Where the All Blacks must improve for rematch against Springboks
If the All Blacks are to do the double over the Springboks and complete a rare Rugby Championship Grand Slam, they will need to produce a vastly improved effort on the Gold Coast this weekend.
That’s the verdict from head coach Ian Foster, who wasn’t impressed by some aspects of last week’s tense 19-17 victory over the South Africans in Brisbane last Saturday.
Although the Kiwis dug deep to snatch a win via the boot of Jordie Barrett late in the piece in Townsville, it didn’t make for pretty viewing as the All Blacks were guilty of a multitude of handling errors and set piece mishaps that stifled their attacking ability.
That – combined with the disruption of the Springboks’ forwards up front, their backs’ incessant aerial bombardment and the continual stoppages in play to tend to South African injuries – wreaked havoc with New Zealand’s continuity with ball in hand.
While the latter facet of South Africa’s game is largely out of the All Blacks’ control, Foster made it clear while speaking to media on Thursday that his side need to front up in the other areas where they struggled as they spluttered to victory six days ago.
Perhaps the most pressing concern was the sheer number of turnovers they conceded, many of which came from spillages that plagued the Kiwis in their opening few phases of attack.
“I think when you reflect on the game, I’m not so sure it was the rush defence,” Foster said of the reasoning behind his side’s attacking woes at Queensland Country Bank Stadium.
“We just forced a couple of plays early in the phases and came up with some uncharacteristic handling errors and, also, we weren’t that good, I think, as a backline, at looking after the ball in the tackle situation.
“We missed a couple of cleans and it was an area that we didn’t do that well [in], particularly in the wider channels, so we’ve got to get better at that.
“One way to play the game properly is to make sure we hold onto the ball and really back our skill execution. There’s been a focus on that and we’ve got to get better.”
Last week’s wings, George Bridge and Will Jordan, have both suffered the consequences of their subpar efforts with ball in hand as they have been dropped from the side and replaced in the No 11 and No 14 jerseys by Rieko Ioane and Sevu Reece.
Despite scoring a scintillating opening try, Jordan was far from his mercurial best as he lost the ball more than he would have liked.
England, Scotland, Wales and Japan best watch out ? #Wallabieshttps://t.co/IlTHx5qb6Q
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) October 1, 2021
Bridge, meanwhile, was the victim of a high-profile error that allowed Springboks wing Sbu Nkosi to score his side’s only try as part of a shaky display that did little to solidify his place in the first-choice All Blacks team.
Foster said the omission of those players, a decision that has partly been made due to Anton Lienert-Brown’s return from injury, has sent a strong message to the rest of the squad.
“In the back three, it’s been great to be able to bring Anton back from his hamstring [injury] so restoring him to centre and Sevu and Rieko go on the wing, [which] clearly was an area we felt we needed to improve from last week and they’ve got a real focus on that,” he said.
“I think Sevu’s played really well for us. Rieko’s gone well too and I think our back three perhaps weren’t at the level that we needed them to be last week. Clearly a message has been sent.”
Similarly, improvements need to be made in the forward pack, where turnovers at the set piece were common theme in northern Queensland.
Foster acknowledged that part of the game is an area of strength for the Springboks, and he has planned to negate that by formulating a plan to deal with the threats they pose.
However, he implored the All Blacks to make adjustments where necessary throughout the course of the game in order to combat South Africa’s forward pack, something they didn’t do last week.
“I think our desire is really good. I think the players have really identified a few areas that we want to tidy up and worked hard on that this week,” Foster said of his forwards.
“We’ve still got 48 hours to go so there’s a bit of work still to be done, but part of the issue is to make sure you diagnose the problems clearly first and I think we’ve done that.
“It’s partly acknowledging that some of that is things that we can control, but some of it is things that South Africa do very, very well and acknowledging that you’re not going to win every moment against a really good, top-quality team.
