Jordie Barrett on lingering high-ball issues: 'It turns into a bit of a lottery'

The All Blacks‘ high-ball issues remain a concern for Dave Rennie’s side during their four-Test series with the Springboks, an aspect they are “working really hard” at, according to second-five Jordie Barrett.

In Cape Town, the All Blacks once again struggled to retain any of the Springboks’ box-kicks, even with a new retreating tactic that Mike Blair and the coaching staff have employed.

The All Blacks wingers tend to start just ahead of the chasers, following the ball in the air like a hawk as they retreat, attempting to take the catch facing their own dead-ball line.

After the first Test at Ellis Park, the Springboks adjusted their counter to the All Blacks’ plan, getting ahead of the retreating winger to wedge themselves between the player and the ball.

The home side’s tactic often disrupted the All Blacks’ jump, providing a tougher challenge for them to secure the ball from their own kicks, or South African ones.

Barrett, a key cog in the All Blacks’ aerial game, was questioned about his side’s issues in the air, explaining why he feels as though they are struggling.

“Yeah, like if you just looked at the last Test, we kicked very little contestables. The ones we did kick, we did win back,” Barrett told reporters in Cape Town.

“They kicked quite a lot, and they’re often a lot shorter. So our fullback in the backfield, it’s not his job to get it. It’s kind of in that zone where they want to make it messy and get scraps. So, yeah, unfortunately, the laws of the game at the moment don’t, I guess, help a receiving team.

“We saw how Tupou Vaa’i was penalised. You’ve got to get up and contest, and you can’t stand around the area or protect your catcher. So, it turns into a bit of a lottery.

But, Barrett explained that getting it right at Test level is a lot harder than it looks, and they haven’t given up on finding an effective solution.

“We’ve got plans and ways around that in terms of trying to win as many of those as possible, but yeah, we practice it a lot. Trust me, it’s a lot harder than it probably looks on the telly, so yeah, we’re working really hard.

“A lot of our energy and planning is going towards it, and hopefully we can win a few more on Saturday because that’s what’s coming.”

“We’re going to have to tidy up a lot of stuff around the air, winning the scraps on the ground, and trying to minimise their entries into our half, so they can’t get their power game on. Then getting our own game on too, trying to use the ball, yeah, within reason.”