That was quick! 

Wobblies 34, All Blacks 19

Well, I thought the All Blacks would lose one game to the Wobblies this season, but not the first one!  At least though the pressure is off, we no longer have to worry about that firstl loss to the Deans led Australians!!  Now though, we have to worry about a second loss, and the way the two teams played on Saturday night, that is going to be a big worry.

I'm not going to dissect the test match too much, as we all saw it, and will have read ourselves silly from the hacks that get paid to write about it, I'm here to run the bart-rule over the players.

Suffice to say, there was sod all positive from the test match.  The All Blacks in essence missed a tackle every four minutes, and dropped the ball every four minutes.  Being that you only have the ball for half the time of the match, that means a dropped ball every two minutes, and the same with the missed tackled.  It was a performance to forget.

The Aussies made a pile of mistakes too, but they just wanted the game more, and capitalised on the All Black mistakes better.  On defence too, the Wobblies scrambled back brilliantly.  The only player with the same attitude in the All Blacks on Saturday night was Jimmy Cowan.  It was a limp wristed performance on defence from the All Blacks in general, and I for one would not be sorry to see a few players not pulling on a black jersey again in the near future, if ever. 

Anyway, on with the show, the player ratings...

15  Mils Muliaina  7/10
Probably the pick of the backs, along with Dan Carter.  Was the first All Black in the match to raelly have a go with the ball in hand, when he had a go on the outside, making the break that led tom huis try.  Until then, any All Black making a break was almost too scared to hit a gap and actually run fast!!  They would take the gap, and then start looking for support before they had fully exploited the holes by just basically sprinting their little rings out!  Anyway, Mils made many breaks in the match, and was one of the more dangerous of the Kiwi back division.

14  Anthony Tuitavake  5/10
Had his chance, and was found wanting.  I expect to see Wulf here next week - but with the Cartel, who bloody knows!  Anyway, the biggest thing I noted here was the second Aussie try (I think it was), when Tuqiri kicked the ball through before getting skittled by Sivivatu.  Tuitavake, if you watch the replay, all through this movement, is not sprinting back, he is just jogging along watching play from 5 yards back the whole time, before Hayne I think it was, scores.  Did little with the ball, with limited chances.  Made one nice spot tackle, but certainly showed that the All Blacks have problems on the wing at the moment.

13  Richard Kahui  5/10
Apart from some nice quick hands at times, and the being there in support for the Muliaina try, Kahui was about as threatening as last weeks cold porridge is to American national security (ie, not at all).  If a tackler even looked at him he hit the ground faster than the twin towers.  I think this test has certainly proved that Conrad Smith and Kahui are not competing for the centre spot.  It is Smith's, plain and simple.  Fingers crossed the bloody Cartel decide the same thing.  Now is NOT the time for rotation, not is the time to pick the best test team each week, and win some games...

12  Ma'a Nonu  6/10
A few dropsies from the dreaded wonder, but I think he was just trying too much as things went wrong for the All Blacks on attack.  A ten out of ten for effort, but execution and timing of trying to get the pass away not great.

11  Sitiveni Sivivatu  7/10
A barnstorming first spell, and a quieter second, but at last starting to look as dangerous as we know he can be.  Even though, he had 'All Blackitus".  That is not bloody just gunning it when he has hit a gap.  Twice he was through a hole, and almost before he was through the gap, he was slowing down and looking for his support players.  Once you hit the gap, clap on the afterburners.  See where that gets you, and then start looking for your support.  Don't know why this is happening, a confidence thing, or too scared to just back themselves.  Oh, and when he was tackled without the ball - not a penalty try, Tuqiri had it covered big time.  However, it should have been a penalty, and a yellow card for Cross.  But them's the breaks.

10:  Dan Carter  8/10
His best running game this season.  Made numerous breaks, carving off massive metres through the heart of the Wobbly defence.  Just never managed to find support, thanks to the fantastic defence of the Wobblies, and an equal lack of urgency from the All Blacks.

