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'That sort of thing doesn't sit well with you': All Blacks coach left miffed by tackle on Josh Moorby


New Zealand fullback Damian McKenzie #15 carries the ball during a match between the New Zealand All Blacks and the South Africa Springboks at M&T Bank Stadium on September 12, 2026 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Roger Wimmer/ISI Photos/ISI Photos via Getty Images)
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With the game in the balance in Baltimore with the All Blacks attempting to mount a comeback down 29-21, a try against the run of play to Kurt-Lee Arendse essentially killed off the contest.

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Fullback Damian McKenzie broke through the line and tried to link with winger Josh Moorby inside, only for the winger to drop the ball in the tackle of Cameron Hanekom.

Arendse picked up the loose ball and run back 60 meters to score untouched through the tired defence of the All Black forwards.

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The tackle on Moorby by Hanekom was ruled to be simultaneous, one of a few close calls that went against the All Blacks that “didn’t sit well” with assistant coach Neil Barnes.

“It’s a normal process to be to look at things like that, I suppose. But yeah, it’s a couple of calls there.” Barnes said on the game-defining moments on Jason Pine’s Newstalk ZB show.

“Well, obviously, you know the one on Josh Moorby when he knocks the ball up, and the guy’s got his arm on the inside so he can’t catch it, and you don’t get the call.

“But they picked up the ball, he dropped, and scored at the other end. It’s a 14-point try. That sort of thing doesn’t sit well with you.”

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Despite fixing up the set-piece there were early indiscretions penalised.

Two scrum penalties went against the All Blacks for releasing the brake foot early, but upon inspection Taylor’s release was the same time as Malcolm Marx.

“We get two penalties against at the start of the game for a brake foot, which no one really gives a s*** about, but the referees are concentrating on,” Barnes said.

“And when you look at the video, both teams have done exactly the same thing at the same time. There’s two penalties against us, so I guess for the day, there’s a perception there that they’re the dominant team. But at the moment, they’re getting the rub of the green.

“When that changes, we’ll have a fair go.”

Barnes revealed in the wake of the second Test in Cape Town they received apologies for calls that wrongly went against them which he believed would have made the series 2-0 to the All Blacks.

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“As I said to you, the game tonight was bloody close, and they got a couple of calls, and we didn’t, and so that’s the way the rub of the green goes,” he said. 

“You’ve got to suck it up, but you know, I go back to the second Test. We were on the wrong side of some calls there, which we got apologies for, but that would make a series 2-0, and people wouldn’t be thinking like they are.”

 

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72 Comments
S
SunChaser 25 days ago

We should start a go fund me page for Ben Smith and sponsor more articles - the more he writes the more international refs are going to ping New Zealand.

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Jacque 26 days ago

Ben, you write a load of BS 99% of the time.

Come with FACTS.


An ageing kicking Springbok team scored only 3 tries less than the “all out attack” All Blacks.


All Blacks had:

More possession

More carries

More passes

More line breaks

More tries

More attacking metres

More attacking phases


The Springboks:


Won the crucial set-piece battles when the games were tight

Were more effective from penalties

Defended enormous amounts of possession

Became increasingly dominant as the series progressed.


It was a GREAT series yet you are bothered with replays by Supersport.

Write something that will actually make sense to keep yourself relevant.

C
Chris Whitfield 26 days ago

The byline is the most revealing insight about this

F
Flankly 26 days ago

You’ve got to suck it up

Yes. It's called sportsmanship. You say it like this: “Congrats to the Boks. Great game. We're coming after you next time”.


No need for whining. No need for Susie. And no need to list the 50% of the 50/50 calls didn't go your way (Hint: the 50% is in the name).


One idea: Take a look at how Rassie and his coaching team handled the first test. They said “Well done, NZ”, and they said “We'll be back”.


Easy.

H
Henrik 26 days ago

I’d say 50:50 …. DMac’s pass to Moorby looked going forward to me (but perhaps also 50:50) ….


some AB’s (hope not the majority) seem to be taking it as Rugby Laws, all 50:50 would have to go their way

B
Blackmania 26 days ago

Let’s not look for excuses where there aren’t any. Hanekom’s tackle was perfectly fine — right on the money, at exactly the right time.

That’s rugby. Sometimes you get the bounce, sometimes you don’t, and this time the coin landed on the Boks’ side.

What could have been a 29–28 game turned into 36–21.

That’s just how it goes.

H
Hellhound 26 days ago

Folks still crying. Let's say the AB's did get that call, the try would've been chalked off yes, but what if he blew the game correctly? He and the TMO missed very obvious side entries, no arms tackles into rucks by AB's players, included shoulders against head contacts. If that got blown the way it should have been, the AB's would have had 3 rad cards, Ethan Blackadder would have been gone within the first 5 Min of the game. There is much more calls going against the Boks in this series, but the Saffas didn't whine and groaned and moaned and cried a river. Get over it. The series is done, the Boks is the victors and lets face it, the Boks left at least 15-20 points on the field, if not more.

