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All Blacks survive physical Italy scare after captain carded
By Ned Lester
The final Test of the All Blacks' season saw them face an Italian side on the rise in what would be as physical of a contest the Kiwis have faced in 2024.
It was a scrappy contest in near-freezing conditions in Italy, but Scott Robertson's side brought down the curtain on a mammoth 2024 campaign and two iconic All Blacks careers with a 29-11 win.
An untidy start from both sides saw possession swing back and forth with handling errors and lineout steals frustrating both coaching boxes.
A superb 50/22 from Martin Page-Relo put Italy in prime attacking position, and an Ardie Savea breakdown infringement offered Paolo Garbisi a chance at an early three-point lead.
New Zealand had the upper hand in the aerial battle, winning the early contests, but Italy were immense defensively, winning the physical battle and making a mess of New Zealand's rucks, quickly dismissing any resemblance of momentum.
The All Blacks levelled the scoreboard through Beauden Barrett's boot, but Garbisi had his side back in front within a minute after Rieko Ioane claimed the kickoff behind a forward pod, obstructing the incoming tacklers.
Down three, the All Blacks then lost their captain Scott Barrett to a yellow card. The lock was guilty of a croc-roll.
Despite being down a man, the All Blacks looked more sound as the game's second quarter began and some Cam Roigard magic split the Italian defence through the shadow of a maul and scored the first try of the game.
The All Blacks started to make breaks but the resilient Italian defence proved up to the task in broken play, with desperate tackles made on New Zealand's fastest athletes.
With halftime closing in and back to their full complement, the All Blacks finally capitalised on one of their advances and who else but Will Jordan to spy the gap in the defence to claim his 38th Test try.
The seven points pushed the New Zealand lead to 17-6, perhaps a scoreline that flattered the visitors after a 100-tackle opening 40 minutes from the Italians, with 10 dominant tackles to boast.
The arm wrestle continued in the second half, and New Zealand's discipline again came under the microscope, with a referee's warning dished out before Anton Lienert-Brown was yellow carded for ripping the ball after being instructed to release.
The Azzurri's defence held strong after many All Blacks barrages, but the scrum continued to struggle and Simone Ferrari was handed a yellow card shortly after New Zealand had their 15th man back on the field.
Sam Cane departed the field and the international arena to a chorus of ovation from the Turin crowd, with many on their feet to farewell the former All Blacks captain and Test centurion.
It wasn't pretty, but as the clock ticked into the 70th minute, the All Blacks managed to get the ball wide off the back of another strong scrum and eventually found the waiting hands of Mark Tele'a who touched down in the corner. Beauden Barrett made it four from four off the tee.
After 75 minutes of character from Italy, the hosts finally got the reward for their efforts with a flying try to Tommaso Menoncello, accompanied by a roar from the Turin faithful.
Just as it looked like the hosts would have the final say, Beauden Barrett received a scrappy clearance kick and spied some space down the sideline, running from just outside the Italian 22 for a try to sign, seal and deliver New Zealand's 14th win of the season to the tune of 29-11.
The final whistle was blown and while it was a far cry from the 96-17 drubbing in last year's World Cup, New Zealand did farewell Sam Cane and TJ Perenara with a hard-fought victory.
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Latest Comments
Set pieces are important and the way teams use them is a great indication of how they play the game. No team is showcasing their revolution more than the Springboks. This year they have mauled less and primarily in the attacking third. Otherwise they have tended to set like they are going to maul and then play around the corner or shove the ball out the back. They arent also hitting the crash ball carrier constantly but instead they are choosing to use their width or a big carrying forward in wider areas. While their maul is varied the scrum is still a blunt instrument winning penalties before the backs have a go. Some teams have chosen to blunt their set piece game for more control. The All Blacks are kicking more penalties and are using their powerful scrum as an attacking tool choosing that set piece as an attacking weapon. Their willingness to maul more and in different positions is also becoming more prominent. The French continue to play conservative rugby off the set piece using their big bruisers frequently. The set piece is used differently by different teams. Different teams play different ways and can be successful regardless. They can win games with little territory and possession or smash teams with plenty of both. The game of rugby is for all types and sizes and thats true in the modern era. I hope that administrators keep it that way and dont go further towards a Rugby League style situation. Some administrators are of the opinion that rugby is too slow and needs to be sped up. Why not rather empower teams to choose how they want to play and create a framework that favours neither size nor agility. That favours neither slow tempo play or rock n roll rugby. Create a game that favour both and challenge teams to execute their plans. If World Rugby can create a game like that then it will be the ultimate winner.
Go to commentsA new axis at 10, 12 & 13 is needed. And to start blooding young players who may be good enough to win us a world cup rather than stick with known players who won't.
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