The Agenda | All Blacks Moments, Warrior's Defence Worries? & RWC Crystal Ball

0:00Gerard's horse and hound have successfully helped keep your horses and dogs on the track for over 20 years, with the largest range of specialty equine and canine products, plus monthly specials and industry leading advice. Visit horseandhound.com.au today. The agenda. Agenda one. Just staying on the the all blacks game team. Just defining moments in the game for you that sort of lost it for us. I thought like you said guy first half of rugby was bloody entertaining. I mean 3 30 a.m. 3 45 a.m. I was pretty up and about for that time of the morning after a game of rugby. But it seemed like something switched in that second half where the box just became a little bit more clinical and just had that upper hand I think on the all blacks. Was there anything in particular that stood out to you that might have made that switch like obvious to you? I briefly talked about it in the state of play around how I felt the spring box defensive line were just rushing quite quickly in particular out wide.

1:02And so as we're trying to do this running, playing the ball rugby, we're struggling to find out out of edges at times and our set piece isn't tight enough on that. So I would say we were doing phase after phase and not really getting much territory. And then in the end I felt like we were either getting absolutely demolished by that spring box defense or we were having the unforeseen errors. Just suffocated. Just absolutely suffocated. There were two moments for me that stand out. Lee Roy Carter missing the tackle on Jesse Creel in the second half, one on one tackle that he should be making 100 times out of 100 really. At least not letting him through like he did. And he knew straight away. He was so gutted. I'm not saying there was the effort wasn't there. He just didn't go low enough. It was a poor attempt. It was a poor tackle.

2:03And he had the first put his hand up. I think he missed one of the first half as well. So defensively I think those two moments were big. And then there was another moment that I didn't actually think was his fault because I thought it was the right decision to make. And that was Will Jordan's kick down field. Must have been around that 50 or 60 minute mark or when that rule was. And it just got a pretty unlucky bounce, bounced forward when dead in goal. Box get the scrum about 35 out or so. Then they kicked it. Then from that scrum as a penalty they kicked a touch. And then there's that rolling mall which goes for 25, 30 minutes. And that just changes the game like that. So it was those moments that really stood out for me. One was unlucky from Will Jordan. That mall was again very average defense from the All Blacks. And Lee Ricard is a miss tackle on GC Krill. With the moments for me when I was sitting at home watching it very early on Sunday morning going, ah shit this one might be getting away from us. Yeah it just felt like they, something switched day. Like it was pretty even you'd say through 55 minutes. And then it just felt like this box just got a second win almost, which is interesting

3:07because I feel like we've always talked about the All Blacks putting away teams in that last like 15, 10 to 15 minutes. And I feel like in the first test we had that, second and third I feel like we had sort of were out of breath I guess. Like the box would just pushing down on us like constantly suffocating us. And yeah, I mean, if Ardy doesn't go down with that shoulder entry as well, I think that must be, that would be a big, a big change I think just having a bit more experience on the park and maybe some of the bit more of a level head, not making bad decisions. Like I don't want to say this was a bad decision but Carl Prist and taking that quick tap. Yep, yep. I think if we kick to the corner, we might go under there as well. But look, that's one decision out of an 80 minute game. It's hard to pinpoint them. They did that a few times. Cameroy Guad did that a few times quick taps and I started to wonder that that must be something that they had pinpointed in the build up to it that tried to keep the box on the back foot, particularly at Alistair Trude. That's where I have, I don't know, they haven't asked, haven't had a chance to ask anyone

4:07from the All Blacks but I wonder if that was a game plan that if they got taps in certain positions of the park or certain areas of the park when they felt like the box weren't back then, they did always take, well that they often took the quick tap and I do wonder if that was part of the plan but I completely agree with you. I thought at that stage that was the wrong decision and re-arty, I thought Arty was having his best test match for a long time. Agreed. Not just the two tries to, it's helped obviously but I thought around the park he was everywhere and that was the best I'd seen on plan of Black Jersey this year I'd say and I thought there was a big moment when he got injured. And it was on that massive losing that experience and that leadership. But I thought Wallace Cateri came on and did a really solid job. There's a lot of talk around he's been quite inconsistent in the Black Jersey, how was he going to front up? He hasn't necessarily played against the spring box yet. But I actually thought he came on and he did his job. He wasn't anything flashy but we did lose that leadership and that experience that Arty

5:08just zooped and then I feel like everyone else ends up being influenced by that and getting on that wicker. Someone just steady, calm and getting involved in everything. It's a big example. Also Ruben Love off the tee was not the greatest but he needs experience and that's what he's there for. Agenda too. Warrior's team, they got there the game this weekend against the dolphins but something I noticed I feel like in the last three games. Defense has been a little bit of an issue. This could come down to injuries and the team being a bit mismatched out in the backline but 88 points leaked in the last three games which is a bit unwarrieous like I think this season. So is there any call for concern heading into this weekend's massive gaming as the dolphins you think? I always, I've always believed that I think our wingers in particular are poor defenders. Like Dallin, Alofiana is a little bit better in my personal opinion but we're not going to get Dallin back and the likes of Sharns is a player who is so amazing but he has to

6:10be utility and he's needed sort of everywhere and I don't think the wing is where he needs to be. He has our best fallback that we have. However Tuao Pikki on attack over the weekend had probably one of the most amazing games that I've ever seen him on his career but on the defensive side of it his stature is a lot smaller and he has been tending to slip a few holes and missing a few tackles. So I don't want to say it's due to just an experience because you've had so one time not this week but last week you had majority of that 13 people in the field were under 23 but that's wild is an experience can you, I don't want to use that as cop out but is that involved with some of this laps in judgement not having weight again there probably again was another hole I don't know what do you think about it guy? It doesn't worry me. It's good. It actually doesn't worry me. The reason for that is because those last two games were games where certainly the

