Richie McCaw said earlier this week that the All Blacks had to “step up” in their game against Georgia to give themselves any chance of emulating their World Cup glory of four years ago. The fact is that, despite slipping to 15th in the world rankings, Georgia could tempt out the Kiwi’s weaknesses and highlight for other teams what the key to defeating this mighty team is. It’s safe to say that this tournament has thrown up plenty of shocks and whilst a Georgia win may be too far fetched, it was down to 80 minutes of rugby for them to put the spotlight on sore points for the reigning champions.
Georgia Upset All Blacks Despite 43-10 Loss
Georgia had encouraging first possession, intercepting the ball from the All Blacks but in a quick turn on events and with barely a minute on the clock, Waisake Naholo, drafted in for this match, galloped over the line for the Kiwi’s first try. Dan Carter converted with perfection, making it 7-0 very early on. Drama unfolded minutes later though when Georgia took advantage of an All Blacks knock on, and fullback Beka Tsiklauri making a great kick and collect with too much pace for New Zealand to stop a try. 7-7 soon turned into 12-7 with Savea thundering over in the corner after a slick phase of passing by the Kiwi’s. Conversion missed by Carter in a lively crowd at the Millennium Stadium, it didn’t take long for the world champions to slip up and allow Georgia to take it to 12-10 with a penalty kick by Malaguradze. What was McCaw saying about stepping up?
In the midst of Georgia’s continuous disciplinary errors at the breakdown (going in off their feet), the All Blacks chose to take the scrum, which drew too many players in red and white towards the centre of the field. This left an abundance of room for Savea to be thrown the ball and charge down the wing without challenge and go over for his second. 17-10 and Carter seemed anything but calm and collected, as he missed the posts again.
It wasn’t long for McCaw to open up the lungs and get a good carry, but a pop pass to hooker Dane Coles allowed him to slide over in the right corner. 22 minutes in and the All Blacks had secured their bonus point, but a third successive missed conversion for Carter threw up questions about his form from the tee tonight. Two set pieces for the leaders within ten metres of Georgia’s try line got the fans on their feet in encouragement, but by not driving straight it allowed their opponents to take a breather before having their own scrum. Stealing the set piece, the All Blacks ran the ball wide before a huge tackle by Kacharava on McCaw sent shudders through the stadium.
It was clear to see the difference between the two teams when it came to the breakdown: Georgia were laboured in getting the ball and the All Blacks capitalised on this, forcing the trailers into making errors and subsequently, the All Blacks retained possession. Just before half time Georgia managed to make metres in the All Black territory, only for Aaron Smith to undo that work and kick the ball into touch downfield. Yes, Georgia had possession, but the speed of New Zealand allowed them to overturn the ball in a whisper, before Georgia even had a chance. The half time whistle blew as the score stood at 22-10, and no doubt Dan Carter was heading into the changing room for a stern word from coach Steve Hansen.
Both teams came out eager for the restart, but it was Naholo who spiced the game up with his shot at the line, just falling short and being taken into touch by the Georgian defence. The underdogs made a few great interceptions and steals, but instead of gaining vital ground up field and retaining the ball, they continued to kick to the All Blacks – a bad move considering their speed and skill. New Zealand were punished for wheeling the scrum, but forcing their counterparts to indiscipline at the ruck, they demanded possession back. Ten minutes into the second half neither side looked dangerous enough.
A slow but steady drive from the All Blacks urged Kieran Read under the posts, easy enough for Carter to convert this time. 29-10 but Hansen’s team looked far from their usual exciting self. Georgia put a few big tackles in to interrupt the Kiwi’s flow, most notably on Ben Smith who was subject to a slicing spin-tackle by two opposing front rowers. They began to put New Zealand on the back-foot and panic, with Ben Smith making a knock on a ball as captain McCaw limped after his teammates. Substituted for Sam Cane, the skipper took to the bench where an iced leg brace awaited him, leaving his return to play in doubt.
Into the final ten minutes and New Zealand really began to tire, losing lineouts and lacking a consistent playmaker regardless of fresh replacements coming into the game. A third try for Savea flattered the All Blacks who, thanks to a Carter conversion, led by 36-10. The scoreboard failed to pay dividends to Georgia’s efforts, who looked by far the more points hungry side in the second half. Minutes later though a swerving, flashy run by 23 Fekitoa took the score to 43-10 as the crowd cheered on Georgia. Their captain and flanker Mamuka Gorgodze was awarded Man of the Match, showing how much more of a game plan Georgia seemed to have. Undoubtedly, the All Blacks had a comfortable win as the final whistle blew, and they can be happy with the score margin, but it was the underdogs who did indeed want more from this game. It seemed more important to them, and despite not quite getting the result they wanted, they can be proud in the knowledge that they prevented their opponents of their signature free-flowing game. Final score, New Zealand 43 -10 Georgia.
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