Referees must beware the All Blacks’ dark arts

Jonathan Kaplan examines five key areas which make officiating Lions Tests in New Zealand so challenging

Flooding the breakdown

New Zealand are masters of the subtle nuances which often determine the difference between winning and losing, and one of the key areas where I think they are better is line speed on defence. It is consistent, in your face and does not offer much time and space for opponents to exhibit the skills they have. The hits are tough, the collisions are brutal and there is no quarter asked for or given.

The key difference is the pace and accuracy of the execution, and it is something they pride themselves on.

Turnovers (such as the one pictured above, against France last autumn) are the name of the game, and this tactic yields dividends. They often flood the breakdown with numbers when there appears to be a numerical mismatch, some of it not always legal.

Once again, the rewards far outweigh the odd penalty that might be conceded this way. If New Zealand get quality ball, they have the game-breakers and steppers to kill off any team.