Skywalkers sort All Blacks' lineout woes

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SKYWALKER: All Blacks lock Tom Donnelly with the Bledisloe Cup after his test debut against Australia in Wellington.

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Hear the silence of the critics? The All Blacks certainly do, and it's sweet music to their ears.

To be fair to them they're too above all the ballyhoo business, to indulge in any "told you so" antics. Any "eat my shorts"-type responses. But, gee, it must be tempting.

Of course they were torn apart by the critics when their lineout was a shambles through the Tri-Nations, coughing up pill at alarming intervals to those relentless Springboks. At one stage the attacks on forwards coach, and lineouts boss, Steve Hansen got so personal that it bordered on the ridiculous.

It prompted Hansen to launch a dubious Vince Lombardi-inspired attack on the doomsayers. It was all clearly getting to him.

But the simple fact was that the All Black lineout was pretty ordinary. And clearly something needed to be done.

Which it was.

Two things actually. Tom Donnelly and Adam Thomson were introduced to the starting XV for the Tri-Nations closer in Wellington. Two mature skywalkers who don't get all giddy at the thought of a bit of rare air.

And also the coaching changes happened. Officially after Wellington. But many suspect the seeds were sown that week in the capital. Graham Henry took over the forwards. And started simplifying things more than a little.

Voila.

Suddenly the All Blacks have a lineout again. They were damn near perfect in Wellington as they walloped the Wallabies, kept themselves to just one misfire in Tokyo as they completed the season Aussie-sweep and were solidity personified in Cardiff as they even nabbed a crucial one at the end to halt a Welsh comeback in its tracks.

Suddenly the weakness is a strength. There is even a platform being carted all round Europe as testament to the detail that's now covered off when it comes to the aerial set piece. The hookers like it. So baggage man Errol Collins has an extra case in his load.

All Black great Ian Jones was one of the critics in the Tri-Nations and is happy to lead the plaudits now. He is only too pleased to acknowledge a response when he sees one.

So what happened?

"They simplified things," says Jones, who's keeping a close eye on the All Blacks on this tour as Sky's expert analyst. "They're controlling the pace of the game, and in rugby when you're holding on to the football at scrums and lineouts you dictate the pace.

"They're also walking in with a lot more assurity, a lot more confidence. It's about simplicity. And I think suddenly having people like Donnelly and Thomson who are good, straight, explosive ball-winners has brought their confidence on."

Jones says credit has to be given where it's due.

"We were under the pump. But these guys have learnt a lot, changed things around and moved on. It's always been one of the strengths of All Black rugby - they're either a couple of steps ahead of the opposition or they're rectifying problems pretty quickly."

Jones reckons Donnelly should be proud of his part in the fix. The mix of maturity, confidence and what the 79-test lock calls "a good rugby brain" has seen the entire lineout transformed.

Jones also believes Wellington was the juncture when everything changed for the All Blacks. "There's very little lateral movement now, the ball is going in a lot quicker, the calls made a lot earlier... it's wonderful to see.

"You've got to take your hat off and say well done."

But to who? Henry, the new boss? Or Hansen, the old one?

Henry said this week in Milan that the key to the lineout turnaround was a "continuation of the same policy, everyone being on the same page on that, and we're not playing South Africa".

So, Henry was asked if the jury remained out until those Boks rolled round again?

"Of course," said the coach. "Victor and his mates are the best in the world, and everyone's fighting that when they play them.

"It's good not playing Victor and his mates when you first do the job."

But Jones disagrees with Henry. He doesn't believe the All Blacks need to play South Africa to validate their improvement.

"You can only go up against who you go up against," says Jones. "The Wallabies have always had a good lineout, and the Welsh have a lot of tall timber, and they've controlled things beautifully against both.

"I don't think there's a question mark over the lineouts at all."

Jones isn't quite sure what to read into Henry taking over the portfolio. But he says you have to acknowledge that was one of the key changes made.

"Sometimes change is good, and it's clearly worked for this side. A fresh voice, a fresh angle to look at things. Standing up and saying maybe there was a problem here, let's look at it from another angle.

"You've got to congratulate them."

Go on, then!