Sunday Special ($): Fine margins under the roof

The Robertson era begins with a squeaker, which confused the hell out of the raters

A time for quiet reflection. Getty Images

There will be zero apologies offered for the fact this special edition will lean heavily on the work of others. The Bounce went into the first test of 2024 having little to no idea what to expect from the All Black as they head into their 11th World Cup cycle¹ and came away from it a wee bit wiser, but still no closer to being confident enough to make detailed value judgements.

Blithely, I would note the following:

• Stephen Perofeta had an effective start at fullback, which included one telling intervention that led to Ardie Savea’s try, while Beauden Barrett was influential off the bench. This would seem to indicate, on a base level, that Scott Robertson got this call right.

• Damian McKenzie flitted around at times and showed he wasn’t afraid to stand in front of a team playing with maniacal line speed, yet he never convinced he had the code to crack it (all while being watched menacingly by Richie Mo’unga high in the stand and B. Barrett low on the bench).

• The defensive lineout was sound; the attacking lineout was messy and ineffective.

• The All Blacks looked ready to stretch England towards the end of the first half, but curiously that was also when they looked their most vulnerable, which was a little mind bending.

• A one-point win must feel infinitely better than a one-point loss.

• It might not have been a highlights heavy 80-plus minutes package, but it was eminently watchable… well, I mostly enjoyed it.

The one true “wow” moment came after the final whistle when Robertson gave one of the great post-match interviews alongside John Kirwan, Kieran Read and Kirstie Stanway on the Forsyth Barr Stadium pitch.