Dave Rennie says the All Blacks learned from their “failed” Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry series in unleashing a 50-19 win over Australia on Saturday.
New Zealand scored five of their seven tries in the second half to retain the Bledisloe Cup and extend a remarkable Eden Park record – the Kiwis are now 54 matches unbeaten at their Auckland fortress.
With the World Cup a year away, Rennie said his troops had made strides since losing 3-1 to the world champion Springboks a month ago.
“We were confident in our ability, we failed in Africa,” he said. “There were a number of areas that needed to be better. We just lost key moments in Africa, and we won a lot of those tonight.
“We knew how important it was to get a result here and I thought there were a lot of big performers.”
RECAP: Rampant All Blacks hit 50 to extend streak
The All Blacks will keep hold of the trophy contested annually between the two nations for a 23rd straight year, regardless of the result of next week’s second Test in Sydney.
The Sydney match takes on extra significance because the teams will clash there in the World Cup.
Captain Codie Taylor said the All Blacks “brought a bit of edge” after the Bok disappointment.
“We were hurting a little bit,” he said. “But it’s awesome to come home, play in front of our fans, our people.
“We’ve missed it, and to get a result like that… hugely proud of the boys.”
Rennie said the return of former captain Scott Barrett for his first Test in nearly a year had injected much-needed physicality and leadership to his pack.
Wallabies skipper Harry Wilson said their display, especially after beating South Africa at home two weeks ago, was “a step back”.
“It’s disappointing. We came here tonight with real belief that we’d get the result, and we didn’t,” he said.
“The start of the second half we had an opportunity to get some points and really put some pressure on them, and we missed out there.
“And gee-whiz, when you give the All Blacks a bit of ball, it’s hard to get it back.”
ICYMI: Barretts lined up for Prem move
Any hopes of a late Wallabies rearguard disappeared when winger Leroy Carter backed up the outstanding Peter Lakai to score.
Carter appeared to injure his leg in the process of scoring, putting him in doubt for Sydney’s clash at Accor Stadium next week.
Carter’s replacement Josh Moorby and Will Jordan both crossed late for New Zealand while Josh Nasser rounded out Australia’s scoring.
Taylor was delighted to keep the Eden Park record intact: “You know, you see ex-All Blacks yourself standing on the sidelines.
“You want to do it for those men, the people that have been before you, and you just want to continue the legacy, so that’s awesome.”
– AFP
Photo: Hannah Peters/Getty Images
The post Rennie: We’ve moved on from Bok failure appeared first on SA Rugby magazine.
Dave Rennie says the All Blacks learned from their “failed” Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry series in unleashing a 50-19 win over Australia on Saturday.
The post Rennie: We’ve moved on from Bok failure appeared first on SA Rugby magazine. Read More
