Expert Witness: James Horwill on the Bledisloe Cup

Colin Newboult

As rugby in the northern hemisphere took a short break, former Wallabies skipper James Horwill joins Expert Witness to discuss all things Bledisloe Cup.

The last few weeks have been a tough ride for Australia. A four-Test Bledisloe Cup series segues into the Tri-Nations with two of the fixtures part of that truncated tournament. Only Argentina and New Zealand remain alongside the Wallabies for the annual international competition, after they lost South Africa due to the impact of Covid-19.

The first Bledisloe match saw an exciting 16-16 draw in Wellington where New Zealand’s Jordie Barrett levelled the scores with one minute left on the clock, but thereafter the All Blacks have been in commanding form. They won 27-7 at Eden Park and that was followed by a massive statement in the first Tri-Nations contest in Sydney, hammering the hosts 43-5 to ensure they retain the Bledisloe Cup for the 18th consecutive year.

This weekend sees Australia host the All Blacks in Brisbane, before a week’s break, with them taking on Argentina in Newcastle in a fortnight.

Former Wallaby lock James Horwill is frustrated but sees green shoots of promise within the Australian camp.

“Look, it’s a strange season, with many players coming in from very disrupted positions due to COVID,” he explained.

“Add into this, rugby has very much developed into a four-year cycle in regards to team selection which has been driven by World Cups, something I believe has become far too important in terms of team thinking.

“A four-Test series versus the All Blacks is a massive ask, but there’s a lot to like about that challenge. It allows real measurement of where you are as a team.”

Culture

“Australia start slowly, or we tend to. On the upside, the emotional performance we saw in Wellington was excellent, but not closing out the win was hugely disappointing. It was a real chance to go into the next three Tests in a position of strength, but that wasn’t to be,” Horwill said.

“Under Dave Rennie, the feedback is that the group is very unified and he’s instilled a strong culture with some very good hires amongst the assistant coaches. COVID does create an intensity due to being inside the ‘bubble’ and the connectivity and relationships between the players and the coaching staff is absolutely key to bleed in new personnel in the team.

“However, it’s also fair to say the All Blacks find themselves in a similar place, with Ian Foster taking the reins from Steve Hansen. But they really are just adapting an existing culture of succession, rather than starting from scratch which is what Australia are doing. When Graham Henry left, Hansen picked the coaches jersey up and took it to new levels. Foster will look to do the same, and to keep this incredible winning culture moving forward.

“The production line of talent that New Zealand have is simply staggering, whether that be in coaching staff or playing resource. No one had really heard of Caleb Clarke a year ago, yet now he’s being hailed as one of the best talents in the world. Similar too for players like Hoskins Sotutu, a back-row that just adds another level of depth to the All Black squad.

“At half-back, they’re spoiled for choice; Richie Mo’unga or Beauden Barrett? Aaron Smith or TJ Perenara? You’re almost in the position of choosing between a Ferrari or a Porsche there, such is the depth of world-class talent.”

Balance

“With a smaller playing pool, the key for Australia is how we retain our older, experienced players yet blood the youngsters alongside. Players like Matt Toomua are essential for that stability and his absence is a huge loss for us; he at 12 allows Australia to play very much like an English side, with dual options in the first receiver role similar to the options Owen Farrell offers England when he plays at centre,” the former Australia captain added.

“When he limped off in the second Test with a groin injury late in the first half, the Wallabies felt his absence immediately, with a 10-7 half-time score blowing out to 27-7 by the final whistle. That’s how big his presence is.

“With my old pal David Pocock, a wonderful human being, finally calling time on his career, it’s been great to see the emergence of Harry Wilson at number eight, and I feel he’s made a big impact. He’s abrasive and hard, does the simple stuff well and is very reminiscent of David Lyons in his attributes.

“Taniela Tupou offers us a huge asset in the front-row and, at 24, he’s just starting his journey as a world-class prop, a position that we know takes a lot of time to fully mature in.

“But it goes back to the balance I alluded to earlier, the culture that I mentioned and a little bit of confidence. The teams that tend to do well against the All Blacks tend not to worry or react to the way they play. They set their own strategy early, hit them hard with attack rather than just looking for survival, and ask early questions of them rather than resorting to answering the questions that New Zealand will ask you.

“We’re in a position now where we have a dead rubber in the Bled, but we have a lot to play for in the Tri-Nations. Hopefully, we’ll turn up properly this Saturday, then have two fixtures against Argentina to build confidence.

“It’s going to be a long journey, but one where I feel Dave Rennie is building the right vehicle for the job. It’s a case of playing on our own terms and to our own strengths and, if we do that, I am confident we could turn over some of the recent results.”

James Horwill, a towering lock, has 61 Australian caps to his name. A Queensland Red, he captained the Wallabies during the 2011 Rugby World Cup, before joining Harlequins in 2015, remaining for four seasons.

By James While

 

Australia