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The All Blacks took aim at some off-the-ball tactics from the Wallabies at the inaugural Bledisloe test last Sunday, and several senior players were said to be “excited” by aspects of the treatment offered.
Undoubtedly, the transmission of dirty laundry by assistant coach John Plumtree in the form of ‘nasty’ tactics employed by Dave Rennie’s Australian team at Bledisloe I was the main conclusion of Wednesday’s press session at the Auckland hotel Viaduct of the All Blacks. He even admitted that if he remained uncontrolled by match officials, his players would have no choice but to “attack them again.”
Equally unequivocally, it was an accusation the All Blacks felt should be broadcast ahead of the rematch at Eden Park on Sunday, where the New Zealanders will put a long unbeaten record on the line against what appears to be a highly competitive Wallabies team.
The All Blacks haven’t lost a test in their Auckland stronghold since 1994 and haven’t been defeated by the Wallabies in their Garden of Eden since David Campese, Nick Farr Jones, Simon Poidevin and company rose 22-9 in 1986.
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But last Sunday’s 16-16 stalemate in the capital has warned them that this is a different Wallabies team than many of their predecessors who have tried and failed abysmally to win back the Bledisloe Cup since they last surrendered it in 2003. .
A big part of that is the influence of new Kiwi head coach Dave Rennie, who was recognized in his time with the Chiefs for instilling strong team cultures off the park and tough, tough tactics on the field.
When asked if he’d seen anything in Bledisloe’s first game last Sunday that reminded him of his time swords-crossing with Rennie’s teams in Super Rugby, Plumtree, a former Hurricanes coach, unleashed a stinging attack on the tactics of the Wallabies.
Hagen Hopkins / Getty Images
All Blacks assistant coach John Plumtree: “Off-the-ball incidents must be dealt with properly on the field.”
“Yes, there were some similarities, and we knew it was coming,” he 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 senior players in particular quite excited.”
When asked if he was disappointed, Kiwi referee Paul Williams and his assistants had not taken a harder line, Plumtree sent a clear message to Sunday’s official, Australian Angus Gardner, who ran the touchline in Wellington.
“They see what they see, and if Paul missed something, then he missed it,” Plumtree added. But if it is a constant habit that you are seeing and it is not being taken care of, obviously we would be disappointed. We haven’t had those conversations with the referee.
“But it is what it is. If their intent is greater than ours regarding off-the-ball incidents, then we need to make sure we have a chance for them.”
David Long / Things
John Plumtree assesses the All Blacks’ injury problems.
Plumtree was reluctant to go into detail about what upset the All Blacks, although the first five Richie Mo’unga had landed at least a couple of late shots at the limit. “There were some late fees, you saw that,” he added. “There were one or two more incidents. But the All Blacks don’t cry, we just move on and adjust to the way the game is umpired. That’s in all departments: breakdown, set pieces … we have to adjust to how the game is played. “
The pandemic has created the rare need for non-neutral referees for this series, and Plumtree admitted that that put whistleblowers in a difficult position around perceptions of potential bias.
“We trusted Paul to do a good job and he came out and did his best,” the All Blacks first-year forward coach said. “There will always be great talking times in the test matches, and one of the biggest talking times was some of the late shots and off-the-ball incidents. But we’ve seen it all before in these great Bled games, haven’t we? “
Kai Schwoerer / Getty Images
The top five of the All Blacks, Richie Mo’unga, landed a couple of late shots during Bledisloe’s first game in Wellington.
Plumtree’s guiding hand as a forward coach will be vital for the All Blacks this week. Clearly, the forwards are bristling, both from the opposition’s tactics and their own shortcomings, and the measured nature of Sunday’s response will be vital.
“The pain is there and the Australians will know it. They will wait for an answer, ”he said. “We have to get over that pain and make sure we go through with our plan, because there will be changes in what we do.
“You have to give the players the opportunity to be frustrated and disappointed. Then we started talking about rebuilding our mindset and what our focus is. At some point you have to pull your shoulders back, puff up your chest, get a smile on your face, and get on with your week. Otherwise it will just drag you down and you will run out of energy because you are so upset with yourself. Guys are in that mode now. “
