Following a series of wasted opportunities, the uncomfortable tsunami of criticism for All Blacks starting five-eighth Damian McKenzie intensified following the first Bledisloe Cup match in Sydney.
Up to three try-scoring possibilities for the No. 10 went wrong. Three from him: one from his own line break in the first half, one from his flick pass attempt while backing up inside Sevu Reece, and one that went horribly wrong with a forward pass offload that sent Cortez Ratima flying.
McKenzie is not your typical game manager in the style of Harry Plummer; rather, he is a risk-taker and gambler.
The people of New Zealand will never easily forget his incredible attacking ability.
The uncomfortable fact is that McKenzie has been among the All Blacks’ greatest players this season, despite the growing chorus of people calling for him to be benched in favour of a safer choice.
Despite the first Test’s clock error, McKenzie performed far above expectations in the July series against England.
Despite being frequently accused for making rash decisions and throwing dangerous throws, McKenzie consistently found outside space while the English rush defence was in full force.
For the first try, he crossed the pitch and kicked the ball right to Sevu Reece. In the first half, he provided two more crisp assists for line breaks.
He deflected every high ball aimed at him and cleaned up every kick into the backfield. He fulfilled every request for a tackle. There were no bad turnovers or handling mistakes. He assisted on one try and kicked two penalties in the second half to help overturn a 10-15 deficit in a game that was settled by a single point.
McKenzie won the match in the second Test victory at Eden Park. They simply cannot win the game without him. In the first half, he generated enough opportunities for the All Blacks to lead 21–7.
His initial stroke of brilliance was a dink chip kick in the back, which he reassembled and discovered Jordie Barrett on the break. Sevu Reece was outside Codie Taylor when he was shot from behind, even though he was in the clear.
The next involved fielding a long kick from Marcus Smith and starting a lengthy counterattack. He broke past the line by splitting Maro Itoje and Ben Earl, then he put Mark Tele’a away.
With two players inside him, fullback Stephen Perofeta decided to pass back outside to Tele’a, and the two of them executed one of the simplest finishes you will encounter at the Test level.
McKenzie was the catalyst for both try-scoring opportunities. Throughout the two Test matches, he was essentially the only player to pose a threat to England’s defence.
Though McKenzie’s assist on a line break provided Barrett in space for Tele’a’s second try, Beauden Barrett was also commended for his supersub role in the second half that lifted the All Blacks. After another McKenzie pass pushed Sevu Reece past the line for another line break, the next three points were scored.
Once more, it wasn’t just the successful offensive plays that made an impact; it was also the lack of any costly and stupid mistakes.
Sam Darry’s season-defining All Blacks try, which was scored in Wellington against Argentina, followed another break that was started by McKenzie once more gathering possession and chipping over the line. After he connected with Beauden Barrett, who used a large banana to send the ball infield, Darry dived over to grab the loose ball.
In that particular game, McKenzie’s try assist, a face ball across two Argentinian defenders and into the back shoulder where it needed to be, was the reason the All Blacks jumped out to a 20–8 lead.
The only mistake he made was a costly forward pass to Will Jordan during a line break, which set up McKenzie for what would have been a game-winning try. However, the play that many will remember cannot be entirely attributed to the first five.
Nobody brings up Ardie Savea passing the ball over McKenzie’s head while playing halfback. McKenzie’s pass split them, resulting in a five-meter scrum and the eventual lead, as both Barrett brothers watched.
Rebounding from their loss in Wellington, the All Blacks dominated the first half at Eden Park, defeating the Pumas 36-3 at halftime.
In the opening try, McKenzie scored while pursuing a chip from Jordie Barrett. With the next-to-last ball that set Ardie Savea free out wide, he assisted Caleb Clarke in his try by putting Beauden Barrett past the line.
In South Africa McKenzie again made plays that just weren’t finished. He moved between Ben Jason-Dixon and Damian de Allende in the fifth minute at Ellis Park, firing a quick backhand offload to Barrett.
Barrett again produced a brilliant offload to give the All Blacks a chance to score, but Ethan Blackadder ruined it by failing to make the last pass.
After the Boks turned the ball over, McKenzie’s double pump stopped Jesse Kriel and kept the ball spinning wide on Caleb Clarke’s opening attempt. On his second attempt, Clarke perfectly placed a long ball on Barrett’s chest, who completed with the winning pass.
The All Blacks’ momentum swings were not McKenzie’s fault. Barrett twice kicked out on full time and made another error in halftime, kicking out straight with time remaining. At the breakdown, certain belongings were turned over.
Many players made some bad plays in the last quarter fading, but McKenzie did not.
He was requested to kick penalties from a considerable distance in Cape Town, possibly outside his familiar range, which resulted in crucial misses. Out of the three misses, only one was “expected.”
Without the polish to finish, McKenzie sliced up the Wallabies in Sydney. Most people won’t realise, though, that two of those three lost opportunities don’t even come about when using a No 10 like Harry Plummer.
Plummer lacks McKenzie’s quickness and evasiveness as a linebreaker. If he had backed up inside and given Tamaiti Williams a more accurate pass inside, he might have merely completed the second break.
McKenzie made a vibrant cameo in Wellington during the second Bledisloe game, coming off the bench. He was explosive at every touch, leaping into the line and peeling the Wallabies down the left touchline to set up a score for Caleb Clarke.
In summary, McKenzie has produced more line breaks than any other player in the world of rugby this year. In addition to being at the top of the list, he consistently provides try assists.
McKenzie is known for his plays about cowboys with gems and rocks. That reputation hurts him no matter what is going on on the pitch; it follows him everywhere.
His ball-in-hand error rate has been incredibly low this season for the All Blacks; he has performed to a high standard in every Test, offering a solid hand as a game driver. He has been the All Blacks’ finest attacking player this season, and anyone who can’t see that doesn’t know what’s going on.
Despite the fact that he is the most productive No. 10 in the Rugby Championship, players like Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu and Tomas Albonoroz are being hailed as “better.”
Feinberg-Mngomezulu, capitalising on the phenomenon of the shiny new object syndrome, bombed tries in Perth and at the end of the Cape Town Test, while Albonoroz had one standout performance. The inexperienced No. 10 has only one try assist and eight turnovers in four games. Not to add that he cost South Africa the series against Ireland.
Don’t get him mixed up; he’s young, exciting, and full of potential. McKenzie is actually a production machine for the All Blacks, but Feinberg-Mngomezulu can fall back behind a strong pack that will cover his mistakes.
Damian McKenzie was the best No 10 in the Rugby Championship beyond a shadow of a doubt.
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