The All Blacks have improved their scrum ahead of Saturday’s Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry opener, but forwards coach Jason Ryan knows the Springboks present the ultimate test.
The Kiwis were under pressure in their first two tour matches against the Stormers and Sharks before producing a stronger set-piece display against the Vodacom Bulls in Pretoria.
Props Xavier Numia and Tyrel Lomax earned scrum penalties in the first half, while Siale Lauaki and George Bower helped maintain the pressure after coming on off the bench.
RENNIE: All Blacks scrum will stand up to Boks
“We took a step forward [against the Bulls],” Ryan told All Blacks legend Justin Marshall on Sky Sport.
“We’ve worked really hard in the last two weeks as a pack around our reaction time and maul defence, getting set if we’re going to have a crack in the air, we’ll stay down, and getting a really good platform for our scrum.
“You know, we know, and we will acknowledge this week that they are the best in the world [at scrum time].
“But we’ll also acknowledge that we should hit this game with some confidence.”
PLUM: All Blacks must shut down Bok maul
Ryan also highlighted the breakdown as another area requiring attention after the Bulls victory, with loose forwards Anton Segner and Peter Lakai both making steals.
“Defensively we made some good decisions on when we were going to hunt and when we were going to stay on our feet and go through,” he said.
“On the attacking side of the breakdown, we’re missing a few inside cleans, so we’ve got a little bit of work to do there as we head into next week.”
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Photo: Joe Allison/Getty Images
The post All Blacks scrum boss: We’ll hit Boks hard appeared first on SA Rugby magazine.
The All Blacks have improved their scrum ahead of Saturday’s Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry opener, but forwards coach Jason Ryan knows the Springboks present the ultimate test.
The post All Blacks scrum boss: We’ll hit Boks hard appeared first on SA Rugby magazine. Read More