9:  Andy Ellis  7/10
His best test match in black by a long way.  I thought his clearance from rucks and mauls much sharper than normal, and he started to get involved, quick taps from free kicks, supporting the ball carrier, just looking more comfortable at this level.  A pity that his ribs were crushed in a great tackle from Wobbly captain Smith late in the first half.  Still, he managed to steal a try just after the break before being forced from the field.

8:  Jerome Kaino  7/10
One of the few All Black forwards to be able to hold his head high after the game I reckon.  Hard to pull down with the ball in hand, fighting for every yard against the tough Aussie defence.  Lacked support though.  Got through a ton of work throughout the game.

7:  Dan Braid  4/10
Ohhh, so that was why Braid has not played a test for five seasons.  The new invisible man.  Bring back Marty Holah.

6:  Rodney So'oialo  6/10
Not a great match for the captain.  Not a terrible one either, but things just not going right at the moment for veteran loose forward.  Perhaps a move back to eight, and Kaino to the side would be helpful.  Although Kaino looking comfortable at eight now too.  Whatever they do, just so long as Sione Lauaki gets no closer to the field than me, then I'll be happy.

5:  Ali Williams  5/10
Pretty innocuous match from the big man.  If he was a V8, he was running on about 2 cylinders.  Prominent in the loose, and part of the mostly dominant All Black scrum, but just not up to his usual high level of play.

4:  Brad Thorn  6/10
What a piss poor yellow card, one of a few decisions from the Boer ref that were not the sharpest.  So a ten minute spell in the bin after 6 minutes for the big Aussie.  However, once back on the field gave full service and was the better of the two All Black locks.  His usual robust defence, and some ball carries that would have left the defenders seeing stars after having to make tackles.

3:  Greg Somerville  4/10
Those ball skill, and running so high he is almost leaning over backwards, it's just not good enough at test level.  Almost every time he carried the ball forward, it would go backwards at twice the pace once he hit the tacklers.  His tackling too was back the Somerville of old, where there would be half a dozen missed between each successful effort.  I think it is time to put the yeoman worker out to pasture, his time has been and gone/

2:  Andrew Hore  7/10
A Sean Fitzpatrick try from the wing, 2 million tackles, strong scrummaging, strong in the tight, a solid game from New Zealand's number one hooker.  Just for a chance, a few lineout jitters, but no more than usual!!

1:  Tony Woodcock  8/10
The best prop in the world today.  Has added a very strong ball running game to his set piece expertise.  Got the All Blacks going forward many times, but to no avail as the Aussies poured more men into the breakdowns than the All Blacks did, thus slowing the ball down no end.

16:  Kevin Mealamu  7/10
His best game of the season to date.  Lineout yips as per usual, but ripped into the rucks and mauls with intent, and with the ball in hand was starting to look like the Mealamu of old.

17:  John Afoa  7/10
Scrummed just as well as veterean Yoda, but adds ball skills and agility to the mix also.  Needs to start next week.

19:  Sione Lauaki  1/10
Sione gets that point as he managed to put his boots onto the correct feet.  From then on in though, his game was crap.  His work at the back of the scrum terrible, his ball security terrible, his defence terrible, his pace around the field, terrible.  Why the hell his is in this All Black squad is now officially beyond me.  One half decent game per season is just not enough, you can't carry a loose forward in a modern game of rugby who has a workrate less than that of a goalpost (at least a goal post charges down a kick now and then)...  Get rid of this clown.

20:  Jimmy Cowan  7/10
Gave it his all as he tried to drag the game around for the All Blacks.  Injured himself in a desperate dive for the ball that briefly saved a try, and was into the game like a pig in to shit.  Played very well, as Ellis did.

22:  Conrad Smith  6/10
Didn't add much when he came on, but the game was pretty much beyond salvage by then anyway.  Then paired up with Kahui at second five, the first time the two have played together in the same team.  Memo to Henry, Smith and Nonu, Nonu and Smith, midfield pairing.  Thank you!!

Perhaps a bit tough on some, and too easy on others, but that's the Bart-rule for this week, roll on next Saturday and Eden Park, where fingers crossed that first the correct team will be selected, and a win will result!!