Graham Henry says Super Rugby’s decline has left the All Blacks vulnerable in two key areas exposed by the Springboks.
New Zealand go into the two Bledisloe Cup Tests against the Wallabies on the back of three straight defeats to the Boks, where their shortcomings at scrum time and in the aerial battle were laid bare.
Neither Scott Robertson nor Dave Rennie has managed to fix the problem since the 2023 World Cup, and Henry says the issue runs deeper than coaching.
“Obviously, we’ve got to improve the game we’re playing,” he told Sport Nation. “I think it reflects the level below, the Super Rugby level below, and whether that’s strong enough to produce top rugby players at Test match level.”
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The former All Blacks coach pointed to the absence of South African sides in Super Rugby as a key factor limiting New Zealand players’ exposure to the physical demands of facing the world champions.
“You’re learning the game really, learning to play a team like South Africa, who are very good at scrum and very good at driving lineouts, you’re learning how to play that at Test match level rather than at Super Rugby level because we don’t play the South African teams at that level anymore,” he said.
“It’s a challenge in that regard but that’s the reality, that’s the way it is so you’ve just got to do your best with it.”
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Henry, who now works as a selector under Rennie, also addressed the All Blacks’ well-documented struggles under the high ball.
“It is obviously a concern and the guys are working at it. It’s getting better, we would like it to be perfect,” he said. “It’s not perfect but they’re working at it and they’ve got a strategy to try and do their best with it. We’ve spent a lot of time on the high ball, believe it or not.”
The post Henry: Super Rugby costing All Blacks appeared first on SA Rugby magazine.
Graham Henry says Super Rugby’s decline has left the All Blacks vulnerable in two key areas exposed by the Springboks.
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