7:16one just been possibly even the one before that they were pretty much a short of their top two finish and so they've had they've rested a couple of players that a few injuries as well so I kind of sit there and I go they weren't their full strength. Yeah the minor premiership was probably something that they wanted to win and they were playing for but they're a much bigger fish to fry and I just think at times maybe they were potentially looking ahead to the next to this weekend against the dolphins in the first round at the playoffs and I think if they are to win this game I don't think anyone will care how the defence has gone in the last couple of weeks. Yeah they've leaked a couple and they were a couple of soft tries there but ball in hand they look excellent as good as they have looked all season and there's just a couple of things minor things I think they are that they have to tighten up so yeah it doesn't worry me I think I think the warriors will be fine when they'll rise to the occasion against a team like the dolphins in games that matter. Yeah fair enough I think yeah then mismatch backline probably is causing a lot of issues of that defence. I think it's well.

8:16It'll be interesting to see who starts on that wing as well and where chance goes. Is he going into centre? Leica should be back so I feel like he'll go into centre then who goes on the wing as Pompey there is Toa Picki still starting at full back after the attacking game he had last week so tomorrow is going to be very interesting when it comes to team list Tuesday on how the warriors end up setting out their playing side. Definitely. Agenda 3. Just finally, Crystal Ball mode here team, Rugby World Cup 12, 14 months away talking to Guy about this earlier. We've seen the all blacks play how many what five, six tests this year, three obviously against the number one team in the world. How are you feeling and what do you think could happen in 12 to 14 months time when the Rugby World Cup is all go? I'm just going to read you out. I can't, I'm actually disappointed in myself that I'm giving this year time but I'm going to read you out text from Paul on double eight double three who says good afternoon you clowns said the all blacks would win the series and Rene lives in Rassie's head.

9:20Was that based on beating a French D team wins against three African club sides in a first test win which was a warm up for the box. Was it based on nothing but typical cocky arrogance from an all blacks fan yours truly in the next is razor, PS how's the trajectory. Paul, you don't watch rugby. I know that because all you ever talk about is league and when you text in about rugby it's just blatantly obvious you haven't watched the game. If you have watched any all blacks games since they have started this year you would have seen the improvements in the way that they're playing in the style that they have in the way that this coaching group wants them to be playing. They have just gone to South Africa one of the hardest places to play rugby in the world probably the hardest place to play rugby in the world and lost a series over the year 21, the second test by seven points and the third test by five points. It is not a couple of losses to sit here and get enormously consumed about.

10:26Dave Rene has had this team for four months. I don't even think it's been a total of four months, a max of four months. He's got another 12 to 14 months to continue to work on what he has worked on, to continue to build the areas where they are struggling at the moment and as we say Scrum is definitely one of them and they need to fix that dramatically. But overall this is a much better all black side than they were 12 months ago and if you can't see that then I can't help you. I actually agree with that. I do think they are on a way better side than they have been prior to this leadership. But the only thing I'm going to add in here too is we had a conversation prior to test, maybe test to wish and I was saying is it okay for us to lose this series? If it means we get more players gain experience, more players are knowing what it's like to play against a South African top side, if it means that we win a World Cup from this.

11:26And I remember you said to me, go, no, we have to win this series. This is it. It doesn't matter about a break, we will cut. It is 12 months, 14 months down the track but I genuinely believe if we can look bigger picture, this whole experience and this whole tour will make our all black side for the rugby world cup 10 times better. There's no better preparation than doing this greatest rivalry tour, 12 months out from a rugby world cup. Completely agree and don't get me wrong. I wanted the all black to win that series and it would have been outstanding for the all black to win that series and on Sunday morning I didn't really get back to sleep after the game because I was just gutted. But if you can't see how far this team has come in four months, then I can't help you. Like seriously I think there have been massive improvements in the way that they're playing in the way that they want to play and Melzie keeps saying it, they've got their kind of got their mojo back which did go missing. I like Razer but did go missing over the last couple of years and I think it's just an all black sprang rugby that we like seeing and I think in 12 months time it'll be considerably

12:33better than where it already is. And I think this, you might think I'm absolutely delusional saying this but what this South African Springbox has given us is a gift. They have exposed us in every area that we potentially didn't know how maybe underdeveloped or how much it needs to be worked with. We now have the time to go back on that. If we're going to be exposed now, then be exposed and a quarter final at a rugby World Cup. Someone else says Paul is right, you fanboys are desperate to be validated for supporting Rene but slated Razer from the get go. I definitely didn't. Rene isn't what you think he is, he's too soft with the players and you're seeing it looking disjointed. Rene has had them full time on tour for weeks now and they're still looking scrappy. You pundits need to admit when you're all. That is harsh. I think about not saying Razer was a bad old black coach but it's definitely not one of our greatest. If you think about when the box came to New Zealand last year and got that great win in Eden Park, we've got absolutely pants in Wellington. We're in South Africa in the Republic.

13:36We have a great win in the first games in Johannesburg, yes. Then sure we only lost two other games but they were close losses. We didn't get pants like we did in Wellington, great win against Eden Park and then literally a record loss against the box in the game in the week after whatever it was. That's not that that's an happened. So yeah. Opinions, everyone's valid to them. Keep them coming through. Don't go through. I don't want to. Sometimes I definitely don't agree with you.