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The feat Owen Farrell achieved with Lions series that no man has in pro era
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'A black wave': Victor Vito's tactical advice for All Blacks against Ireland
By Ned Lester
It’s not easy to find fault in this Ireland team, but a former All Black with a wealth of international and club experience against the best of Irish talent has thrown in his two cents on how to put pressure on the damaging Irish attack.
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Victor Vito played over 30 games for the All Blacks, winning two Rugby World Cups before moving to France to play for La Rochelle.
Now reflecting on his experiences playing against Ireland’s best, Vito has delivered his verdict on just how beatable Andy Farrell’s team are, and what the All Blacks will have to do to compete with the world No 1s.
“Their weaknesses, to be fair they don’t have many,” Vito told The Platform.
“But, look, I think we have what it takes to beat them. I think if we can get parity up front in the set piece, for sure, especially in those forward exchanges.
“I think if we can limit Johnny Sexton’s running time and actually have a black wave that’s coming forward all the time and forcing them to go backwards, they’ll be forced to kick, but that’s easier said than done.
“We can only do that as well if we stop hugging our rucks so much. We’ve been pretty tied to the rucks and we’ve been able to be rounded by most teams actually, getting outside us and we can’t afford that against Ireland because once they’re around you, they’re scoring points.
“If we can solidify our defence and force them to go back in every exchange, I mean, we did that with La Rochelle. We analyse Jamison (Gibson-Park), Johnny (Sexton) and all of the rest of them and we’ve beaten them in the last three Champions Cup finals, whether it was semi-finals or finals.
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“It’s not easy to do, but it’s definitely doable. The challenge is there and I know the boys will be up for it.”
The match promises to be a confrontational contest, the battle for gain line will be hard won and go a long way in deciding the result.
The All Blacks have named destructive winger Leicester Fainga’anuku to start on the left wing, giving the team an extra ball running option and some more aggression around the wide breakdowns.
The selection will add some firepower in an effort to combat the dangerous form of Bundee Aki, who has been chewing through post-contact metres all tournament.
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Vito says it will be crucial for the All Blacks to assert themselves in the contact area, as the team needs to send a message early.
“I think you can’t really avoid that against a team like Ireland. You’re going to have to show them that you are abrasively there; that physically, you are present.
“But at the same time, if anything, I know that the Irish have a very strong 40 (minutes), they always come out very strong in the opening 40, and then the opening 20 of the second half.
“But if your wave can keep coming and if you can keep bringing in your power carriers like (Shannon) Frizell, and obviously Ardie (Savea) and a few other guys too, and if you can nullify someone like Bundee Aki – who’s a massive physical force for them, they rely heavily on him to go forward – if you can look after guys like that, then we’re in with more than a chance.”
