Following the All Blacks' narrow win over England at Twickenham in the weekend, ODT Online rugby writer Jeff Cheshire identifies five key points from the game.
Conditions can be a leveller
England certainly tried hard and the All Blacks did outstandingly well in atrocious rain. In the first half the All Blacks were lethal with ball in hand, they just did not have it enough. Unfortunately by the time the second half came around the rain had well and truly set in. They piled on the pressure and dominated the entire second forty. But the weather meant that they could not truly open up and consequently played a far tighter game. This suited the English, who prefer a scrap in close.
The final score flattered England and it may be a stretch to say that the conditions indeed were a leveller, but it would have been interesting to see the same game on a dry track. It would have taken a huge effort from the English defence to contain the lethal All Black backline after being under so much pressure for so long. At the end of the day though, a win is a win and it is good to know the All Blacks can do it so effectively in conditions which very much suit their opponent more than themselves.
Missed kicks, again
The goal kicking last week against the USA was fairly average, but it did not have a huge effect. This week it was equally poor and of far greater importance. Three conversions and two penalty goals were missed making for twelve points that were left out on the field. That really is too many. To be fair, a few of those were tough kicks and the game would have restarted in a different position had the penalties been made. But in a close game, a twelve-point turnaround can be costly.
In the final minutes England were chasing a ten point lead and a penalty try saw them cut that to three. While it does not translate directly, you could at least suggest that had the kicks been made, the difference would have been closer to 20 points prior to the penalty try. All of a sudden that is a hiding as far as England is concerned. It shows the importance of kicking your goals and is something that really needs to be smoothed out sooner rather than later.
Contentious decisions
You never want to come across as too critical of a referee, particularly at the risk of looking sour grapes. But there certainly was some interesting officiating in this game. More than once it seemed the crew were swayed by the crowd's reaction. Most notable here were the instances of Dane Coles' yellow card, which seemed excessive after the TMO had suggested a penalty would suffice, and the review of Charlie Faumuina's try, after having already given it. There was the questionable try awarded to Aaron Cruden, which appeared to possibly have been short. Then there was the no-try to Sam Whitelock, in which the ball was certainly forced before going forward. Dylan Hartley was penalised for what seemed to be a legitimate tackle, while the offside lines seemed to be ignored all day. Lastly England's penalty try was puzzling, as while the scrum was dominant, it was hard to see that the All Blacks had infringed and that the English would probably have scored.
There are always going to be things missed by the referee in rugby; it is just that type of game. You can understand the odd forward pass or breakdown infringement overlooked. But it becomes a different problem when it is decisions that are directly influencing tries, shots at goal and cards. These have a direct influence on the game and while slip ups are inevitable, it is an issue to have so many in the one game.
England backs still offside and getting away with it
There is nothing more frustrating in a game of rugby than to teams constantly getting away with being offside. Such is the importance of having space and gaining momentum, it really does kill the game when team's do not have to get back onside, as it makes it so much easier for the defence. The English are particularly sly with how they do it. They will ensure their guard dogs are all onside, generally those defending the inside channel from the first five-eighth. Generally this is the only area the referee will see, as he must focus the majority of his attention on the breakdown. Outside these men though, they are always a metre or two offside. In doing this they are able to get up and shut down the All Blacks midfield, limiting their space to run, but also making it harder for them to get the ball wider. They get away with it, so you cannot blame them for doing it as it sure is an effective way to shut down what is a dangerous backline.
But it needs to be policed better. It is the touch judges, or assistant referees, who need to be doing that, rather than the referee himself. While the referee has to concentrate on the breakdown, his assistants do not need to be and at least one - perhaps the far one - needs to be given the job of watching the offside line. Seriously, it kills the game and even if they are not going to call anything else, they really need to call the offsides to help make for a better spectacle.
England replacing like with like
England had a plethora of injuries heading into this game, so it was an under-strength team which took the field. But does this mean that they were any weaker? This is not a team full of superstars. They have few players who will break a game open, or dominate a game with their individual brilliance, particularly in the forwards. Their main strength comes in their ability to work as a unit. They play with tremendous commitment, throwing themselves into contact and working hard from start to finish. So when they lost individuals this week, it was not quite such a big deal, as their replacements came in and did essentially the same job. The team remained just as effective, although admittedly were under pressure in the second half.
