New Zealand, with one eye on the grand prize of next year’s rugby World Cup, are switching game plans to keep rival teams off the scent, assistant coach Wayne Smith said here Thursday.
The All Blacks take on the Wallabies in the second match of the Bledisloe Cup and doubling as a Tri-Nations Test on Saturday, but rugby’s top-rated team is keen not to show too much in the countdown to the World Cup in France.
Amid claims of paranoia with training sessions here ringed by security guards, the All Blacks don’t want to show too much of how they intend playing next year’s World Cup.
The Kiwis darkly remember how they were ambushed by the Wallabies when tournament favourites in the semifinal of the 2003 World Cup in Sydney.
New Zealand will claim the Bledisloe Cup for a third straight year and take an iron grip on the Tri-Nations series with victory over Australia at Lang Park on Saturday.
The All Blacks are in the box seat after downing the Wallabies 32-12 in Christchurch on July 8 and are fielding their strongest team after making eight changes from the 35-17 victory over beleaguered South Africa in Wellington last Saturday to remain unbeaten in the Tri-Nations.
”We start from the perspective that everybody does their homework and the last thing we can be is predictable,” backs coach Smith told reporters on Thursday.
”If you look at all our games this year we haven’t replicated a game plan at all, in fact, we’ve been totally different in two or three games.
”That has put a lot of pressure on us in terms of combinations and probably in performance, but it’s something we’re conscious of a need to do.”
So forensic is the opposing teams’ analysis of the All Blacks, that Smith said New Zealand were cloaking their game plans to keep something up their sleeves for the future.
”The analysis systems are so good. We’re trying to play the game that you need to do against any given opposition at any given time, so we’ll start off with an idea about how we’re going to play it.
”But a part of that is giving players the responsibility to make decisions on the run and make changes as they need to on the field.
”You can pre-plan to a certain extent, but a lot of coaching today is about helping people accelerate their option-taking with experience.”
Dynamic winger Joe Rokocoko has lamented diminishing attacking chances in the modern game, such is the homework opposing coaches have done on trying to stop the All Blacks spreading the ball.
”Knowledge is an important thing in the game and the quality of information is important and you prepare to counter teams’ strengths,” Smith said.
”Clearly, people like Joe [Rokocoko] are a strength so you would expect that in a professional environment that it’s going to be difficult to play one way, you have to be on your toes, you have to be less predictable, you have to change the picture at any given time.
”If you put yourself in an opposition coach’s shoes you would say ‘where are we going to stop this team, where are they most dangerous?’
”I think anyone of us [coaches] would say we have try to limit the opportunities out wide, so it’s reality, we have to play within that and try to develop other parts of our attack.”
But Smith likes what he sees of Rokocoko at training this week.
”Joe had the turbos on yesterday [Wednesday], he looked pretty electric and he’s got great agility, power and explosiveness and you want to bring that into the game, so we’re hopeful we’ll be able to use him a bit on Saturday.”
Shrewd Smith is also mindful of the impact Wallaby playmaker Stephen Larkham can have against New Zealand this weekend.
”He’s a quality player. He’s a unique sort of player in the way he takes the ball to the line as a flyhalf and passes mid-stride, he’s difficult to pick when he’s going to pass, it can be off either foot.
”The style Australia is adopting this year suits his game, he’s a great decision-maker and he gives himself time, so he’s one player you have to be aware of.” – AFP
