All Blacks player ratings: ‘Very impressive’ back shines while England must ‘beware’ New Zealand’s ‘freakish talent’ but Damian McKenzie not the answer
Following a dominant 64-19 victory over Japan in the international clash in Yokohama on Saturday, here are the player ratings for the All Blacks.
15 Stephen Perofeta: Nothing spectacular but the full-back linked nicely in attack. However, he didn’t do enough to force his way in next weekend. 6
14 Sevu Reece: Very busy on both sides of the ball. Some great work in attack but his defence and work ethic will also please Scott Robertson as he made some very good interventions. 8
‘Effortless’
13 Billy Proctor: Very impressive from the inexperienced centre. It was almost effortless at times as Proctor showed some lovely touches. Does the simple things really well in both attack and defence, but he also has that extra spark which makes him a genuine option for the big games in November. 8
12 Anton Lienert-Brown: Came to the fore in that second quarter blitz as his playmaking capabilities helped open the space out wide. 7
11 Mark Tele’a: The good outweighed the bad but probably not enough to change Robertson’s mind for next week. Tele’a had a couple of defensive lapses which slightly let down what was an otherwise positive outing. 7
Beauden Barrett to come back in
10 Damian McKenzie: Was at the heart of the All Blacks’ excellent second quarter but he dropped off after the break and got too loose, resulting in an unconvincing effort. You also wonder whether McKenzie needs to play a bit straighter to the line, particularly against the better teams, although his lateral running worked well enough for this clash. We thoroughly expect Beauden Barrett to start against England, however. 5
9 Cam Roigard: Ended in credit after a ropey start. Service was sharp, his support play excellent and he also showed his awareness around the fringes, but there were things to concern Robertson. Roigard’s box-kicking went awry on a few occasions, which he needs to sharpen up ahead of their European sojourn. 7
8 Wallace Sititi: England beware, big Wallace is coming for you. Easily the best performer for the All Blacks over the past few games and was once again up there in this clash. He is a freakish talent, who could wreak havoc at Twickenham. 8
7 Sam Cane: His leadership was important when they were struggling early on. Set the tone defensively with some good shots, while he slowed the Japanese ball down well. 7
6 Samipeni Finau: The flanker enjoyed this game much more than the England series. Played a bit wider, which enabled Finau to show off his athleticism, but ultimately when it comes to the better teams he needs to be more physical at close quarters. 7
All Blacks overcome sluggish start to begin tour with convincing victory over Eddie Jones’ Japan
Captain’s performance
5 Patrick Tuipulotu (c): Captain for the day and the big lock revelled in that extra responsibility. Some good carries, including one for the try, while Tuipulotu was also everywhere in defence. 8
4 Sam Darry: Solid but he will likely be dropped from the 23 for the England contest. Darry just didn’t do quite enough to convince Robertson here that he should get in over Scott Barrett, Tupou Vaa’i or Tuipulotu. 6
3 Pasilio Tosi: Didn’t make as much headway as expected in the scrum with Japan remaining solid. Scored a try but, at the moment, being an impact option off the bench might be his best bet. 6
2 Asafo Aumua: A bad start but grew into the game after he tidied up his set-piece work. Once that was sorted, Aumua started to show what he can do in the loose with some barnstorming carries. 7
1 Tamaiti Williams: Like Tosi, failed to get the upper hand against an impressive Japanese scrum. Williams did a bit more on defence but there are certainly areas to improve on for the loosehead. 6
Replacements: Once again, they just lost momentum when the bench came on. Credit to Ruben Love, who touched down twice on debut, but the rest failed to build on what the starters produced. 5