All Blacks v Uruguay: Five takeaways from the Rugby World Cup clash as New Zealand find Aaron Smith’s heir
All Blacks scrum-half Cam Roigard evades the tackle of Uruguay flanker Manuel Ardao during the Rugby World Cup
Following a 73-0 win for New Zealand over Uruguay in Lyon on Thursday, here’s our five takeaways from the Rugby World Cup clash.
Magic McKenzie
The playmaker was outstanding off the bench against Italy and took that form into this game. Damian McKenzie got the ball rolling with the opening try before he lit up the game following an outstanding pass for Will Jordan’s first score.
He continued to show his quality throughout the contest, finishing with two tries and as many assists, which justifiably saw him named the man of the match. There are few more exciting players to watch at this World Cup than the Chiefs star, who is pushing hard for a start in the quarter-final, let alone a place on the bench.
McKenzie then showed his versatility by playing at fly-half when Richie Mo’unga went off and was similarly impressive in that role. Ian Foster has plenty to think about when he selects his team for the last-eight clash next weekend.
🪄 Damian McKenzie, that is ridiculous! 🤯#RWC2023 #NZLvURUpic.twitter.com/SNZbWp1xxz
— Planet Rugby (@PlanetRugby) October 5, 2023
Uruguay’s breakdown master
We couldn’t not mention the superb Manuel Ardao, who finished off a wonderful Rugby World Cup with another fine individual display against the mighty All Blacks. The Los Teros flanker was once again excellent at the contact area, adding to his tally of breakdown steals with another one here.
Away from that facet of play, he was also a presence in other areas of the game. In defence, Ardao made his tackles, and with the ball, he almost opened the scoring, only to be denied by a brilliant cover tackle from Anton Lienert-Brown.
The talented openside currently plies his trade in Major League Rugby, but it wouldn’t surprise us if a contract comes his way from Europe, or perhaps even from a Super Rugby Pacific side. This tournament is an opportunity for players from emerging nations to put themselves in the shop window, and Ardao has very much done that.
Aaron Smith’s heir
Whenever a 100+ Test veteran enters the swansong of their career, questions mount as to whether they can be ably and swiftly replaced in the team, and for the All Blacks, the answer for Aaron Smith is yes.
This Rugby World Cup has given us a sneak peek at what the post-Smith era looks like, and the future is bright with Cam Roigard. Yes, the 22-year-old does have a few edges to iron out – his passing and kicking needs a bit of work to hit world-class standard – but his decision-making and attacking prowess will serve him well under Scott Robertson in 2024 and beyond.
28-year-old Finlay Christie may well be Smith’s back-up for the rest of the competition, but Roigard is snapping at his heels. It’s not a given for Christie, who is a well-rounded scrum-half, as Roigard could be the ideal nine to chase the game rather than consolidate.
Smith has had the likes of Tawera Kerr-Barlow and TJ Perenara as his back-ups for most of his career, and Roigard currently fits their mould, which makes for an interesting selection headache for Foster and co.
However, if Foster opts for the more experienced head of Christie in the latter stages, Roigard made his mark in France, scoring a stellar three tries and assisted six! Good going for a youngster in his rookie Test year.
Looking ahead to the quarter-finals
On the subject of team selection, it was the last chance for that New Zealand 23 to stake their claim for a place in the side for the quarter-finals. For some, such as Shannon Frizell, it was merely another game after injury to get himself ready for that big match, and he will almost certainly line up at blindside flanker in the last-eight.
For others, though, they were very much playing for places, and individuals such as the aforementioned McKenzie, as well as his back three partner Leicester Fainga’anuku, did themselves no harm at all.
While Fainga’anuku didn’t quite grab the headlines from McKenzie, there were aspects of his game which makes you think he would be a huge asset in a knockout clash. We are not just talking about his hat-trick, as good as it was, but his physicality at close quarters on both sides of the ball. Against the better teams, that can be vital.
Meanwhile, upfront, it was an important encounter for Sam Cane, who was making his first start since returning from injury. And to be honest, we’re not entirely sure he did enough performance-wise to displace Dalton Papali’i, which could be an issue for Foster. The head coach has always backed his skipper but, if he’s not fully match-fit for the quarter-final, that will be a huge problem.
They also have concerns at prop with Tyrel Lomax going off early on, potentially having opened up that nasty gash he picked up before the global tournament, and he will be a doubt for the knockout stages.
Fletcher Newell was Lomax’s replacement and looked in fine fettle during his time on the field but, late on, he too was forced off injured, leaving Nepo Laulala as their only recognised tighthead – albeit Tamaiti Williams can cover there. Laulala struggled against France in the World Cup opener, and we are not sure that he is the man to be relied upon in the set-piece.
Spirited Los Teros bow out
This Rugby World Cup hasn’t quite produced anything like the Miracle of Brighton or the Brave Blossoms’ two stunners over Ireland and Scotland, or even Uruguay’s shock win over Fiji, but Los Teros can depart France with their heads held high.
Esteban Meneses’ side may have gotten rinsed 73-0 today, but they put up a far better fight than Italy did seven days ago and have had far fewer matches against tier-one opposition over the past four years.
Los Teros have been brave, brutal and spirited in every single one of their games in this tournament but have sadly been just too inaccurate to land a knockout blow on any of the three heavyweights in Pool A.
Today, they managed to keep the All Blacks scoreless for a full quarter, something Italy failed to do throughout the entire match.
The All Blacks were always going to be too good for Los Teros, and no team is seemingly able to dispatch weaker opposition in the manner they are, but Uruguay tried their utmost and even looked to break their duck in the match on numerous occasions, including the final passage of the game.
