Mike Blair is frustrated after another New Zealand Test dogged by missed opportunities and demands better execution in the finale of the Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry series.
The All Blacks lost 29-24 to the Springboks at FNB Stadium on Saturday, leaving Dave Rennie’s charges 2-1 down going into Saturday’s clash in Baltimore.
Speaking to Newstalk ZB’s Weekend Sport, Blair said the Kiwis had produced plenty of attacking quality but failed to turn enough of it into points.
EX-ALL BLACKS: Boks thrive on pressure
“Yeah, we’re obviously really disappointed with the result. We felt in the first half we put a lot of our game on the pitch,” the assistant coach said.
“We were able to move South Africa around. We scored a couple of great tries, and we felt we were going to bear fruit for the work that we put in the first half.
“Unfortunately, in the second half, we struggled to get any momentum in the game for one reason or another.”
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Blair pointed to the offensive success of the All Blacks at the Calabash, but said the problem was familiar.
“We’re frustrated. We had some excellent work. I think we had 12 linebreaks, which is a great stat against the South African defence,” he added.
“But it was the same story last week [in Cape Town]; we just need to finish those opportunities.”
Blair believes the All Blacks can put the world’s best defences under pressure when they build momentum.
“We’re also really confident in what we’re trying to do; we’ve got to just put our game together for longer.”
EXPLAINED: Why Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry ends in USA
Photo: Ashley Vlotman/Gallo Images
The post All Blacks coach tired of the same story appeared first on SA Rugby magazine.
Mike Blair is frustrated after another New Zealand Test dogged by missed opportunities and demands better execution in the finale of the Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry series.
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