Jason Holland affirms All Blacks' attacking intent in Boks bout

Synonymous with the All Blacks is expansive, attacking rugby, and the lack thereof in the Rugby Championship to date has fans worried that either the team’s identity or ability to play that game is changing.

After his first season in charge of the team in 2024, head coach Scott Robertson was proud to be leading the team that was creating the most opportunities in world rugby. In the 2025 Rugby Championship, his side has made three linebreaks in two games.

A first-up win over Los Pumas was primarily attributed to the forwards, whose set piece and physicality created the scoring opportunities as the team ran up 41 points. A loss followed, where just 23 points were scored, and the collision area favoured the Pumas.

With only three linebreaks to their name after two rounds, the All Blacks’ attack has faced some criticism from fans wanting a taste of that classic All Blacks excitement.

“We have an intent to play a really balanced game,” All Blacks attack coach Jason Holland told Sport Nation when asked about he attacking identity he’s striving for.

“Obviously, the collisions and going forward, ever since we’ve known rugby, that’s always been vital to play the style of rugby that you’re talking about, that the All Blacks have always played.

“So there’s no getting away from that; you need to be physical and you need to win collisions. But that can be easier by the balance of how you play, how you get to width, and that’s something, especially last weekend, we weren’t able to get to the width through our skillsets to be able to assert the game that we want to play on the opposition.

“I suppose the answer to your question is we’re not looking to be through the middle the whole time, and looking for collisions, we need to be aware of space. That’s what we’re striving for.”

The coach said a review of the round two loss to Los Pumas had highlighted “a lot of things that weren’t up to standard around execution and skillsets”, and he felt the team were clear on what improvements were needed.

“It’s a lot of just worrying about what’s in front of us at that certain moment, what’s my job, what is the far side going to give, what do I need to see? We feel like we’re creating some opportunities, but some simple things let us down at crucial times.

“So we’re working hard at putting lots of pressure on ourselves around our skillsets and our decision-making this week. Obviously, South Africa love to take away your time and space, and it’s important we get to play the footy that we want to play. Having a good skillset is going to be an important part of that.

“It is frustrating, but we’re aware of what our week looks like to get that skillset on Saturday night.”

Holland said a loss like New Zealand suffered in Buenos Aires can haunt you for some time, but a fixture with as much history and pride on the line as the one on Saturday demands you step up to the plate.

“Eden Park, South Africa, All Blacks; it has got a hell of a lot of meaning, obviously, and it’s going to be a massive day. We’re aware of the enormity of the task ahead, but massively determined to prepare well to get a performance we can be proud of come Saturday.”