Dave Rennie reveals high-ball lessons and why back-three selection is crucial

After weeks of discussing, reviewing, and “kicking stones” about their 3-1 series defeat against the Springboks in Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry, All Blacks head coach Dave Rennie is ready to make amends.

Rennie’s side tried to implement a new aerial strategy during the four-Test, eight-game tour of the Republic, where the wingers, or any player, for that matter, attempting to secure an in-play kick, would retreat instead of attacking the ball from front on.

During the first Test at Ellis Park, the All Blacks’ only triumph in the four-Test series, they made small strides in that area, but Rassie Erasmus and the Springboks countered in Tests two, three, and four.

Jason Pine on Newstalk ZB’s Weekend Sport asked Rennie whether the All Blacks are committed to the strategy of retreating to catch the ball, and why.

“Yeah, I mean a few years ago, it was a pretty simple process because you could have three or four guys running a screen, which denies the chasers the opportunity to get up and compete. And so the idea is that you get a high ball that’s uncontested, and you’re catching 95% of those,” Rennie said on Newstalk ZB.

“The way things have changed now, it’s ironic-you can be running back even if you try and get out of the way, but you run in the path of someone coming from a different direction. You can get penalised, and so the concept of retreating is that you can actually escort and catch the ball.

“So generally, when the kicks are a little bit deeper, it allows you to then feed the fullback or ten, and then we get to play immediately, try and move the ball away from that congested area.

“But when the kicks are shorter, it’s a little bit harder for the guys at the back to come forward anyway. So it’s a combination of both. For kicks that are overkicked a little bit, you want the guys coming forward.

“I still think guys retreating gives us a chance to stop their chasers getting directly at the ball. And if we can link and connect from there, then we get to use the ball immediately.”

When it comes to team selection, specifically for the back-three positions, the All Blacks head coach explained that high-ball attributes certainly matter.

“Yeah, we do a huge amount of work on it, and people may question that, but yeah, look, it’s a part of the game, but it’s not the only part of the game.

“We’re picking outside picks for a number of reasons, and some of that is their defensive ability or their ability to finish, their work ethic to get all around the field, and invariably, we play Will Jordan a lot on the wing.

“He’s played a lot of fullback, which is a real asset, I believe. And if you look at the guys we’ve used on the wing, they’re on both sides of the park, and so it suits our game.

“It’s definitely part of it, and it’s an area that the boys put a lot of time into. But yeah, look, we’re committed. We understand when you play teams like South Africa, you’re going to get tested, so we’re going to be better.”