In San Diego, Billy Proctor shines as the All Blacks defeat Fiji at center field.
Billy Proctor was at the front of the group of rookies who pushed their resumes past Scott Robertson as the All Blacks defeated Fiji 47–5 on Saturday afternoon in San Diego.
As the All Blacks swept through seven tries at Snapdragon Stadium, centre Proctor breezed through his list of pre-match objectives. He scored a try, made many line breaks, and also slotted neatly into the midfield with Anton Lienert-Brown.
His No. 13, who appeared equally at ease with his distribution and decision-making in defense as he did when trying to slither through tackles and punch across the advantage line, was providing coach Robertson with exactly what he needed.
Undoubtedly one of the greatest players on the field, Lienert-Brown exuded aggression as he rushed headlong into the Fijian tacklers, and his partnership with Proctor must have given Robertson a fair dose of comfort in the lead-up to the Rugby Championship.
For the first championship test against Argentina in Wellington on August 10, Robertson may not be ready to split up the well-established 12–13 combination of Jordie Barrett and Rieko Ioane, but he knows he has a big unit in Proctor, who carried out his work under the California sun with a calm demeanor.
Ioane, who was not present on match day 23, would have known what Proctor accomplished, and maybe that’s just what Robertson intended when he selected this team to play in the United States.
Skilled players respond most effectively when they are certain of their position.
This is what Ioane must now accomplish, as Lienert-Brown is also a skilled center and Proctor is obviously capable of playing at a high level. Ioane should be concerned.
Given that the All Blacks were lucky to win the 2-0 series against England in New Zealand by razor-thin margins, Robertson would have been pleased with his team’s ability to focus for extended periods of time and become a more formidable attacking force.
The scrum kept up its strength against the English, the lineout was considerably improved, and the work around the breakdown was hardworking and physical.
However, it was far from ideal.
The All Blacks were only able to score one try in the last quarter, to rookie hooker George Bell, who came off the bench. Normally, you would expect them to use their fitness to further cement their superiority.