15. Ben Smith: 6
Plenty of ambition from Smith who looked the most comfortable of New Zealand’s back line, but a few too many dropped balls. One fumble while chasing back under pressure in the second half typified a nervy All Blacks performance.
14. Waisake Naholo: 6
A superb opening try in the first two minutes, showing his speed and power to tear through the middle of Georgia’s backline. Struggled with cramp after 50 minutes and was replaced by Malakai Fekitoa. His return to fitness is great news for New Zealand but it remains to be seen if he has done enough to replace Nehe Milner-Skudder.
13. Conrad Smith: 5
Another in the back line who didn’t get the basics right while also failing to make much impact in attack. Unusual from one of the most experienced players in the team but always seems to step up in the big games so there won’t be too much concern.
12. Sonny Bill Williams: 5
Gave a nice miss pass for Savea’s second try and there were a couple of good offloads but overall it was a poor display from Williams. He made far too many handling errors and was largely kept under wraps by the Georgian centres.
11. Julian Savea: 6
Got himself much more involved in the match after two relatively quiet performances against Argentina and Namibia. Showed good strength to score his first and then had two straightforward finishes to bring up the hat-trick.
10. Dan Carter: 3.5
An evening to forget. Carter is struggling to find form and looked badly short of confidence throughout. His kicking was poor both from the hand and for goal and he was responsible for some rookie handling errors.
9. Aaron Smith: 4
Smith will be disappointed with this temperamental performance. He made several awful passes from the breakdown to nobody and didn’t pose much of a threat around the fringes. He had a nice break in the second half only to chip the ball straight into touch.
1. Wyatt Crockett: 5
Didn’t do enough to warrant selection over Hansen’s preferred prop combination and spent much of the evening being driven backwards.
2. Dane Coles: 5.5
Showed good pace to finish in the corner for his try; his athleticism certainly sets him apart from most other hookers. Despite this, he was part of a pack that struggled in the scrum and there were a few wayward lineouts.
3. Charlie Faumuina: 5.5
Provides the team with a good running option and made some useful carries but also has to shoulder some of the blame for New Zealand’s weak scrum.
4. Brodie Retallick: 5.5
An industrious performance from Retallick who seemed to be absolutely everywhere and helped shove Read over the line for his try but was another that was guilty of mistakes and wasn’t at his best.
5. Sam Whitelock: 6
You can’t fault Whitelock for his effort and perseverance around the field. He kept his workrate high throughout and did the basics well.
6. Jerome Kaino: 5
A couple of big carries which were needed to counteract the physical presence of Georgia’s forwards, but it was a messy display and his place in the team may come under real pressure.
7. Richie McCaw: 6
Does anyone know how McCaw got through this game in one piece? He was eventually subbed off having been taken some big hits but will be more frustrated than anyone for his team’s lack of accuracy and uncharacteristically high error count. His battle with Man of the Match Mamuka Gordodze was an interesting sub-plot during the first half.
8. Kieran Read: 5.5
Plenty of endeavour from Read who gradually improved as the game progressed. A brilliant offload to his captain in the second half and a well-taken try were particular highlights but there were too many errors from the usually composed back row.
Replacements: 8
The replacements provided some much needed energy and were clinical as the Georgians started to tire. Fekitoa had a big impact, was always a threat with the ball on hand and scored a very nice try. Victor Vito proved why New Zealand are one of the most versatile teams in the world with the blindside flanker coming on at centre in the second half. Keven Mealamu, Sam Cane and Tawera Kerr-Barlow also had good stints.
By Joe Ogden (@JoeOgden90)
Photo by: Patrick Khachfe / Onside Images