top class players we have in the team, they should be able to think on their feet if a game plan does not work. But they don't so we lose games.

Now onto the players. I am starting at the number 9 position. I still believe that Piri Weepu is

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our top number 9. I do not know why the coaches still bring him on as an impact player. If he is so good why not start him. Jimmy Cowan is not up to test match standard as a starting number 9. Swap roles and bring him on in the second half and let Piri Weepu run the game from the beginning. Without a decisive number 10 controlling the play, we need someone who can see what is going on and have the experience to go through with it.

Which naturally leads me to the number 10 position. Stephen Donald is a good player but at number 10, he should be reading the game and telling the other players around him what to do. And stop all the aimless kicking of the damn ball (that is not soley directed at Stephen). After watching past test matches where Daniel Carter would kick the ball into the corners and then attack from there, this is what we are dearly missing from the current tribe of individuals. Some structure and "thinking rugby" and not all this 'let's kick the ball and see what happens" tactic. It does not work!

Constant pressure is what is missing from this All Blacks team. The days of the All Blacks having 70-80% possesion and territory have gone because we are under the illusion that with the new rules, territory and possesion don't count for anything. The All Blacks need to go back to the basics of rugby and not throw it out left, right and centre hoping that holes will appear - they won't. It's all down to pressure of the opposition. That is why the South African team is so good - it comes down to pressure in the lineout, kicks, scrums, rucks - everything really. Something that the All Blacks were once good at.

Phew! Heavy stuff right from the start. I needed to offload this and get it out in the open.

Let's hope that a three week break will help the All Blacks get their heads around what they need to do to actually win games. Don't blame the refs, don't blame the coaches (to some extent), but look at the players themselves.

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Even though the coaching staff are trying to play it cool when it comes to getting Daniel Carter back in the All Blacks, stating that we will have a look at him playing in the Air New Zealand Cup and then we will decide. We all know full well that they can't wait to get him back. I know he is only one man but if he can dictate play then the All Blacks will win games. Fact!

But one positive coming from these losses (yes there is one), is that the All Blacks are not peaking too early for the Rugby World Cup in 2011. Maybe the South Africans and the Australians will burn themselves out before then. Here's hoping.

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