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The wise advice that led to All Blacks victory

By Online Editors
All Blacks captain Kieran Read. (Photo by Hannah Peters/Getty Images)

By Patrick McKendry, NZ Herald

Veteran hooker Dane Coles is rapt with the way the All Blacks overcame a nervous start to dominate their epic encounter with South Africa in their Rugby World Cup opener on Saturday night.

Coles revealed captain Kieran Read had to gather the team together after they looked rattled in the opening 15 minutes of the Pool B match.

“We weren’t really that settled. Reado brought us in and said ‘the next guy just hold the ball and the nearest guy just clean’ so we could get a bit of momentum,” Coles said yesterday.

“Once we settled down we made a few line breaks and put a bit of pressure on them. I don’t know if it was nerves. I think it was just one person did it [throw the ball] and the next person thought he had to do it.

“The way that we adapted to it we showed some good signs.”

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Coles, who was replaced at halftime due to a calf niggle which he said wasn’t serious, praised the All Blacks for the way they adapted to South Africa’s defensive pressure.

“In the last game [in the Rugby Championship] they brought a lot of line speed and put us under pressure and we couldn’t adapt. It could still be better — but we did that really well.

“Our defence, as well; they made a few line breaks and Richie Mo’unga did an outstanding cover tackle on their winger,” he said referring to Mo’unga’s brilliant cover defence to stop electric winger Cheslin Kolbe. “Just that willingness to get back and make a tackle and never give up were two promising signs as well.”

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Playing the Springboks in front of a mainly Japanese crowd at Yokohama Stadium, many of whom were supporting the All Blacks, was a very different experience for the New Zealanders.

There were many locals wearing black jerseys and black face paint as the All Blacks began their World Cup defence with a 23-13 victory against the old enemy. But there were many wearing the red and white jerseys of Japan but cheering for the All Blacks — support acknowledged at the end by a coordinated bow by the New Zealand players to all four sides of the stadium.

“It wasn’t like the screaming Kiwis chucking up beer in the air,” Coles said of the polite but occasionally loud support. “It was a respectful crowd — it was different. You know the New Zealand fans, they get on the booze about one o’clock and they’re into it by game time.

“We’ve had great support since we’ve been here and hopefully that continues.”

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The All Blacks will get a taste of something different again on Tuesday when they fly to Beppu, near Oita, where they will play Canada in their next game on October 2.

It’s a good break and offers a change of scenery which perhaps comes at just the right time after a torrid test against South Africa which carried with it an intense fortnight of preparation.

“Mentally it’s good. It’s good to have a couple of days to decompress I suppose and then we’ll focus on Canada and build up for that.”

This article first appeared on nzherald.co.nz and was republished with permission.

In other news:

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Trevor 26 minutes ago
Will forgotten Wallabies fit the Joe Schmidt model?

Thanks Brett.. At last a positive article on the potential of Wallaby candidates, great to read. Schmidt’s record as an international rugby coach speaks for itself, I’m somewhat confident he will turn the Wallaby’s fortunes around …. on the field. It will be up to others to steady the ship off the paddock. But is there a flaw in my optimism? We have known all along that Australia has the players to be very competitive with their international rivals. We know that because everyone keeps telling us. So why the poor results? A question that requires a definitive answer before the turn around can occur. Joe Schmidt signed on for 2 years, time to encompass the Lions tour of 2025. By all accounts he puts family first and that’s fair enough, but I would wager that his 2 year contract will be extended if the next 18 months or so shows the statement “Australia has the players” proves to be correct. The new coach does not have a lot of time to meld together an outfit that will be competitive in the Rugby Championship - it will be interesting to see what happens. It will be interesting to see what happens with Giteau law, the new Wallaby coach has already verbalised that he would to prefer to select from those who play their rugby in Australia. His first test in charge is in July just over 3 months away .. not a long time. I for one wish him well .. heaven knows Australia needs some positive vibes.

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Bull Shark 4 hours ago
Jake White: Are modern rugby players actually better?

Of the rugby I’ve born witness to in my lifetime - 1990 to date - I recognize great players throughout those years. But I have no doubt the game and the players are on average better today. So I doubt going back further is going to prove me wrong. The technical components of the game, set pieces, scrums, kicks, kicks at goal. And in general tactics employed are far more efficient, accurate and polished. Professional athletes that have invested countless hours on being accurate. There is one nation though that may be fairly competitive in any era - and that for me is the all blacks. And New Zealand players in general. NZ produces startling athletes who have fantastic ball skills. And then the odd phenomenon like Brooke. Lomu. Mcaw. Carter. Better than comparing players and teams across eras - I’ve often had this thought - that it would be very interesting to have a version of the game that is closer to its original form. What would the game look like today if the rules were rolled back. Not rules that promote safety obviously - but rules like: - a try being worth 1 point and conversion 2 points. Hence the term “try”. Earning a try at goals. Would we see more attacking play? - no lifting in the lineouts. - rucks and break down laws in general. They looked like wrestling matches in bygone eras. I wonder what a game applying 1995 rules would look like with modern players. It may be a daft exercise, but it would make for an interesting spectacle celebrating “purer” forms of the game that roll back the rules dramatically by a few versions. Would we come to learn that some of the rules/combinations of the rules we see today have actually made the game less attractive? I’d love to see an exhibition match like that.

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