Has Scott Barrett pushed himself into the upper echelon of world-class locks? #AllBlacks #RSAvNZL
?? Gregor Paulhttps://t.co/tiSBwNTSzF
— The XV Rugby (@TheXV) October 1, 2021
“But, what we can’t do is we can’t back up bad moment after bad moment after bad moment.
“We’ve got to make the adjustments as we go through a game, so largely it’ll be learning what’s in front of us, doing our plan and then making the adjustments on our depth and width when things are a little bit different to what we expected.”
The identification of New Zealand’s shortcomings was also touched on by All Blacks defence coach Scott McLeod earlier in the week.
He told reporters on Tuesday that one of the most disappointing aspects of last week’s clash was his side’s inability to exploit space against South Africa’s rush defence, whether that be out wide or in the backfield.
“There’s two things the Boks brought in spades,” McLeod said.
“Their collision, so their hunting ability to pressure our ruck and our ball, and they took a lot of it, so we weren’t happy with our cleanouts and ball carries, so we’ve addressed that.
“Also, their line speed does put us under pressure a little bit, but, in saying that, in any defensive situation, there’s always space somewhere, and our ability to see that space wasn’t good enough and we need to see that a lot earlier.
“We created the opportunity but we needed to see where that space is earlier so we can get the ball there.
“The players have now seen that on tape, but we can’t have another review looking at it on tape. We need to see it on the ground, so that’s the improvement we want to see.”
In order to exploit that space, McLeod said variation of distribution will be key to the All Blacks’ success, as will their multi-faceted threat of running, passing and kicking.
“With the ball in hand, we need to be able to hold a little bit more depth and get the ball into that space, shorter passing rather than big loopy ones, but also the triple threat with the boot as well.
“Their wingers like to come in hard and we left men out in the channel unmarked, so we’ve got to be able to pass the ball there and kick the ball there.”
Listen to the latest episode of the Aotearoa Rugby Pod:
Comments on RugbyPass
Thanks Nick The loss of players to OS, injury and retirement is certainly not helping the Crusaders. Ditto the coach. IMO Penny is there to hold the fort and cop the flak until new players and a new coach come through,…and that's understood and accepted by Penny and the Crusaders hierarchy. I think though that what is happening with the Crusaders is an indicator of what is happening with the other NZ SRP teams…..and the other SRP teams for that matter. Not enough money. The money has come via the SR competition and it’s not there anymore. It's in France, Japan and England. Unless or until something is done to make SR more SELLABLE to the NZ/Australia Rugby market AND the world rugby market the $s to keep both the very best players and the next rung down won't be there. They will play away from NZ more and more. I think though that NZ will continue to produce the players and the coaches of sufficient strength for NZ to have the capacity to stay at the top. Whether they do stay at the top as an international team will depend upon whether the money flowing to SRP is somehow restored, or NZ teams play in the Japan comp, or NZ opts to pick from anywhere. As a follower of many sports I’d have to say that the organisation and promotion of Super Rugby has been for the last 20 years closest to the worst I’ve ever seen. This hasn't necessarily been caused by NZ, but it’s happened. Perhaps it can be fixed, perhaps not. The Crusaders are I think a symptom of this, not the cause
6 Go to commentsNo way. If you are trying to picture New Zealand rugby with an All Blacks mindset, there have been two factors instrumental to the decline of NZ rugby to date. Those are the horror that the Blues have become and, probably more so, the fixture that the Crusaders became. I don’t think it was healthy to have one team so dominant for so long, both for lack of proper representation of players from outside that environment and on the over reliance on players from within it. If you are another international side, like Ireland for example, sure. You can copy paste something succinct from one level to the next and experience a huge increase in standards, but ultimately you will not be maximizing it, which is what you need to perform to the level the ABs do. Added to that is the apathy that develops in the whole game as a result of one sides dominance. NZ, Super, and Championship rugby should all experience a boom as a result of things balancing out. That said, there is a lot of bad news happening in NZ rugby recently, and I’m not sure the game can be handled well enough here to postpone the always-there feeling of inevitable decline of rugby.
