Could this All Blacks team make Ireland’s visit to Dunedin a nightmare?

Let’s see how Andy Farrell copes with the blowtorch being turned his way.

In the lead up to the first Test at Eden Park in Auckland last week, All Blacks coach Ian Foster was under the most pressure as he tried to deal with the problems that emerged during successive defeats to France and Ireland in November.

Now it’s Irish coach Farrell’s turn to squirm after the All Blacks defeated his team 42-19† Not that Foster is off the hook. An All Blacks coach rarely is.

A win in Dunedin on Saturday night gives the All Blacks a series win and a shot at a clean sweep in Wellington on July 16. Don’t underestimate Ireland. Good enough to finish second in the Six Nations, expect the Irish to go ballistic at Forsyth Barr Stadium.

stuff rugby writers Richard Knowler, Robert van Royen and Paul Cully give their views on five hot topics ahead of the Dunedin test.

Former England player Stuart Barnes, now a rugby expert in the Northern Hemisphere, had a crack at All Blacks Captain Sam Cane in an English publication this week. Fair or different?

Richard Kenner: Look at it from this side. How often do New Zealand rugby heads talk about how great Cane is after a test match? The truth is, not so much. So maybe Barnes just reinforced those feelings. Then there’s the issue of whether Ardie Savea should start at number 7. Still, it would be a mistake to underestimate Cane. He’s a good leader, brave (think of his comeback from that terrible neck injury), and a punishing defender.

Robert van Royen: He has the right to throw a few darts, and it seems there is no shortage of Kiwi punters who agree with him. However, his comments are unfair after 67 minutes of solid test footy last week.

Paul Cully: Criticism is an unfortunate part of the job when you’re captain of the All Blacks. However, Cane’s true worth will be revealed when the All Blacks have to go deep into their reserves this year. He stands up when the going gets tough, and any assessment of Cane’s worth must be put on ice for the next four tests – the two remaining games against Ireland and the two tests against South Africa’s Springboks.

What do you think of Ian Foster getting three No 7s in the back row of the All Blacks?

RC: Are we any closer to solving the riddle about who should play number 6 at the World Cup next year? No. Since Jerome Kaino left and was replaced by Liam Squire in 2017, this has become the most problematic position for the All Blacks. Dalton Papalii was the logical replacement for this test, as Scott Barrett had to move to the second row. If Papalii becomes gangbusters, at least it gives Foster another option. But I doubt this is a long term solution.

RVR: A good move, at least this week. Dalton Papalii is just too good not to have in the park, and Sam Cane isn’t going anywhere as long as he’s skipper. But it wouldn’t hurt to give a specialist blindside flanker a run in the No. 6 jersey in the third test. After all, it remains rather unclear what the All Blacks’ best loose forward trio is.

pc: It’s temporary. Foster made it clear on Thursday that Scott Barrett would have kept the number 6 against Ireland in Dunedin had it not been for injuries and Covid in the lockdown ward. Dalton Papalii is more of a 6 and a half anyway, with his size and strength in the tackle, so it’s probably not as dramatic a selection as it first seems.

The NZ Rugby board made a U-turn by rushing Patrick Tuipulotu back to the injury-stricken All Blacks. Should they have stuck with the guns and continued the Big Freeze?

RC: It’s a mess. This case of Damian McKenzie and Tuipulotu being ineligible to play against Ireland because they skipped Super Rugby Pacific to play in Japan seems insignificant. Not to mention confusing: especially when NZ Rugby turns around and admits Tuipulotu as injury cover.

RVR: No. Being required to represent his province before eligibility for the national side is a check-off exercise not worth waking up to if it is circumvented.

pc: He has a contract with New Zealand Rugby, so it’s a natural decision. Previously, they chose Matt Todd when he was under contract with Panasonic in Japan, so Tuipulotu could argue that he should have been eligible anyway.

If you were Irish coach Andy Farrell, in what areas would you like to take your side against the All Blacks?

RC: He has to make sure that his team gets the rules of the game right. Especially the scrum after last week’s hammering. You can also imagine Farrell telling his players to imagine him putting 50,000 volts through the soles of their feet as they try to run the ball from their own half at Forsyth Barr Stadium. You get the picture.

RVR: In and around the ruck. They were great in Auckland for the first 20 minutes and repeatedly used inside balls to break over the edge. They were set on fire the moment they strayed and grew too big.

pc: It sounds strange, but Ireland should play a little less rugby. They pushed themselves into a hole last week by needlessly trying to speed things up in the first half when they were already in control. They don’t have All Black spoilsports, but they look good methodically holding the ball.

England referee Karl Dickson was excellent last week. Now we have another whistler in South African Jaco Peyper. Next week it’s another Englishman in Wayne Barnes. Given the complexity of the Rugby Code, and how important it is for teams to get a “feel” for how the rules are interpreted, should World Rugby look at appointing a single umpire for a series?

RC: Why not? Dickson was very good in the first test in Auckland; he was assertive, kept the game flowing and did his best to reduce interruptions. I’m sure both teams would appreciate hearing the same voice in all three tests. Which could improve the game as a spectacle. Rugby desperately needs more umpires like Dickson. Instead, he was dumped.

RVR: No. Playing under different umpires every week is hardly a bad thing, especially if you’re eyeing the World Cup next year.

pc: No. It would put too much pressure on that person. The umpires these days operate as a team and are therefore already on the same page, and choosing one umpire for each series would really reduce the pool of officials capable of handling the big tests.

Game enough to give us a score for the second test?

RC: All Blacks 30 Ireland 18

RVR: All Blacks 37 Ireland 20

pc: All Blacks 28 Ireland 22