10 GAMES THAT CHANGED THE DECADE

10 GAMES THAT CHANGED THE DECADE

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REVENGE IS SWEET

New Zealand 32-12 South Africa

July 10, 2010

Having lost three tests to South Africa in 2009, which included a souldestroying defeat in Hamilton, the All Blacks leadership group spent much of early 2010 plotting how they would put things right when they met the Boks again.

The first encounter was at Eden Park and the intensity of the All Blacks performance was something special.

They beat up the Boks’ pack and came through the middle when everyone thought they would go wide. It was the game in which Kieran Read established himself as a world class No 8 and the leadership group proved how influential they could be.

FOOD FOR THOUGHT

Ireland 16-9 New Zealand

November 17, 2018

What the All Blacks learned in Dublin 2018 was that they needed to develop more attacking and play-making options and that they needed their key players to be 100 per cent fit.

Ireland enjoyed an historic win where they defended superbly and shut the All Blacks out of the game. They gave Beauden Barrett no space and it was watching him be tied down, that the coaching team hatched the plan to shift him to fullback in World Cup year.

They had the two play-maker policy up and running, but in Dublin, they began to wonder if it would work better with Richie Mo’unga at 10 and Barrett at 15.