I think we saw there is a difference between speed of ball when Aaron’s there, says Hansen

WELLINGTON: Scrumhalf Aaron Smith will return to the All Blacks’ starting side for their Rugby Championship match against a resurgent South Africa in Auckland next Saturday in an attempt to speed up the world champions’ game.

TJ Perenara started in the number nine shirt against the Pumas on Saturday in New Plymouth and the All Blacks scored six tries in the 39-22 victory, but coach Steve Hansen said he felt Smith would give them more opportunities against the Springboks.

“I think we saw there is a difference between the speed of ball when Aaron’s there,” Hansen said. “He’ll come back and I think that makes a difference to how we play.”

While the All Blacks have scored 19 tries in their three matches against Australia and Argentina, they have struggled with the line-speed of their opponents’ defence this season and lacked fluency in attack.

They have also been guilty of impatience, forcing plays when prudence would call for building more pressure.

Hansen said he was glad for the defensive challenges his players had encountered, as it would force them to perform under pressure and try to exploit space elsewhere.

All three of the world champions’ first half tries on Saturday – to Nehe Milner-Skudder, Anton Leinert- Brown and Israel Dagg – were created by finding space in three very different situations.

Damian McKenzie exploited a compressed defensive line to ghost through a gap and feed an unmarked Milner-Skudder, Lienert-Brown chased a Beauden Barrett chip kick through with no fullback sweeping, while Dagg, finished off a lengthy buildup that sucked in Pumas defenders.

“They worked out ways they could combat it,” said Hansen.

The coach, nonetheless, felt there was plenty of work to do before facing South Africa, who battled back from 10 points down to draw 23-23 with Australia in Perth.

Allister Coetzee’s side were humiliated twice last year by the All Blacks, losing 41-13 in Christchurch before they were thumped 57-15 in Durban as Hansen’s team ran in nine tries.

“South Africa are playing really well,” Hansen said. “They seem to be incredibly tight with each other, so they’re obviously building something there from a culture point of view and that’ll make them more dangerous.” – Reuters FINALLY the Lions are starting to click under new coach Swys de Bruin – and he couldn’t be happier. De Bruin’s team registered their second straight win after a run of four defeats when they beat Griquas 34-17 in Kimberley on Friday, to climb to fourth on the Currie Cup points table.

It followed a win against the Pumas last weekend, and with four matches remaining before the playoffs are contested, the Lions have moved from the bottom of the points table to be in the semi-finals places.

“I’m very satisfied with the performance and especially the effort put in by the players,” said De Bruin when reflecting on the trip to Kimberley.

“I thought we were especially good in the first half and then also when we were down with the yellow cards. We also scored a nice try at the end to bag the bonus point. Getting the five points in Kimberley is always very satisfying.

“Most important though is the guys are starting to play like a team again.”

Indeed, the Lions looked a class act in the first half as they raced into a 24-0 lead at the break and while Griquas hit back with two tries of their own in the second spell a late Rohan Janse van Rensburg try for the visitors put the Lions out of reach.

What makes the result more remarkable is the fact De Bruin’s men had to play for 60 minutes with 14 men as Harold Vorster and Kwagga Smith were both sin-binned during the game, albeit controversially by referee Egon Seconds.

The Lions have a rather challenging run-in before the four semi-finalists are confirmed. The Bulls, who the Lions host on Saturday, have new coach John Mitchell returning to his old stomping ground so expect a mighty big effort by the men from Pretoria on Saturday evening.

That match is followed by a trip to Durban for a date with the Sharks before De Bruin’s men host Western Province; a stiff ask over the next three weekends. The only “easy” clash is the last round-robin game against the Cheetahs on October 14, but also only because the Free State side is severely weakened by their “A” team playing in the Pro 14.