The All Blacks managed to secure their second victory of the international campaign against Italy in the capital on Saturday evening. The win itself was great to break the curse the All Blacks were seemingly experiencing at the Cake Tin, but if I am being honest, I was completely underwhelmed by the performance of the side.
There were so many different factors that go into that kind of statement, but the bottom line is that if that level of performance is put out against Ireland, it won’t matter that it is at the fortress of Eden Park. Ireland could certainly put this side in a very uncomfortable situation heading to South Africa.
As mentioned, there is plenty to talk about from this performance, but if we were to cover everything, we would be here all day. So instead, why not just crack into our second stock watch of the season, where we dive into a couple of the risers and fallers from Saturday’s action.
Will Jordan | Stock Up 📈
We will get to the tries in a second, but I would first like to point out how much more of a complete rugby player Jordan has become. There is a true understanding of the game in every position he is deployed in, and it shows in his work across the park, whether that is on the defensive or attacking side of the ball.
Now to his most elite quality of all, being in the right place at the right time with pure, legendary anticipation. That anticipation was on show throughout his 80-minute performance on Saturday night and was at the heart of all three tries he dotted down for.
The really special part about that performance is that we already know him as this uber-prolific try-scorer, so it felt fitting that he broke the record with such a dominant hat-trick. It was a performance that perfectly exemplified the kind of player Jordan has been in the black jersey.
Wallace Sititi | Stock Down 📉
Almost two years removed from his breakout player of the year campaign, Wallace Sititi has never really reached those heights again. It wouldn’t be fair to say he hasn’t shown those glimpses, because there have been times when he has shown that high ceiling we know he has, but Saturday night was certainly one to forget.
Being given the starting blindside jersey felt like a real opportunity for Sititi to try to get past Peter Lakai in the loose forward hierarchy, but for me, the 80 minutes confirmed Lakai needs to be given the role between the two in the biggest games.
It felt like, against Italy, he was constantly trying to force the issue and make plays where plays weren’t there to be made. Then, when Sititi was in space and had the ability, he would just flat-out drop the ball. By the numbers, he did get stuck into a lot of work, but the game-high turnovers and the high-profile moments show that maybe he was feeling the pressure to perform.
Now, this poor 80 minutes does not define who Sititi is as a player, because we all know the quality and potential he possesses, but I must say, anyone who wanted to see the Sititi, Savea and Lakai trio starting might be hard-pressed to make that claim right now.
Josh Moorby | Stock Up 📈
What an absolute revelation Josh Moorby has been over the past four months or so, as he returned home and became one of the most prolific outside backs in the country. This weekend, in his All Black debut, Moorby was absolutely scintillating, and it truly looked like he was just flying around the Cake Tin as if he were in a Hurricanes jersey.
He was running rampant down the left wing for the 50 minutes he was on the park, constantly making the right reads, breaking the line and setting up a couple of tries in the second half.
For me, Moorby has shown he has the quality to play at international level and maybe has earned himself a start against Ireland if we are truly picking on form. And I’ll leave you with this. It is super high praise, but he does have shades of Ben Smith and Will Jordan, with that uncanny ability to be in the right place at the right time, which might just allow him to be a solid contributor for this side heading to South Africa.
Codie Taylor | Stock Down 📉
Leadership is key, but it is going to be hard to continue deploying Codie Taylor as the starting hooker over the likes of Asafo Aumua and Samisoni Taukei’aho, who have been banging down the door for the better part of 24 months.
The calling card for Taylor has become his ability to be consistent come set-piece time, but without delving into the numbers, it has seemed like that portion of his game hasn’t been where it has been in the past. Throw in the fact he was once again pinged for a couple of deflating penalties against Italy, and there is a real case to be made that the other two hookers in the squad should have the No. 2 and 16 jerseys against Ireland, trusting them rather than opting for experience.
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