We got what we expected on a sunny Saturday afternoon in Washington DC, the All Blacks racking up a 104-14 win in a mere practise run with the USA. It’s the second time that Foster’s men have brought up a century in 2021, bettering that of their 102-0 dismantling against what was another understrength second tier side in the form of Tonga earlier in the year. And so the question begs, what do New Zealand really get out of such test matches. Just as the Ikale Tahi had been in July, the American Eagles team that trotted onto FedEx Field was without it’s best men based overseas. It’s a simple answer really though, the commercial bonuses that come with the chance to expand the All Blacks brand. For a match focused around growing rugby in the fledgling North American region, such a scoreline may only have set it back. To think such a scoreline wasn’t on the cards is crazy, ludicrous to be more precise. An Eagles team based solely off domestic talent was never going to have the prowess to challenge the world’s most notorious team. And while they showed flashes of promise, particularly in the second stanza, the effort from Gary Gould’s side was completely obliterated in a comfortable New Zealand showing.
There’s no doubting as to where many of the players' minds would’ve been ahead of this mismatch in the American capital. The passing of Sean Wainui at just twenty-five in a fatal car accident, sent shockwaves across the New Zealand rugby community. A well respected leader on and off the field, the Bay of Plenty, Chiefs, and Maori All Blacks winger had established himself as one of the country’s more flamboyant attackers in recent years. With many of his current and former teammates in the squad, the mood inside the camp would’ve been sombre throughout the build-up. There was a task at hand though, whether it be an outmatched tier two side or not, and the All Blacks were determined to put out a solid performance in memory of their fallen brother.
With this being the first of five tests across their Northern Tour (and easily the weakest of all), Foster took the chance to welcome back some of his injured men to the fray, alongside some of his more inexperienced charges. This was an opportunity to experiment with combinations and the like, and that was stamped down with the naming of a number of men who had been on the backburner of late. Following a hit out in the Heartland Championship with the storied King Country Rams, Sam Cane returned to the fold with an entry off the bench. In a somewhat surprising call though, it was Sam Whitelock who got the captaincy despite Cane’s presence, Foster believing the openside wasn’t quite up to the task as of yet. Such a decision caused a bit of a ruckus back home about the prestige of that famous captain’s armband, the All Blacks having fielded four different helmsmen across 2021. Nevertheless, Whitelock’s return to the fray, following his absence across the Rugby Championship campaign, was also a welcome return, pairing up with Tupou Vaa’i in the second row. It was a new look front row too, Ethan De Groot getting his first international start alongside Asafo Aumua and Angus Ta’avao. There was a return for Dalton Papali’i in the loosies, partnering Luke Jacobsen and Blues teammate Hoskins Sotutu. Finlay Christie would also make his first All Blacks start, pairing up with the returning Richie Mo’unga in the halves. Crusaders center Brayden Ennor would join the halfback and the loosehead in that first test start club, combining with young Quinn Tupaea in the midfield. Foster also chose to give some much needed time at fullback for Damian McKenzie, who’s place in the first choice fifteen had evaporated with the immense form of Jordie Barrett across the Rugby Championship. Adding to such experimentation was Josh Lord’s inclusion on the bench, the true definition of a bolter, having been playing in the Bunnings NPC for Taranaki less than a month ago. Alongside the youngster on the pine was Dane Coles, the veteran hooker also making his return to action following time out with injury.
With this test match falling outside the international window, Gary Gould was left severely undermanned for what was already a daunting task. Having suffered defeat to Uruguay in a pivotal World Cup qualifier just two weeks earlier, the signs were not looking good. With none of their European based players to choose from, the Eagles were forced to go with an entirely domestic minded lineup for their final test of the year. That meant that without both AJ MacGinty or Will Magie to call upon, young Luke Carty was thrust into the crucial fly half role. It was a completely changed front row too, the absence of their preferred mammoth scrumming trio (Ainu’u, Pifeleti, and Taufate’e) seeing the inclusion of Matt Harmon, Dylan Fawsitt, and Paul Mullen into the starting side. With no Ruben de Haas to call upon either, veteran Nate Augspurger stepped into the halfback role for his first test start of the season. Perhaps some good news for the Americans though, was the return of Hanco Germishuys from injury, who slotted in at openside alongside big Cam Dolan at eight. Whilst this was far from their best fifteen, it was nevertheless a brave group of men, willing to prove their worth on the greatest stage against the world’s most recognised team.
