Always have to do the player rating thing after tests, especially when I remember…  So here we go, player ratings, All Blacks versus Canada…

From the back to the front, just for a change.

15:  Mils Muliaina  6/10

The break has not been kind to Mils.  Unlike on his return from R&R for the Chiefs, when he landed running, he looked very out of form.  Lacked pace, lacked vision, perhaps though, the biggest thing he lacked was chances, as that first half was a lateral running nightmare, playing into the drift defending Canadians hands.

14:  Doug Howlett  5/10
Like Mils, looked short of a gallop, and play didn’t run his way even more badly (as bad as my English there, s that should really read ‘worse’ I suppose) that for Mils.  Tries kept getting scored down his right wing, but not by Sideshow Doug.  He also looked slow, and offered far less with ball in hand than Sivivatu and Rokocoko have over the last fortnight.  Perhaps this was Doug’s last stand, as Gear when he was on the field looked far more hungry and dangerous than the veteran All Black winger.

13:  Luke McAlister  6/10

Not a centre.  I think he needs to get his hands on the ball sooner in a backline, ten or twelve being better options for Luke.  Just seemed out of place, and out of phase with all the players around him.  Perhaps Mauger was calling one move inside him to Carter, and then another outside him to McAlister to remove the talented five eights from contention for the second five spot!!  Made some breaks still and showed his undoubted talent, just too far out of position.

12:  Aaron Mauger  7/10

Part of that disjointed backline in the first spell, but still showed some nice touches and class all the same.  Looking very strong and sharp on the break, especially in the second half when the forwards started giving the backline some good ball.

11:  Sitiveni Sivivatu  8/10

Massive first half, wanted to play everywhere, from ten through to fifteen.  Was looking for work like a man who wants to be playing the big tests this season.  His inside running from midfield pop passes was class, in fact his whole game was class, probably the best back on the field bar one.

10:   Dan Carter  8/10

This is the ‘bar one’.  Even when he looks dozy as hell (which is all the time), he still wanders around scoring 29 points, including three tries, while barely raising a sweet!

Slotted 7/10 with the boot

9:  Byron Kelleher  7/10

Got th go forward going early for the All Blacks when the ‘spread the ball wide at all costs shit’ wasn’t working.  Made some good breaks, but had trouble linking up with support players at times.  Tidy in general, probably done enough to be starting next week against the Boer.

8:  Jerry Collins  7/10

Scary Jerry had a quite first half – think his first ball carry was after twenty minutes.  Second half though, he was everywhere, doing everything.  Even showing a bit of genuine (for a forward) pace, the sort of pace that will keep defenders very honest later in the season.  Mind you, all the pace in the world won’t help you if you are busy pushing in a rocket sled of a scrum and the opposing number eight breaks off and screams past you at warp speed.  Probably the only glaring error in his game.  The pack was so dominant at that time though, it is a miracle that the eight got the ball out before he was squished by his own tight five reversing over him!

7;  Chris Masoe  6/10

Missing in action.  Think Masoe was still waiting to be a ball runner, instead of getting in and getting dirty at ruck and maul time, trying to snaffle up the loose ball.  Perhaps that is the curse of a manufactured openside flanker.  The like of McCaw and Holah (who has a pretty handy game for the Juniors, again, against the Ockers).  Anyway, did not look to good, better when McCaw came on at seven and he dropped to six – he is a more natural support player / ball runner as opposed to being a fetcher.

6;  Reuben Thorne  7/10

Solid game once again.  He, like the rest of the loose forward missed a genuine openside flanker being on the field.  Went well at lock when he moved there with thirty or so to go, and this was the time when our scrum really started to rip the guts out of the Canadian eight.  Standard fare from ‘The Myth’, solid, if not earth shattering performance.

5:  Troy Flavell  6/10

Not sold at all on this bloke as an international lock.  Too loose, and just lacks something – hard to put your finger on what the something is.  Perhaps would have gone better with Jack or Williams, but we want locks that go well whoever they pair with!  Not so effective with ball in hand at this level as opposed to Super 14, a bit of a flat track bully in that respect.  Suspect his hand injury would not have helped, but tough!

4:  Ross Filipo  7/10

Played a fine game for a blindside flanker…  Not used very often at lineout time, ran with the ball well, made his tackles, and did his work in the tight.  Would have been happy with his debut.

3:  Nemia Tialata  7/10

Anchored the most dominant All Black scrum performance for years, in terms of demolition of an opposing forward pack at scrum time.  Otherwise got through his core duties well.  Showed out with ball in hand with a few strong runs.

2:  Andrew Hore  7/10

Busy game, prominent in the close quarter battles, like he usually is with the Hurricanes.  Played very well, certainly in the same league, just further down the table, as Mealamu and Oliver…  Will have put the doubters in their place, and the call for Witcombe and Flynn and the like will just be an echo in the Hills now…

1:  John Schwalger  7/10

Fine debut for this bloke too.  Strong in the set pieces, and did his job around the field, dotting down in Dougy’s corner too for a five pointed on debut.  Has a burst at TH late in the game, swapping sides with Tialata.  The scrum did not miss a beat.

19:  Richie McCaw  8/10

His best game of the season thus far, made a huge difference when he came on, the loose trio became balanced, and much more effective.

20;  Piri Weepu  7/10

Tidy, marshaled his troops well.  Forwarc pack seemed to work better with him conducting the fatties to the coal face.

21:  Rico Gear  7/10

Top game from the forgotten man – may have pushed himself up the list of outside backs with hands up for tickets to the RWC.  Came on at centre, and played very well, busy, fast, aggressive, looked really good in fact.

22:  Leon MacDonald  7/10

This is a changed man from the first test against the French.  Is now looking confident, and thanks to that confidence he is making the right decisions at the right times.  And he is looking much faster than he did.