K
Kroko 26 days ago

The reviewed the tackle on Moorby from all angles multiple times. What more do you want? New Zealanders used to be good winners and gracious losers. Do not let this clown Ben Smith goad you into becoming whingers.

H
Hellhound 26 days ago

Ben Smith is a Kiwi, so he just act his nature. The older guard of fans wasn't whingers, the new generation mostly are, but a small contingent

p
proooooovince 26 days ago

I mean they reviewed it several times in slow motion, and it was not clearly early, 50-50 at best.


That means you don’t overturn the onfield decision which was a try.


Reviews that alter on-field has to be clear, this was not.

P
PR 26 days ago

“We get two penalties against at the start of the game for a brake foot, which no one really gives a s*** about, but the referees are concentrating on.” The brake foot law was brought in to lessen the pressure on the front rows’ necks. So I take the AB coaches don’t really care about player welfare?

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Ninjin 26 days ago

They dont scrum as a contest in super rugby but rather to restart the game so yea they dont care about things like that.

S
Smirre 26 days ago

This is terrible from an actual coach. Any other coach in world rugby make comments like this and he will be sanctioned! On top of that Mr Barnes, go and have a look at the try you scored from the 30+ phases in the Boks 22….the AB’s cleared from the side minimum of 4 times, and twice even from the Bok’s side, especially Blackadder! Not a single word. The fact is, the Boks used to be like this, always complaining about ref decisions, but learned that that doesn’t help. They employed a world class ref into their coaching setup to help them with interpretations and what refs look at and wat the positive picture is they want to see. Brilliant move! Maybe stop complaining and try that. Your team played massively well…don’t undermine that by complaining about refs. Have a bit of grace and work hard to improve things on the field.

R
RC 25 days ago

Quite literally made referees fear making calls against the boks.. that's the only reason you won in 2023 lol

R
RC 25 days ago

Bro your coach made an hour and a half video complaining about a ref. Get off it.

L
Lou Cifer 26 days ago

These coaches are doing more damage to the ABs than anyone else with these takes! Instead of looking at themselves, they’re creating this BS ideas in the players heads. Footage clearly shows he tripped himself yet this narrative persists. There was also a fwd pass immediately afterwards AND Roigard was miles offside at the initial ruck, so it didn’t matter

S
Superignazzio 26 days ago

what happened to the “no talk about the ref decisions after the game” antics?

J
JW 26 days ago

My respect for Barnes has gone up.


MISSION PASSED

respect +

N
Ninjin 26 days ago

You need a new forwards coach asap. Japan has a pack that performs better at the mo.

H
HS 26 days ago

Was the mission of his comments to get respect from you?

S
SJ 26 days ago

This All Black team could likely be alot better if the coaching staff start focusing on the real reasons that they lost 3 of the 4 matches. But it seems to be easier for them to complain about reffing calls than take accountability for their weaknesses. The difference in the quality of players of these two teams is really small, both squads are full of incredible players. However, I think there is a massive difference in the quality of the two coaching teams. Going into a world cup with this New Zealand coaching setup would really bother me if I was a Kiwi.

J
JO 26 days ago

Trust Ben to pick up the loser coaches loser comments. I guess that’s what loser writer’s do

P
PMcD 26 days ago

The SB defence won this game for them, as did the impact of the bench - they were the two areas Barnes should have been looking at.


It’s hard to beat that gnarly defence but the tactical mistake was not going 6|2 and the power of Lood, Esterheizen & Hanekom made a difference in that final 30 mins. They are the areas that changed the game and it’s pointless him moaning about the refs because the result will not change and he should be looking in the mirror saying what else do we need to consider to close the gap - then you will be moving in the right direction.

I
In actual fact 26 days ago

If I was writing satire articles for RP like Ben


(refer the scrum “analysis” one after the second test, and the prediction that the AB’s were primed to shock the world in the third test)


I would also do my utmost best to find reasons to explain away the losses.


In actual fact, in my desperation I may even have referred to an apology that would have overturned the outcome of a test, and the series! (without providing any further explanations of course - who wants to get bogged down in the details!)

H
HS 26 days ago

You could see the rate of BS opinions dropping after Soweto.


I expect, at best, another ‘5 reasons why the ABs lost’ article, but definitely nothing along the lines of ‘my predictions were wrong and I have learned … over the last month’.


Then again, a lot of opinion makers here are primarily fans that write more words but are as one eyed as the bulk of the commentators here.

J
JW 26 days ago

Err this is our coach you’re listening too..

R
Rugby3 27 days ago

It’s funny that the All Blacks of all people are now complaining about not getting the 50:50 calls.

Hilarious.

