Most of the games I watched, yes they did pass a lot, but the passing was poor and ineffectual. i.e the backs were often way too deep, taking passes at half pace and then accelerating. They often didn't make the gain line. The passes were often slow and to the man as opposed to in front of him, so he could accelerate onto the ball. And I don't really think throwing lots of passes necessarily means a team is playing expansively. They could be lots of short passes off the ruck, or pops to support runners. I don't really recall any decent passages of play or set moves with the 10 for example cutting out the centres, flat pass to 15, who's accelerating into the gap flat out. And that's what they need to do - learn how to play an expansive game effectively. Any team can pass the ball out from 9 - 14, but to actually do it with accurate passing and at full pace is a very hard thing to do. NZ are supreme at this. They go from side to side, stretching the defence and eventually holes open up and a flat, bullet pass from Carter finds an outside back sprinting into a gap. The ball goes straight to his hands and he doesn't have to break stride. Most teams try to emulate this, but simply don't have the skills. And that's why NZ are so good, they do the basics so well.
And great chance for Twelvetrees, hope he takes it.
