Five areas ABs must fix to beat Boks
Ian Foster needs a win like the motorist could do with a break at the petrol pump. Even better if it’s two in these twin Rugby Championship tests in South Africa to open phase two of an All Blacks season that has begun, well, horribly.
After the 2-1 July defeat at the hands of Ireland – very much the kryptonite to the onetime supermen of All Blacks rugby – the pressure has ramped up on the fading New Zealanders who not only coughed up their first home series in 28 years, from one-up too, but have lost four of their last five test matches and give every appearance of being stuck in a funk.
The pressure has been mounting, on head coach Foster, on his bosses at New Zealand Rugby, and on an All Blacks outfit not only at risk of seriously tarnishing their legacy, but of heading into a free-fall that could inflict irreparable damage. It is, in short, no time to be going back-to-back against the world champion Boks in the republic in a mood for some pile-on.
The New Zealanders need to arrest the decline, and they need to do it quickly against a South African side that will come at them with everything, playing their fierce and committed brand of bully ball, kick and chase and smash over anyone in a black jersey.
Here, then, are five key things Foster needs to address to turn his struggling All Blacks into a side capable of splitting, or even sweeping, the two matches in the republic:
Simplify the game, and play with uncluttered minds
The All Blacks were a mess against Ireland. Pure and simple. They put together probably only two quality, dominant quarters (the second in Auckland and third in Wellington), and spent the last two tests of the series chasing their tails, to no avail.
Beauden Barrett looked confused about what he was supposed to do, and for much of the last two tests was muddling away with little or no success. Aaron Smith kicked away too much ball. The forwards seemed unable to build phases. The midfield were all but invisible. And the back three operated off starvation rations.
But don’t take my word for it. All Blacks centurion and Sky Sport rugby analyst Mils Muliaina noted: ‘‘We’ve got world-class players there and the team to do it, but they need to simplify what they want to achieve and all be on the same page, heading in the right direction. Look at the way they came back [in Wellington].
‘‘I know that took one man to spark things up in Ardie Savea, but they’ve got quality players all round the park.
‘‘If they go there expecting to play the same way they played against the Irish, man, they’re going to have a very, very hard tour.’’
Take care of the set piece
The All Blacks were well off the mark against Ireland, at scrum, lineout and restarts, and must be better against the ruthless Boks. The hosts will look to squeeze at this phase, and the All Blacks forwards simply have to find a way to get quality front-foot ball for their backs.
The rawness at tighthead prop raises some concerns, and new forwards guru Jason Ryan is going to have his work cut out coming up with answers in little more than a week.
If the New Zealanders can’t at least gain quality ball off their own feeds, they’re little hope against a Boks outfit that just love to create pressure through a mixture of hustle and muscle.
Make better starts
The All Blacks were sluggish from the off throughout the Irish series, and the result was they spent much of those tests playing catchup, and trying to change momentum.
You simply cannot let the Springboks get their tails up early. They are a side that feeds off self-belief, off their crowd, and if they get away to a flyer in Mbombela or Johannesburg, they will be extremely hard to peg back.
The All Blacks have been too passive over this five-test skid. It is time for the one-time world’s best team to stand up and dictate terms.
Deal with the high ball kick-chase
You know it’s coming, it’s just a matter of dealing with it. There are a lot of similarities with 2009 (the last time the New Zealanders played back-to-back in the republic) in that they’re up against a Boks side that has gone back to its roots and embraced a style that is true to their identity and works brilliantly.
They will hoist the ball high all game, with unerring accuracy, and ruthless commitment in terms of the chase, and they’ll make your life a misery if you are anything but assertive and accurate with how you deal with it. Jordie Barrett, Will Jordan and co are in for a stern examination. What they have to do is embrace it, deal with it and turn the tables by punishing their hosts for anything not right on the money.
Embrace the pressure, the criticism and turn it into a positive
This All Blacks team is under the sort of pressure few of its forebears have faced, for the simple reason that not many have been mired in this sort of form and results funk.
Yes, everybody is on them, yes some people (Foster, Sam Cane) are copping it more than others and, yes, it must seem like the whole world is finding joy in their failures.
Well, here’s an idea: deal with it, slip on your big boy pants and do something about changing the narrative. That can only be achieved by playing quality rugby against one of the world’s best teams and returning to the athletic, skilful, relentless attacking power that this team is at its best.