6 Go to commentsNo SA supporter miss Super Rugby - a product that is experiencing significant head wind in ANZ - the competition from rival codes are intense, match attendance figures are at a historical low and the negativity of commentators such as Kirwan and Wilson have accelerated the downward spiral in NZ. After the next RWC in 2027 sponsors will follow Qantas and start leaving in droves.
2 Go to commentsLike others, I am not seeing the connection between this edition of the Crusaders and the All Blacks future prospects under Razor. I think the analysis of the Crusaders attack recently is helpful because Razor and his coaching team used to be able to slot new guys in to their systems and see them succeed. Several of Razor’s coaches are still there so it would be surprising if the current attack and set piece has been overhauled to a great extent - but based on that analysis, it may have been. Whether it is too many new guys due to injuries or retirement or a failure of current Crusaders systems is the main question to be answered imo. It doesn’t seem relevant for the ABs.
6 Go to commentsharry potter is set in stone. he creates stability and finishes well. exactly what schmidt likes. he’s the ben smith of australian rugby. i think it could quite easily be potter toole and kellaway for the foreseeable future.
5 Go to commentsThis is short sighted from Clayton if you ask me, smacks of too much preseason planning and no adaptability. What if DMac is out for a must win match, are they still only going to bring their best first five and playmaker on late in the game? Trusting the game to someone who wasn’t even part of planning (they would have had Trask pinned in as Jacomb preseason). Perhaps if the Crusaders were better they would not have done this, but either way imo you take this opportunity to play a guy you might need starting in a final rather than having their 12th game getting comfortable coming off the bench.
1 Go to commentsThanks 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.
21 Go to commentsWhat a load of bollocks. The author has forgotten to mention the fact that the Crusaders have a huge injury toll with top world class players out. Not to mention the fact that they are obviously in a transition period. No this will not spark a slow death for NZ rugby, but it does mean there will be a new Super Rugby champion. Anyone who knows anything about NZ rugby knows that there is some serious talent here, it just isn’t all at the Crusaders.
6 Go to commentsI wouldn’t spend the time on Nawaqanitawase! No point in having him filling in a jersey when he’s committed to leave Union. Give the jersey to a young prospect who will be here in the future.
5 Go to commentsIt was a pleasure to watch those guys playing with such confidence. That trio can all be infuriating for different reasons and I can see why Jones might have decided against them. No way to justify leaving Ikitau out though. Jorgensen and him were both scheduled to return at the same time. Only one of them plays for Randwick and has a dad who is great mates with the national coach though.
53 Go to commentsBrayden Iose and Peter Lakai are very exciting Super Rugby players but are too short and too light to ever be a Test 8 vs South Africa, France, Ireland, and England, Lakai could potentially be a Test player at 7 if he is allowed to focus on 7 for Hurricanes.
7 Go to commentsPencils “Thomas du Toit” into possible 2027 Bok squad.
1 Go to commentsDon’t see why Harrison makes the bench. Jones can play at 10 if needed, and there is a good case for starting her there to begin with if testing combinations. That would leave room for Sing on the bench
1 Go to commentsWhat a load of old bull!
1 Go to commentsOf 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.
29 Go to commentsIrish Rugby CEO be texting Andy Farrell “Andy, i found our next Kiwi Irishman”
5 Go to commentsI certainly don’t miss drinking beers at 8am in the morning watching rugby games being played in NZ.
2 Go to commentsThis looks like a damage limitation exercise for Wales, keeping back some of their more effective players for the last 20/25 minutes to try and counter England’s fresh legs so the Red Roses don’t rack up a big score.
1 Go to commentsVery unlikely the Bulls will beat Leinster in Dublin. It would be different in Pretoria.
1 Go to commentsI think it is a dangerous path to go down to ban a player for the same period that a player they injured takes to recover. Players would be afraid to tackle anyone. I once tackled my best friend at school in a practice match and sprained his ankle. I paid for it by having to play fly-half instead of full-back for the rest of that season’s fixtures.
5 Go to comments