By Lucky Vince Pienaar
➤ It’s hard to remember that Scott Robertson is a newbie when it comes to coaching test rugby. He seemed to slip comfortably into the role when the All Blacks took on England in Dunedin.
It’s wrong to say it was a polished performance, because it was far from perfect.
Perhaps the worst of the mistakes was All Blacks flyhalf Damian McKenzie letting the shot clock run down while lining up a very kickable penalty.
But scrappy as it was (‘rusty’ is the word being used), the All Blacks showed real determination and fighting spirit against an England team that played a match close to the standard they maintained at the World Cup.
England coach Steve Borthwick, who had a rocky start as England coach, seems to be doing what he did at Leicester: slowly building a team that can take on the best in the world – and they are almost there.
Why he persisted with Marcus Smith doing the place-kicking is a mystery. Smith, who had a good game in open play, threw away eight easy points through missed kicks which possibly cost England the victory.
The match could have gone either way. It’s too early to say, but the signs are there that the Scott Robertson-era is going to be a good one for New Zealand rugby.
New Zealand vs England
All Black tries: Sevu Reece, Ardie Savea
England tries: Maro Itoje, Immanuel Feyi-Waboso
➤ Australia under coach Joe Schmidt beat Warren Gatland’s Wales in a match that was vitally important for both teams. Neither of them are up with the best, but Australia’s attitude has not been this special for a long time. They were up for it. If they carry on playing like this, Eddie Jones’ legacy may soon be no more than a bad memory.
Argentina will be disappointed to have lost to a French team packed with eight debutants. New Pumas coach, Felipe Contepomi will have to come up with a different plan – and soon.
Nobody gave Canada a chance against Scotland in what was little more than an exhibition match. Canada looked good as they scored the first try, but that was the end of that as the Canucks let in 11 tries!
Australia (3 tries) 25-16 (1 penalty try) Wales
Argentina (2 tries) 13-28 (3 tries) France
Canada (2 tries) 12-73 (11 tries) Scotland
Pictured above: Scott Robertson
Source: @jamiewall2
