New Zealand have been lightly raced coming into Rugby World Cup quarter-final
Damian McKenzie’s broken field running and box of tricks on display against Uruguay was a joy to watch and a reminder that if you give the All Blacks an inch, you’re going to be standing behind your posts on a regular basis.
Winning emphatically can foster a sense of confidence that can quickly be stripped away when confronted by a genuine challenge. Scotland were flat track bullies against Romania and Tonga racking up the try count but suffered a similar malaise that afflicted Ireland several years ago. Ireland were numbered up correctly on the short side but Iain Henderson, Finlay Bealham and Conor Murray didn’t communicate effectively in that instant and that allowed Sione Tuipolotu to manufacture a two on-one overlap try.
Ireland embraced the chaos against the Scots, with Stu McCloskey called in early into the match and five replacements in the pack summoned before the 50th minute. Andy Farrell has talked about stepping in and stepping up and I thought McCloskey embodied that superbly at the weekend. James Lowe and Mack Hansen’s fitness is important, especially the latter who has been so important to the Irish attack over the last number of games. His late sweep for the opening try, where he covered 30 metres laterally, was timed perfectly to create an overload in the 13 channel.
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