More Preparation

Given some of the spin we had to endure during last week we will probably be told this match was all about honing defensive skills inside their 22.

When the simple things were done simply the All Blacks looked good, and they ran away with it at the end. However, for 60 minutes this was a performance as poor as the St James’s Park pitch, and as dysfunctional in its timing as the television coverage

What might have been. It was widely agreed by the neutrals that Tonga should have had a try just before halftime when New Zealand had a player in the bin. That would have made it 14-10 at the break.

On a third collapsed scrum With the ABs folded on the deck Tonga should have had a penalty try. Fact

— Paul Williams (@thepaulwilliams) October 9, 2015

Then, they had the All Blacks on the back foot after the break, and muffed a 6 on 2 situation. These were familiar signs; brushed over by the runaway finish.

Some questions:

 Surely we have seen the end of the Naholo experiment by now? He is not making it to the 50 minute mark, and he is not doing a lot when he is on the field.

Kieran Read and his hands. How do you fix that?

Why has Aaron Smith suddenly lost 80% of his composure at this World Cup?

Has a New Zealand scrum ever been dominated by a Pacific Islands nation scrum before? Three scrum penalties in the first half, and that is not counting the issue above.

Is it time to bite the overdue Woodcock bullet?

Are we allowed to say Conrad Smith is having a quiet World Cup to date, or is he out of bounds?

We all laugh at Dane Coles on the wing, but when is it acceptable for a tight forward to try a cross field kick inside the Opposition 22?