C
CHILLI 27 days ago

A moan is a long, low sound that expresses pain, sadness, or a continuous complaining whine. Oxford dictionary…

W
Wayneo 26 days ago

Sounds exactly like that when uou read a Ben Smith article out aloud.

C
CHILLI 27 days ago

Let the moaning continue! 🫶👌👌 # ALL MOANS

N
NoLongerARuck 27 days ago

The All Blacks whinged about the scrum and wanted to draw attention to it. Then when attention was given and refs policed it aggressively they start to moan. With respect to the supposed tackle he did not make contact with Moorby before he received the ball therefore it cannot be an early tackle. Moorby was also on the way down anyway and lost his footing. There was no clear and obvious reason to disallow that try. Neil Barnes is proving just to be an inflammatory mouthpiece that spews out pathetic remarks whenever he gets the chance. He is behaving like a fan rather than an objective coach who should be taking the lessons from the contest.

c
cnw 26 days ago

Ruck there is a good video from a SA commentator suggesting that Hanekom tripped him. He also says though that DMcKs pass was forward. Anyway, got to take this on the chin as you suggest. I’d also would prefer to focus on where we need to get better, and the scope to do so too.

J
JW 26 days ago

I wouldn’t say aggressive, that’s the wrong word, he refused to penalize Steenkamp.

u
unknown 27 days ago

I came here to say - I agree with little ben! The Boks are sh!te! The AB’s will smash them - next time 🫣 the Boks can’t improve and the Boks are definitely not the best in the world! There I said it - just like little ben!

n
nn 27 days ago

Your comment is as relevant as your title.. Mr “unknown”

H
Hammer Head 27 days ago

Of course. It was the referees fault.


How about all the “marginal side entries” throughout the series?


We get two penalties against at the start of the game for a brake foot, which no one really gives a s*** about

Tell that to Rennie.


I was about to congratulate the ABs coaching team for a great job so far until I read this tripe. Of course delivered by the head of intestinal matter, BS.

O
OtagomanII 27 days ago

Barnes isn't actually sucking it up. He is spreading narratives instead. What was this apology from the authorities? The more this series has gone on the more the nonsense has grown. Just get the forward pack to play better.

J
JW 26 days ago

Just get the forward pack to play better.

What’s that got to do with anything?

H
Hammer Head 27 days ago

Yeah. If he’s sucking anything - it’s a lemon.

W
Wayneo 27 days ago

Did he miss the part about the last pass from McKenzie to Moorby being forward?

Whiney bunch of clowns these ABs coaches…

J
JW 26 days ago

I know you guys love League but in rugby it’s ‘backward motion’.

H
Hammer Head 27 days ago

I tell you - it’s a terrible look. At least Razor took his losses like a man.

B
BM 27 days ago

Dave Rennie wouldn’t be to concern given his experience when coaching the WBs where most close calls went against him

T
Tooly 27 days ago

Rassie was drawn a quartered by WR for his legitimate concerns about Berry .

Berry was promoted !

H
Hellhound 26 days ago

How Rassie did it was wrong, but not what he posted. He got banned. The other coaches do it, and they get congratulated. Not the same standards apply across the game of rugby with WR. It all depends on who it is. If it was Rassie that cried a river like Rennie and his coaching staff, he would have been banned again. Will Rennie get even a citation? Of course not. If he was a Saffa, you can bet your house minimum 12 months ban.

B
Barefoot 27 days ago

Yeah I thought Hanekom’s tackle was 50/50, but in fairness it’s not as though the officials skipped through it: they examined every angle they had, multiple times. I wouldn’t whinge if that went against the Boks.


But PR giving all this oxygen to Neil Barnes moaning is a bit off. You guys could have rolled all of these articles into one summary: “In breaking news, All Blacks coach scared for his job has feedback for the opposition, officials, broadcasters, his players ... everyone except himself.”


You lost, it happens. It was a great series and in my book with the remaining draw you’re odds-on to win the Nations Championship. Move on.

J
JW 26 days ago

it’s not as though the officials skipped through it: they examined every angle they had, multiple times.

Thats the strange thing, and perhaps I just didn’t know why they were looking, only one camera was needed. It should have been a really straightforward decision.


In the end I think the ref just gave up on the TMO and said “hey look, this is going nowhere, you’re not showing me anything I can use”.

S
Stooge 27 days ago

What a whinging clown! 🤡

The All Blames are the last ones to whinge about what happened in the 2nd test.

Gardner handed the All Blames the scrums on a silver platter.

There’s nobody as blind as he who does not wish to see.

K
Kiwi 27 days ago

It was an accidental leg trip. The arm was simultaneous but he’s already falling to the ground before catching the ball.

J
JW 26 days ago

What are you trying to say?

R
RugCs 27 days ago

He literally tripped over his own feet


https://x.com/BoknRoll/status/2099099550472364204

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