Scrum coach Jason Ryan admits lingering set-piece concerns from the Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry series are front of mind for New Zealand going into the Bledisloe Cup.
Ryan has reflected critically on the All Blacks’ series against the Springboks, which the world champions won 3-1. The scrum was among the areas examined during the Kiwis’ review in the build-up to Saturday’s clash between them and the Wallabies.
“I looked pretty hard on myself,” he said in a press conference. “Probably learned more in seven weeks than I have in a number of years, to be honest.”
“The tour sucked a lot of juice out of everyone, and it was good to come in last on Sunday night, and we reviewed that as a group. The leaders drove that exceptionally well, as well as the coaches in each area.
“And there was a bit of discomfort in the room, as there should be when you’re reviewing something like that and obviously coming off the back of three losses.”
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Ryan said the four Tests in the Republic and Baltimore had exposed areas that needed attention, particularly when New Zealand defended opposition scrums.
“We’re No 3 in the world for top-quality ball on our ball, but the opposition ball, that’s what we’ve got to tidy up,” he said.
Ryan believes the experience of playing the Boks four times in succession will help New Zealand, while Scott Barrett’s return to the pack also provides greater experience.
BARRETT: Boks exposed key weaknesses
On this week’s challenge at Eden Park, he wants the forwards to be more urgent from the start. He also identified ball carrying and breakdown work as priorities against an Australian back row featuring Fraser McReight, Harry Wilson and Angus Bell.
“We need to get into the game early and use our pack,” Ryan said. “We’ve talked about how we can do that and get a little bit better with the balance of our game.”
Photo: Sydney Seshibedi/Gallo Images
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Scrum coach Jason Ryan admits lingering set-piece concerns from the Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry series are front of mind for New Zealand going into the Bledisloe Cup.
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