Nonu fends off two-man All Blacks team claims

BY MARC HINTON IN MARSEILLE

Last updated 07:09 24/11/2009

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Ma'a Nonu admits it's all his fault the All Blacks aren't scoring tries. Though how seriously we should take his "mea culpa" remains open to interpretation.

Nonu was rather knocked off his stride by a persistent French rugby writer who put the Wellingtonian under the grill on the subject of the All Blacks being a two-man team - ie, without Dan Carter and Richie McCaw they're a shadow of their current selves.

Given as McCaw and Carter both missed the 1-1 split series with France in June, it didn't take Einstein to work out the line of the writer's pending story.

The 27-year-old All Blacks second five tried not to look too annoyed as the fellow put him through a series of queries about the relative merits of the All Blacks sans McCaw and Carter.

But he was plenty peeved. That soon became clear.

"Maybe we're not scoring tries because it's my fault," said Nonu. "I'm not creating that opportunity for the outsides. I'm not giving enough information to DC (Dan Carter)… I've got to work a lot harder."

Strange. Yet if you were there for Nonu's Carter and McCaw grilling, you probably had some sympathy.

What sort of team were they with Richie? And without Richie? With Dan? And without Dan?

He answered each query with, if not enthusiasm, certainly respect.

But, eventually, Nonu had had enough. Asked if the All Blacks were too dependent on their two biggest superstars, Nonu unleashed.

"I wouldn't think so," he said. "If you put France against DC and Richie by themselves they're not going to win are they? They're only two guys. They are keys, but they can't do it by themselves."

Fair enough.

But Nonu conceded that this had been a "tough tour" from an attack perspective. Never mind who's fault it had been. Five tries in four tests (counting the Tokyo Bledisloe) suggests something isn't quite firing, even if the All Black defence has more than made up for it.

"We haven't really produced any good opportunities," said Nonu who has found little in the way of space on this tour. "Yeah, it is a worry. We are winning but we haven't been scoring tries... That's something we need to work on."

Nonu puts it down to a mix of tighter defences in the modern game and rules which make it difficult for sides to construct possession platforms. There's no doubt that the All Blacks aren't helping themselves either, though they remain confident a breakout is just around the corner.

"I just think at this level everyone's got their own job to do," said Nonu. "It works in circles. The wingers out wide stay out there, DC's got a big job, the midfield's got a big job defensively, but on attack we've got to create more opportunities for the outsides."

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Hmmm. Maybe it is all Nonu's fault.

Whatever, he will be there for the clash against Marc Lievremont's impressive French team here on Saturday night (8.45am Sunday NZ time) that will define this All Black season. And it's a clash he's definitely looking forward to.

"They're a real physical, real passionate side. When they win ... you can see what happens when they win. I'm looking forward to the challenge."

It sounds like Nonu is up for it.

- © Fairfax NZ News