[ad_1]
All Blacks assistant coach John Plumtree says his players are “excited” by the off-the-ball incidents during the Bledisloe Cup draw with the Wallabies last Sunday.
The All Blacks blew a 10-point lead to a thrilling 16-16 draw with the Wallabies in a first of four drama-filled Bledisloe Cup events in Wellington.
Ahead of the rematch at Eden Park, where the All Blacks haven’t lost since 1994, assistant coach Plumtree voiced his players ‘complaints with the Wallabies’ tactics during Test 1.
CAMPESE: All Blacks have lost their invincible aura
It was the Wallabies’ first game under new head coach Dave Rennie, whom Plumtree previously faced when the two were in charge of the Chiefs and Sharks, respectively.
When asked by the media if the first Bledisloe Cup test reminded him of Rennie’s old teams, Plumtree went on the offensive against the Wallabies’ tactics.
“Yes, there were some similarities, and we knew it was coming,” Plumtree said. ‘That kind of game on the field has to be dealt with by the referee. There have been several occasions where there were some incidents off the ball, but it must be dealt with properly on the field.
“We have to be able to adapt to that as well, and I think that’s probably why you have a couple of veteran players in particular quite excited.”
Plumtree said the All Blacks have not spoken to referee Paul Williams or his assistant Angus Gardner, who is set to take over the second test.
They see what they see, and if Paul missed something, then he missed it. But if it is a constant habit that you are seeing and it is not being taken care of, then obviously we would be disappointed. We haven’t had those conversations with the referee.
‘But it is what it is. If their intention is greater than ours regarding off-the-ball incidents, then we need to make sure we have a chance on them. ‘
When asked to specify what had irritated the All Blacks, Plumtree was reluctant to go into exact details, but hinted that midfielder Richie Mo’unga had gotten some late tackles.
“There were some late charges, you guys saw that,” he said. There were one or two more incidents.
But the All Blacks don’t cry, we just move on and adjust to how the game is umpired. That’s in all departments: breakdown, set pieces … we have to adjust to how the game is played. ‘
LOOK: Controversial moments in the Bledisloe thriller
Ironically, the Wallabies would also have good reason to complain about being on the wrong side of the whistle, with video replays showing that center Reiko Ioane was in contact prior to the All Blacks’ first try. The All Blacks clearly also got their way with an illegal breakdown steal, with the Wallabies close to their test line in overtime.
Photo: John Plumtree / Getty Images
[ad_2]
