The area of the All Blacks' game Scott Barrett concedes needs fast fix

All Blacks captain Scott Barrett has conceded the main area of New Zealand’s game that requires urgent attention after South Africa inflicted a record 43–10 defeat in Wellington.

The Springboks, who ran in five second-half tries to secure their biggest-ever victory over the All Blacks, grew in confidence as the game wore on, with Barrett admitting the tight exchanges had handed momentum to the visitors.

“I think probably towards the end of that second half, when you’re chasing it, you probably play a little bit more loose or try push the play a little bit, and it clearly didn’t come off. So it is disappointing,” Barrett said post-match.

Turning to the area he felt had proved decisive, the lock did not shy away from the set piece as a key battleground lost.

“I think as a group first you’ve got to stick together. Individually, you’ve got to look at your own game, your own preparation week. And then within it, I think it’s about what’s going to give us the biggest shift.

“Right now, it’s probably a little bit of set-piece stuff. Front of mind, that’s probably an area where we thought we’d made a shift, and they just got energy from it and probably grew in confidence for the rest of their game.”

South Africa’s power up front and efficiency at the lineout turned the screw after the break, leaving New Zealand unable to escape their own half for long periods. Damian Willemse, Kwagga Smith and RG Snyman were all beneficiaries as the Boks hammered home their advantage.

Barrett said the defeat would sting during the upcoming bye week but backed his side to respond with a Bledisloe Cup clash looming.

“We’ll have a decent look as we head into a bye week. There’ll be some discomfort, clearly. But I’m sure this team will use that discomfort to bounce forward in the Bledisloe and finish this Rugby Championship strong.”