Jason Ryan addresses All Blacks' maul struggles against Scotland

All Blacks assistant coach Jason Ryan has addressed what went wrong defensively at lineout time for his side against Scotland at Murrayfield.

The All Blacks eventually wrestled momentum into their favour as the game progressed into the second half, but they had it far from their own way during the first forty minutes.

Dave Rennie’s side opened the scoring in their Nations Championship clash, but couldn’t extend their lead as Scotland hooker Ewan Ashman crossed for a hat-trick in the first half.

Two of Ashman’s tries were through rolling maul’s, while in general, the visitors struggled to contain the hosts’ powerful driving maul.

Speaking to media in Bath, where the All Blacks are staying before their battle with Wales on the weekend, Ryan explained what came out of the review from Scotland.

“Yeah, we talked around a little bit of accuracy and decision making, discipline-wise, was probably front of mind, which was something we also talked about before the game,” Ryan said in Bath.

“But we put a couple of things into context around where the boys are at emotionally in that first 40. There’s a little bit of release and a little bit of inaccuracy caused through, I guess, a little bit of the week.

“That’s honesty about that. But then I think we also really put in front of the boys that when we have double yellow cards back-to-back, it puts your game under pressure, puts our D under pressure.

“Next minute you’re going defending a maul with six people. Then they add their backs in, and next minute it’s a 12 on eight. So that made it a little bit tough.

“But we also you know talked a lot around our halftime messaging that we thought we got right and how we played a little bit differently in the second half, and came out of the blocks with real good impact.”

Ryan explained that they have focused on what happened before the maul, rather than the maul itself.

“I think the ongoing fix is why we’re getting to defend them so much, and that’s like I said before, is the accuracy and decision making getting penalised, getting put in the corner.

“You know, and when you when you’re defending with, as I said, six forwards [during yellow cards], it makes it tough.”

Despite struggling on the defensive side of the ball, the lineout excelled on their own terms, claiming all 17 of their lineout attempts in Edinburgh.

Not only were they effective, the All Blacks scored a couple of innovative set-plays off first-phase, something that Ryan says the team have put significant effort in.

“Oh, look, we just keep it humble up front. I know that Sir Ted will be happy about those first phase tries, but yeah, look, it’s good.

“I think that what it does is it puts defense a little bit in two minds because it’s like, well, what’s next?

“We hadn’t sort of showed too much of that this year, so it’s really pleasing because there’s a bit of work that goes into it without complicating it.

“Once you put the pictures in front of the boys of why we’re doing it, and here’s the opportunities, and they buy in, and there’s a lot to get right for that to happen. So we didn’t actually get it all right either, but yeah, we’ll take it.”