As mentioned, most of the build up to this test match was around honouring the late great Sean Wainui. A beautiful sign of respect was shown by the Eagles in the pre-match, presenting an American jersey with Wainui’s name on the back to their mourning visitors. That was in turn greeted by the performance of a stirring All Blacks haka dedicated to Sean, one he certainly would’ve been proud of. But when it came to kick-off, hopes of the home side limiting a cricket score were completely compounded when Luke Jacobsen crossed just twenty-seven seconds in. It was a fast and accurate start from those in black, just what they would’ve been looking for to honour their fallen friend, and to set a standard for the tour to come. With the silky footwork of Damian McKenzie coming to play early, the Eagles defense completely dissolved, New Zealand scoring five tries inside the first twenty minutes and holding an already massive 33-0 lead. As Tupou Vaii and Hoskins Sotutu made their presence felt in the breakdown, so did Quinn Tupaea and Will Jordan down the channels. And with the high intensity play that Finlay Christie was encouraging through his work off the back of the ruck, it was proving a mere amble for the All Blacks, adding three more as the half drove towards it’s close. With the scoreline at 59-0 in favor of the visitors and just seconds left in the first half, the USA would conjure up their most famous moment against New Zealand though. It was rather fortuitous, and came from nowhere, but Nate Augspurger would take advantage of a slip in the defensive line to glide through untouched for the Eagles first ever try against the All Blacks. In a stanza that looked to have gone all wrong for the home side, it suddenly looked to have gone mostly right with just a single play. Luke Carty would add the extra two off the tee to send both sides to the break, the scoreboard reading 7-59, but with the USA carrying the momentum.
Having set such a high standard in the opening period, the second would’ve come as a disappointment to those in the All Black coaching box. They appeared to carry on in the same vein, crossing again within the first few seconds through Angus Ta’avao. That would be the first of two tries for the big tighthead, dedicating an impressive performance to his Chiefs teammate. Papalii would fly over not long after, but that was when the wheels just began to fell off a little bit. With the introduction of their bench, the away side lost some of the accuracy and handling that had served them so well thus far. Following a scrappy piece of play whilst trying to run out of their own twenty-two, the All Blacks lost possession and their opponents would take advantage with Aupsburger setting away Matyas in the corner. Forget all the points that had been accumulated against them, the Eagles had now scored two tries against the All Blacks in a singular test match. As expected, that lifted spirits and gave the home side some extra momentum. Foster’s men regathered their defensive systems though, holding off a number of attacks and piecing together a couple more delightful long range tries. Dane Coles re-entry to the test arena proved pivotal in their turnaround, scoring one himself and assisting Will Jordan for one of his three tries with a delightful inside ball late on. The Eagles were facing the whipping that was expected, it was now just a case as to whether the All Blacks could reach triple digits. TJ Perenara duly came to the table in response, passing that mark with another impressive long range team try deep into overtime. The final score read 14-104 to New Zealand, but don’t get it wrong, the USA had their moments.
Forget the trouncing we all expected, the real disappointment for Gary Gould and his men will be the fact that they don’t get the chance to play again in 2021. With the cancellation of their scheduled test with Ireland next weekend in Las Vegas, the USA are done and dusted for the year. Whilst many other tier two nations are heading up north for European tours, the Eagles will have to watch from home with disappointment. It really is quite a surprise that they won’t be making that same trip, as even neighbours Canada, who recently notoriously suffered the humiliation of a World Cup Qualifying exit, will take the field for tests with Portugal and Belgium. With their spot at the World Cup also far from assured, it would’ve been crucial for some game time this November ahead of those crucial qualifying fixtures. It appears as though they’ll be thrown right into the deep end though, with two intense legs against Chile for that Americas Two spot shaping up as the next time they’ll take to the field in June/July 2022. On the other hand, there’ll be a sense of optimism for Ian Foster as his group progress on with their tour in Cardiff next week. Once again, they’ll shape as huge favorites for their next test against Wales, even more so with their hosts also unavailable to field a full-strength fifteen. Whilst the All Blacks did what was expected of them in Washington DC, there were some troublesome moments around the ruck and their ball movement. Such concerns were never going to hurt them against the Eagles, but they might just come back to bite them with far sterner opposition in France and Ireland later down the track.
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