Steve Hansen and Ewen McKenzie say the Springboks’ set-piece dominance in Joburg on Saturday meant New Zealand’s attacking skills simply weren’t enough.
They were speaking on the Rugby Unity podcast after the Boks’ 29-24 win at FNB Stadium, a result that put South Africa 2-1 up in Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry series ahead of this Saturday’s finale in Baltimore.
Hansen felt the All Blacks’ second-half scoreboard chase cost Dave Rennie’s men dearly.
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“They had to [chase the game], because they got too far behind on the scoreboard, and you’re not going to beat the Boks until you can get parity at scrum time and you can get decent ball in the lineout,” the former All Blacks coach said.
“A lot of the times we were having to go to the front and it was messy or ugly, and you’re letting them get a free shot at you from the back with their defensive system the way it is.
“We’ve got until next year, the World Cup, to get those things right, and I think we will. Once we do that, then we’re right in the hunt.”
EX-ALL BLACKS: Boks thrive on pressure
McKenzie pointed to the same scrum imbalance but was equally taken by the Kiwis’ running rugby, even as Ardie Savea’s injury disrupted their shape late on.
“The points difference and the scrum … was very good for them [the Boks], and their scramble defence. They got up in their [All Blacks’] faces,” the ex-Wallabies boss said.
“But New Zealand, some of the attacking footy they played at times was as good as you’ll see. The skill execution was brilliant but not good enough to win the game, unfortunately.
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“Losing Savea was probably important from a leadership point of view … They probably lost a bit of composure right at the death.”
Hansen viewed the same passage of play as a lesson New Zealand can carry forward.
“That 10-minute mark, and this will be a great learning for this team, you can’t go scoreboard-focused because it creates an outcome pressure that you don’t need.
“You just have to say, ‘What do I need to do right now, right here?’
“We probably wasted five of those 10 minutes worrying about the scoreboard … Wanting to win is not a bad thing, but you’ve just got to be in control.”
Photo: Lefty Shivambu/Gallo Images
The post Hansen: All Blacks not in the hunt up front appeared first on SA Rugby magazine.
Steve Hansen and Ewen McKenzie say the Springboks’ set-piece dominance in Joburg on Saturday meant New Zealand’s attacking skills simply weren’t enough.
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