All Blacks iron out the chinks in their lineout after Lions series

The All Blacks identified their lineout as a weak point against the British and Irish Lions and plan a big fix against the Wallabies, lock Brodie Retallick said yesterday.

The usually rock-solid set-piece was disrupted by the Lions in last month’s drawn series and Retallick said the Kiwi pack was determined to find a cure in today’s Rugby Championship opener in Sydney.

“I think we had our worst series in terms of lineouts that we’ve had in a number of years, so that’s obviously something that we’ve looked at this week,” Retallick said.

“There was a little bit of communication breakdown [against the Lions]. “As a forward pack we’ve got high expectations of ourselves to get the lineout right.

Retallick, who forms one of rugby’s most feared locking partnerships with Sam Whitelock, expects a tough battle with the Australian jumpers Adam Coleman and Rory Arnold.

“We have got some pretty tall timber and some athletes there but in saying that the Australians have come a long way,” he said.

The 64-cap Retallick said he was respectful of Coleman, who has emerged as the Wallabies’ lineout leader in the past 12 months.

While strong favourites to retain the trans-Tasman Bledisloe Cup for a 16th straight year, the All Blacks are wary of an ambush in Sydney.

All Blacks coach Steve Hansen said the Wallabies command respect.

“They’ve got a lot of talent and they’ve had a great preparation,” Hansen said. — AFP