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All Blacks to 'double down' on Dave Rennie's blueprint for third Boks Test
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The All Blacks won’t be going into their shells at FNB Stadium in this weekend’s pivotal third Test of the Greatest Rivalry series, instead preparing to “double down” on head coach Dave Rennie’s “optimistic” style of play.
The Kiwis surrendered their advantage in the four-Test series with a 33-26 defeat to the Springboks in Cape Town over the weekend, having won the first Test in Johannesburg by 33 points to 16.
Now on their way back to the altitude of Soweto, New Zealand are hoping to rebound from their first loss under Rennie with a performance that can affirm their game plan ahead of a series finale in Baltimore and a Rugby World Cup next October.
Speaking to media after an All Blacks training session on Tuesday morning, assistant coach Tamati Ellison was emphatic when asked about staying true to the plan and maintaining a high tempo in game three.
“I think it’s all about that; the way that Rens has coached,” he replied. “I think we’ve seen the optimism in the game, the ability to play, the hard work to get set, to take those opportunities. That’s not going away. We’ll double down on that this week and hopefully nail some more of those opportunities.”
That latter point was front of mind for the coach. At DHL Stadium, New Zealand proved their ability to get the ball to the wings, but not to make consistent enough breaks once there, despite beating 40 Springbok tackles on the night.
“We gave ourselves plenty of chances and obviously scored more tries than them, but we felt like we left a few (points) out there,” Ellison added.
“The boys have trained well; it’s the first week in a while we haven’t had a midweek game, so there was plenty of energy at training. But we’ll build the week, and I’m sure when we arrive at the stadium it’ll definitely feel like a decider.”
The challenge this week is simple: win, and you’ve got one hand on the trophy. That phrase takes on a new meaning in the Greatest Rivalry series with a trophy that splits in half in the event of a draw.
Ellison, who has joined the All Blacks specifically for the tour to help manage the expanded squad, was previously the team’s defence coach under Scott Robertson. Asessing his team’s performance on the defensive side of the ball, the former All Black acknowledged there was work to do.
“We’re getting there. Obviously the start wasn’t ideal. There have been a lot of instances where we have defended them well in the middle of the field and turned them to their kicking game. So I think continuing to build off that, and then having the skill sets to deal with their kick game will be important.”
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