Very delayed report from the game after recovering from my Waiheke Island recovery day.
It was a cracking match to be at, things were pretty dire when we down in the first half but the fight back into the game and throughout was excellent, and Eden Park at sunset is a special spot to watch rugby.
Performance-wise (without subjecting myself to a broadcast re-watch) our defence and discipline just weren't good enough, but the pack has built a hard edge we haven't seen for years and some of the back play is starting to look really slick. Feels like we've got an actual style and identity as a team again after years of confused players not exactly sure where they should be or what we're trying to do.
Not sure there's much more to say on Piardi's performance, but it was telling how many kiwi fans were sheepishly apologizing for the referring. Not so much to the point of saying that the Wallabies were robbed, but more so for the fact that it hurt the spectacle, particularly for the few traveling fans like us. Everyone in the stadium was pretty confused by the calls throughout, particularly the tip tackle where the All Blacks fans around us were amazed to get away without even a penalty conceded there. Lots of work needed on that side of the product at Eden Park too - there was minimal announcement of the reasons for the calls, and in some cases the calls themselves weren't even announced. It's not always an issue, but for a game like that you really need the ref mic broadcast over the PA, at least for the key decisions.
Disappointment of the loss aside, I'm pretty bullish about our performance and chances this week in Perth, our biggest issues should be within our power to fix and we've probably got more back from injury then we lost. On the returning players, with Hooper going so well I'd be tempted bring Valetini back from the bench (Tizzano drops out), the ongoing calf issues a real worry and maybe they need to ease him back in on restricted minutes. It's hard on Salakaia-Loto after a great performance that was notcibly without a penalty conceeded, but Skelton likely comes straight back into start. Williams vs Salakaia-Loto for the bench is probably more horses for courses, so it'll depend on what Joe wants there, but Williams seems more likely based on the year so far and probably offers better balance if Valetini is the bench back row. 6-2 would be nice with the influx of forwards, but I'm not sure it's workable with Tate ruled out.