Bledisloe Cup rugby: All Blacks learn harsh lessons from Wallabies draw

A typically honest review has uncovered the fixable flaws that the All Blacks must quickly resolve before facing the Wallabies for the second Bledisloe at Eden Park. Not surprisingly, the onus falls squarely on the group in front to answer for their blow to the nose.

The first test of the year was supposed to reveal the All Blacks group laying down a new and improved platform after being crushed by physically dominant English forwards in defeat in the World Cup semi-final.

The great men involved in that defeat should still be suffering.

Instead, the dramatic 16 draw at Wellington unearthed the same lingering problem. The All Blacks pack was passive in much of their core duties, leading to allegations of a soft belly from some quarters.

With the lack of the ball they received, there were few dominant carries doubling or doubling the line for the Wallabies, while on defense, the hunger to take down the green and gold running backs was also not apparent across the board.

While the scrum and lineout worked well, Dave Rennie’s plan to target the breakout worked wonderfully to disrupt the All Blacks ruck ball.

With sloppy presentation and protection, Aaron Smith struggled to whip out his usually sharp pass that left Richie Mo’unga under pressure and the All Blacks’ bottom line largely in the rear.

“When you see clips with their intent, they have guys squashing us in the ruck and us parking to have a vacation that is something of personal pride,” All Blacks hooker Dane Coles said bluntly after arriving from the session. equipment review.

“Internationally, that’s the bread and butter. We need to increase the intensity in that area and be better.

“It’s frustrating that we didn’t bring that in. It’s a huge part of the game. The beauty of rugby is that you have the opportunity to fix that and correct it.”

“It has become a point of focus, so it is up to us as individuals to find what it takes to get it done on Sunday. There is no real recipe or secret word, everyone will have to go there to let that come out in the game.

“When you come out of a performance like that, no matter where we are playing, we need an answer. There is a lot of motivation to work hard and improve for Sunday.”

The most frustrating part of the All Blacks’ flat performance is that they knew Rennie would bring tactics to fly into the break and get players off the ball, as he did with other Super Rugby teams when he led the Chiefs from 2012-17. .

And yet, the All Blacks still did not physically meet as required.

“Yeah, definitely that’s Chiefs,” Coles observed. “You could see it’s been in his ears pumping them like he used to do with Sam Cane and [Tawera] Kerr-Barlow. He has a good understanding of how to create ruck chaos. We have seen it before with the teams he has coached in New Zealand. He’s definitely making his mark. “

At this level, the All Blacks shouldn’t need a reminder for their mental approach to be the right one to master the collapse. Like a chin-level uppercut landing, there is now no excuse not to put those lessons into practice.

“If you don’t present yourself mentally with the right intention, it’s going to be a long day,” Smith said. “We were aware of the things that Rens brings to his teams around collapse, physicality and his mindset. We didn’t bring the All Blacks level of intent. There are some pretty simple messages that we can all fix.

“It is something we know now. We have received a blow to the nose and it is up to us to respond.”