All Blacks want extra grunt from very start
Whitelock wary of France’s ‘big hits’
THE All Blacks are focused on an improved start in the second Test against France in Wellington today as they trial their World Cup strategies.
The defending world champions have given themselves little time to perfect a new style of play, with only about a dozen Tests before the World Cup begins in Japan next year.
Although they blitzed France 52-11 in the first Test last weekend, the damage was done with 44 unanswered points in the second half after the hosts began the second half 8-11 down.
“If you look at the first 50 minutes there were some pretty big collisions and we didn’t get out of it what we wanted, so the key area we want to improve is the start,” captain Sam Whitelock said yesterday.
“If we go out there and start well, play really well, hopefully it will give ourselves an opportunity to have a complete performance, rather than waiting for later in the game like we did last week.”
Like New Zealand, France are also using the series to lay the foundations for their Japan 2019 campaign, with coach Jacques Brunel describing this three-Test tour as “the building site”.
But while the All Blacks are able to concentrate on their World Cup blueprint, France are playing catchup as they strive to avoid a series defeat.
Albeit aided by a yellow card, the All Blacks moved to a much higher level than the Les Bleus could cope with when they scored seven tries in the closing 27 minutes in Auckland.
With the All Blacks eyeing an unprecedented third successive world crown, timing is everything for coach Steve Hansen who will be unveiling his plans bit by bit.
“You’d be foolish to think you’re going to see everything in five minutes because it’s about learning how to deal with it first and then dealing with it under pressure, secondly,” he said.
“We’re probably at the stage of just getting used to being in the right places and trying to see the right things, and out of 10 times you might see the right things three times and that’s what we’ve got to grow.”
Hansen sees no sense in keeping his plans under wraps, saying they need to be tested before the World Cup and that he doubts rival coaches will perfect counter-measures to them over the next 15 months.
“Eventually, as we get into it, people will start to see what we’re doing and they’ll start to think that they’ve got the answers,” said Hansen.
“But they’ve got to learn the answers too, just like we’re having to learn to play the different things we want to play.”
Nine years back, 2009 was grim for the All Blacks at home when they lost twice – to France and South Africa. But no national team has beaten – or drawn – with the All Blacks on New Zealand soil since, with their only loss in 53 Tests being to the British and Irish Lions in Wellington last year.
It was also in Wellington, 11 years ago, that France crashed to their heaviest defeat when beaten by the All Blacks 61-10.
A few months later they knocked the All Blacks out of the World Cup quarterfinals with an heroic 20-18 victory in Cardiff. —