All Blacks legend reveals the Rassie Erasmus ploy which Scott Robertson is copying
All Blacks boss Scott Robertson with Springboks counterpart Rassie Erasmus, and ex-New Zealand back-row Murray Mexted (inset).
Legendary New Zealand number eight Murray Mexted believes All Blacks head coach Scott Robertson has prioritised building squad depth and, in doing so, he is copying a ploy used by his Springboks counterpart Rassie Erasmus.
The Springboks and All Blacks are currently ranked in first and second positions respectively in World Rugby’s official rankings and the arch rivals also finished in the top spots in the recent Rugby Championship’s standings but the world champions were crowned tournament winners due to a superior points difference, while the Wallabies and Los Pumas finished third and fourth.
South Africa and New Zealand both won four out of six matches in prestigious Southern Hemisphere tournament, with the Boks’ two defeats registered against the Wallabies and All Blacks in Johannesburg and Auckland respectively, while the latter’s losses came against Argentina in Buenos Aires and their second Test with the world champions in Wellington.
‘Razor is trying to develop a squad more than a team’
Mexted recently appeared on the DSPN podcast with Martin Devlin and the show’s host asked him whether the All Blacks have shown improvement if they were to be judged by their finishing position in the Rugby Championship and he said: “The short answer is no, but the long answer is probably the fact that Razor is trying to develop a squad more than a team. Now, they have said that when they’ve been interviewed, that this is more than just a team of 15.
“And I think we must evolve with the game. And (Springboks coach) Rassie Erasmus has set the pace by saying: ‘Hey, I haven’t got a first 15, I’ve got a first 45’.
“And he’s interfacing players and really getting similar, consistent results.
“Not totally consistent because who would ever have dreamed Australia could beat the Boks at Ellis Park, at altitude? So he’s come unstuck a few times. We have too, but it makes me think that our selectors are trying to do the same.
“And so on the show about a week or so ago, might have been two weeks ago, I said: ‘For the life of me, I can’t work out why there are five openside flankers in the squad’.
“Now, that was pretty naive of me. And at the end of that comment, I said: ‘You know, Ardie Savea is clearly one, so there’s no room for the other four’.
“But I was thinking as a first 15, not as a first 45. Now if Rassie Erasmus is doing it, I’d say Razor and the boys will be doing it at this end too. They’re trying to develop two in every position, at least maybe three if they’re lucky.
“And so that would explain why there are so many short openside or so many short flankers that can’t win first phase possession, which is the thing that I’ve been most concerned about.
“I know people will say: ‘Murray, you know, there’s other ways to win the game’. But quite frankly, if you don’t have 50 percent possession, you make it hard for yourself and all you have to do is have a whistle happy referee and you’re down the tubes.
“So once again, in that game against Australia (in Perth), we got 47 percent of possession. Now, for an All Black team claiming to be ranked one or two in the world, you’ve got to be able to get more than 50 percent of your own ball, don’t you? So that is my issue.”
Mexted, who represented New Zealand in 34 Tests between 1979 and 1984, believes developing squad depth is a top priority for Robertson and his fellow selectors.
‘They aren’t focused on position at the moment’
“I think that the selectors, maybe they aren’t focused on position at the moment,” he said.
“Maybe they’re focused on developing a really big squad, two and three players in each position, because players don’t seem to play consecutive Test matches all season these days.
“And in fact, it was hard to do it any day, but it’s harder to do it now.
“And you’ve got the subbing of players, not because of fatigue. And I think listeners and people watching the game will say: ‘Why did they take that player off with 25 minutes to go? He was playing really well’. Well, the psychology involved in selection when you’re balancing 45 players for a 15-man team taking the field.
“And so there’s players that they have to fit in, give game time and all that sort of stuff. But I do think it’s premeditated a lot of this stuff, because there’s no logic to when they trade players. So, you know, it’s a matter of, are they doing it well? Are they doing it successfully? The proof’s in the pudding.
“What are the results like? The results aren’t great, but they’re ok.”