Rustiness of ABs no surprise to former skills coach

Mick Byrne, the former All Blacks skills coach now with the Wallabies, says he wasn’t surprised by the rustiness of his old team during the British and Irish Lions series.

The All Blacks’ skills under pressure, normally a constant thanks in large part to the work Byrne, an Australian, put into the side over an 11- year period which finished after the last World Cup, let them down against the Lions and they are vowing to make big improvements in that area against the Wallabies at ANZ Stadium tonight.

“June is always a tough time for skill,” Byrne said. “There are combinations coming together and different game plans coming together. You see some players doing the stuff they do for their franchises . . . there is always a bit of rust around in June. It doesn’t surprise me.

“You’re there for three weeks and then you’re out with another team. It’s now that you can start to make some inroads in that area.”

The 58- year- old former Australian Rules player, who watched as the All Blacks beat the Wallabies in all three Bledisloe Cup tests during his first year with the side, has had no contact with Steve Hansen this week, but that was due to the Australians being

based in the western suburb of Penrith, with the All Blacks in the well- to- do eastern suburb of Double Bay.

“He’s not going to travel that far to come and see me and I wasn’t going to go that far to see him,” Byrne said of Hansen. “We’ll wait till when we come together on Saturday night.”

The test, he said, was extra special but that was less due to the fact he was coming up against his former team and more that he would get the opportunity to see a new Wallabies group do their thing after working so hard over the last month.

“I feel it’s extra special,” he said. “But it’s extra special for me — and this is not being corny — [ because I’ve spent] the last four weeks with these guys. I think the extra special part is waiting to see these guys out on the field. I have a lot of life- long friends on the other side but I haven’t spoken to them this week.

“The boys are itching to get out on the field. They’ve been working really hard, they want to back their fitness, and we’re going to play a running game.

“Our challenge is to hang on to the ball and back our skills and back the quality of work these guys have done. I think you’re going to see a pretty frenetic game of footy [ tonight].”

The continuation of the gusty winds which have been plaguing the city over the past few days are expected to continue, which could make securing the high ball more difficult than usual, and while the Wallabies will be wary of allowing new fullback Damian McKenzie time and space with the ball, Byrne said his side had a major weapon of their own in Israel Folau.

“One of the key things is to make sure our game plan is executed and don’t give those guys the opportunity to pick you off,” he said.

“We’ve got some of those guys as well.

“Our guy down the other end of the field — you wouldn’t want to give him too much room.”