'They’re going to double-team him': Ex-All Black captain Read identifies forward pack weakness

Former All Black captain Kieran Read has identified a tactical weakness in the forward pack that he believes will be exploited by South Africa if they don’t address it.

The No.8 believes the balance is out of kilter in the carry game leading to an over-reliance on tight five forwards instead of the back five.

He identified lock Sam Darry as one of the All Blacks busiest forwards over the three games in July, but warned against having the young lock take the same work load against the Springboks.

Read wanted to see Savea get more carries in a position of influence as one of the best ball carriers in the world.

“We need to utilise our back five in terms of our forward pack to carry the ball,” he said on The Good, The Bad & The Rugby Australia & New Zealand podcast..

“At the moment, I’m seeing Sam Darry carrying the ball a lot, Tupou Vaa’i carrying a little bit, and I’m probably not seeing Ardie carrying the ball enough in positions where he can make an influence.

“Sam Darry has probably been our best player in the forwards over these three Tests. Against the South Africans, they’re going to double-team him, and he probably doesn’t have that in his game to be able to be doing that all game.

“So I don’t know how we do it, but we need to find ways that we get our best players around the ball a bit more and utilise them.”

Rennie’s new attacking system calls on two of the three loosies to be stationed in the tramlines, often taking them away from pod carries in the middle third.

With the preference for Luke Jacobson at openside for his work rate and cleaning, it leaves a lack of power loose forward options to deliver the tight carries off 9.

Chiefs’ Wallace Sititi was given the blindside jersey to play Italy after Peter Lakai was given a chance against France over the first two weeks of the Nations Championship.

Those players are two of the strongest ball carriers in New Zealand but don’t make the starting side when Tupou Vaa’i is played in the back row.

Read highlighted Savea’s try against Ireland in the first half as an example of what he wants to see more of in South Africa.

“And I think that’s with Ardie [Savea], you see him off the back of the scrum against Ireland,” he continued.

“That’s the first time I’ve actually really seen him do that. I’m like screaming out for them to put him there or utilise what he’s got.

“And that’s what he can do off the back of a maul, what he can do when he’s down a 15 metre channel or like two passes wide. So why is he not getting the ball in those positions? That’s a question we need to have answered.

“Against a great defence, which is what they have, we need to have our best ball carriers carrying; otherwise we will get shunted back, and we’ll get put under pressure.”