All Blacks v Scotland: How the attacking evolution could click at Murrayfield
Liam Napier in Edinburgh
All Blacks v Scotland – 3.10am, Sunday
From where they started this season to the final leg of their torrid campaign, attacking transformation sits at the heart of the All Blacks’ evolution under Dave Rennie. The question now is whether that trajectory will continue in the northern climes against contrasting opposition.
In style, skill and attacking mindset, Scotland are the most comparable Six Nations side to the All Blacks. That should, in theory, play into the All Blacks’ hands at Murrayfield this weekend, provided their defence can contain the local threats.
When the opposition wants to play, Rennie’s All Blacks have looked their best.
The dominant Bledisloe double proved that the Rennie-led revival of the All Blacks attack thrives against opponents who attempt to use the ball.
The Wallabies were significantly inferior last month, partly because their attacking inaccuracy and shared desire to keep the ball in play fuelled the All Blacks’ lethal counter-attack.
The All Blacks struggled in South Africa when their set piece was squeezed, when the pace slowed, when they couldn’t solve their high ball issues, and when they lost the physical battle at the breakdown.
For all their improvement in recent years, Scotland don’t appear equipped up front, particularly at scrum time, and won’t produce a similar style to challenge the All Blacks in the same fashion as the Boks.
Most of those pressing concerns, other than the ongoing lineout wobbles, were amended against the Wallabies which allowed the All Blacks’ attacking strike to flourish at Eden Park and Sydney.
The next four weeks will solidify those improvements – or reveal more work is required.
At this stage, further evidence is required.
“We reviewed that [South African] tour and it’s fair to say we got beaten up at the set piece,” in-form All Blacks loose forward Peter Lakai said in Edinburgh after Rennie named his strongest available team for Scotland.
“We touched that up against the Wallabies to give us the best chance to have possession and play at the right parts of the field. We were happy with our results against Australia but coming up north it’s a different beast. They’re quality teams we’re going to play. We’ve set the standard for ourselves but we’ve got to lift it on this tour.
“The coaches always encourage us to play what we see. That’s our DNA. We’ll continue to stick with that.”
From an attacking perspective, Rennie’s All Blacks have rapidly progressed in five short months.
They started the season on an all-out attacking crusade with a near refusal to kick the ball against France and Italy in July.
The intent to chase width, to offload and overload edges reinvigorated a team stifled by suffocating structure.
Better balance was needed, though.
The All Blacks didn’t generate the desired platform enough against the Springboks – yet their attack remained the best part of their game.
Against the Wallabies, the evolution continued. Some in obvious ways – their average five tries per game points to their potency.
But Cam Roigard kicking from the base much more also signalled a notable change that vastly improved the high ball battleground – a tactic that is likely to be retained as the All Blacks seek to chase down the Boks to secure a place in the Nations Championship final.
Other, more subtle shifts in the All Blacks attack are also evident, such as the seamless Damian McKenzie and Beauden Barrett playmaking interchange.
When one is out of action, the other slots in to ensure the attack continues to flow.
Jordie Barrett’s return from injury for Scotland offers another first receiver option, too.
McKenzie will harness fond memories of his match-winning impact role off the bench that saved the All Blacks this time last year at Murrayfield. His 50-22 kick and pirouetting try in the corner broke Scottish hearts to maintain the All Blacks unbeaten record.
He’s been ever-present for the All Blacks, playing a staggering 38 successive tests, but only since switching from fullback to first-five following Ruben Love’s season-ending injury – and Richie Mo’unga’s calf setback – has McKenzie received his flowers.
Playing behind a supremely dominant pack against the Wallabies paved the platform but McKenzie’s option-taking and execution reinforced his value to the All Blacks. His combination with Barrett speaks to veterans who know each other well, gelling together with no ego.
“It’s all about balance,” Rennie said. “We’ve got a far better understanding of the attack. When we played France, we had 10 days together.
“We’ve come a long way since then, we’ve learnt a lot. You can see it when we train; there’s a lot more familiarity around roles and responsibilities.
“The way we want to play our skill set needs to be strong. We need to be really accurate. The quality of your carry and clean is a big part of your attack and having the balance around some smart kicking to apply pressure.
“I thought we got a good mix against the Wallabies. If it’s on play, we’re going to play. Scotland will be the same.”
The other shifts are evident in playing through the middle more, utilising the dynamic All Blacks forwards to punch and offload, and in their conditioning.
Rennie’s non-negotiable demands for repeat efforts to implement the up-tempo style elevated fitness standards – and the training intensity has lifted several notches post the South African tour.
The All Blacks’ average ball in play has increased from 37 seconds last year to at least 45 seconds this season which dictates everyone must be on their feet, ready to carry the ball or clean a ruck.
Rennie’s All Blacks are, essentially, attempting to play faster for longer to challenge opposition to match their aerobic capacity.
Time together, better balance and understanding of their game style, and personnel changes, even with a ruthless injury toll, have shaped the All Blacks’ ongoing attacking evolution.
Welcoming Asafo Aumua and Anton Segner back from injury, and including Timoci Tavatavanawai over Anton Lienert-Brown on the bench, before unleashing Leicester Fainga’anuku next week, should also ensure the All Blacks sustain their quest to blend pace with power.
All Blacks:
1. Ethan de Groot, 2. Codie Taylor (c), 3. Fletcher Newell, 4. Scott Barrett, 5. Fabian Holland, 6. Tupou Vaa’i, 7. Peter Lakai, 8. Wallace Sititi, 9. Cam Roigard, 10. Damian McKenzie, 11. Josh Moorby, 12. Jordie Barrett, 13. Quinn Tupaea, 14. Will Jordan, 15. Beauden Barrett
16. Asafo Aumua, 17. George Bower, 18. Pasilio Tosi, 19. Christian Lio-Willie, 20. Anton Segner, 21. Cortez Ratima, 22. Timoci Tavatavanawai, 23. Rieko Ioane
Scotland:
1. Rory Sutherland, 2. Ewan Ashman, 3. Zander Fagerson, 4. Gregor Brown, 5. Scott Cummings, 6. Matt Fagerson, 7. Rory Darge (VC), 8. Jack Dempsey, 9. Ben White, 10. Finn Russell, 11. Jamie Dobie, 12. Sione Tuipulotu (c), 13. Huw Jones, 14. Kyle Steyn (VC), 15. Kyle Rowe
16. Gregor Hiddleston, 17. Pierre Schoeman, 18. Will Hurd, 19. Max Williamson, 20. Josh Bayliss, 21. George Horne, 22. Tom Jordan, 23. Blair Kinghorn
Liam Napier is a Senior Sports Journalist and Rugby Correspondent for the New Zealand Herald. He is a co-host of the Rugby Direct podcast.
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