“I never thought I’d be here again,” murmured Wayne Smith, gazing around the Eden Park press room and remembering when he last coached in a big World Cup game against France in Auckland. In 2011 the All Blacks narrowly prevailed in a men’s final that the French could have won and a similar scenario duly unfolded with his Black Ferns side on Saturday night.
If Smith felt a strong sense of deja vu, he was not alone. Assisting the Black Ferns is Sir Graham Henry, equally familiar with the pressure of World Cup finals. Alongside the pair is Mike Cron, the long-time All Blacks scrum guru, with Dan Carter also on hand to help sharpen the host nation’s kicking. Getting the old gang back together for one last job, it seems, is not solely the preserve of Hollywood movies.
Most interesting of all is the nature of the heist Smith and co are attempting to pull off. Earlier this year the Black Ferns were in disarray, having been humiliated by England on the field last autumn and rocked by an excoriating subsequent review into how the players had been treated. To have made a World Cup final from such unpromising foundations is almost as impressive as the refreshing ethos driving it.
Smith, 65 and on his final elite coaching sortie, has essentially instructed his players to abandon the overly structured straitjacket that constrains many teams. He wants them to stay true to their attacking instincts and play without fear. It might prove insufficient in a final against a strong English pack but the rejuvenated Black Ferns are committed to giving it a go. “I know one thing,” says Smith. “They’ve got heart and they’ll give it a crack.”
Look back at most finals and the opposite is frequently true. A lot of teams – not least the 2011 All Blacks – simply aim to cling on to what they have and start to play in the most risk-averse way possible. Tiredness, apprehension, a sense of how much is at stake … all of it inhibits players and encourages them to go into their shells.
Occasionally some teams panic and lurch the other way. In 1991 England had one of the world’s strongest men’s packs but decided the final against Australia at Twickenham was the moment to try to expand their horizons. Such things do not always unfold with a click of the fingers, however, and abandoning a long-established gameplan at the 11th hour is risky.
Which brings us to the dilemma currently facing, among others, both the English women’s and men’s national teams. The Red Roses will be loth to jettison what has worked so well for them in Saturday’s sold-out final. The obvious way to go, after 30 consecutive Test wins, is straight up the guts in the expectation their set piece strength and carrying power will stop the Black Ferns at source.
The snag, as illustrated by last weekend’s semi-finals, is that champion sides tend to need more flexibility than that. With Canada proving both physical and dynamic, it was just as well for the Red Roses that they had a different breed of match winner out wide. As well as propelling England into the final, Claudia MacDonald’s dancing feet and Abby Dow’s subsequent wonder dash were a reminder that pace can turn big games as much as power.
No one is suggesting England should toss the ball around, sevens style, and adopt a loose game that would play straight into New Zealand hands. What is vital, though, is that the Red Roses keep an open mind. If the Black Ferns are the only team with their heads up, scanning for the best available options and thinking for themselves, there is a risk that England’s close-quarter prowess could be undermined.
Twickenham on Sunday offered a classic case study. England had significantly more possession and territory but mostly did little with it beyond deploying individual runners, rugby league style, to bash into Argentinian brick walls. The Pumas soaked it up, kicked their penalties and, when the chance came, launched a quite outstanding backline strike move which ultimately tilted the contest.
England, not for the first time, seemed so hung up on the nuts and bolts of their gameplan that instinct and rhythm played scant part until Jack van Poortvliet, having just come on as a replacement, spotted a little gap and sniped through for a fine try reminiscent of Aaron Smith against Wales the day before. Otherwise the English backs again struggled for collective fluency and midfield balance, made worse by their team’s penalty count. It is still possible they can enjoy a half-decent autumn but a predictable, painting-by-numbers approach will not secure many major titles.
The irony, of course, is that Smith and his old mates have been presiding over exactly that sort of makeover with the Black Ferns in recent months. If they do end up outflanking the Red Roses and a quick-witted Japan side also run Eddie Jones’s men’s team around at Twickenham, it will be both a bleak weekend for English rugby and an insightful one for coaches everywhere.
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