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Home / Sport / Rugby / All Blacks

All Blacks: How the Wallabies dominated play

Gregor Paul
By Gregor Paul
Rugby analyst·NZ Herald·
19 Oct, 2014 04:00 PM5 mins to read

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Photo / Dean Purcell

Photo / Dean Purcell

Communication and skill sets need extra attention before team heads to Europe

Top of the All Blacks fix-it list before they head to Europe is their lack of cohesion between backs and forwards and their approach to the tackled ball.

Skill execution - lack of - was the root cause of their performance failing to rise much above average and nowhere was their work more obviously not up to scratch than at the tackled ball where Wallaby captain Michael Hooper had free rein of Suncorp.

But head coach Steve Hansen believes the poor collision work was a symptom of disconnection - a problem caused by the All Blacks' failing to transfer their attack from the forwards to the backs.

"I think the thing we will look hardest at was our inability to connect our forward game with our back game from set piece," said Hansen.

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"We won a lot of great lineout ball and really didn't get any reward for it. We won some quality scrum ball and Reado [No 8 Kieran Read] came off the back a few times with Aaron Smith and made really good yardage and again didn't connect.

"I think that will give us an indication to the next problem which was the collision area. We didn't control the collision area at any stage.

"Yes, the collision area was a problem but I don't think that was the issue."

Hansen didn't think the problems would be overly hard to fix and felt that the timing was perhaps a little off - and that may have been due to consecutive shorter training weeks as a result of all the travel the All Blacks have endured.

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The importance of fixing the continuity is significant. When they get to Europe, the contest at the breakdown will be just as intense and yet more physical.

It's an area of the game that is a persistent mystery but the simple question the All Blacks have to ask is whether their problems on Saturday were exclusively caused by bad timing between the backs and forwards or whether they need to commit more numbers to secure possession.

There is a reluctance on their part to do that. They want clean, effective recycling and they want to achieve that with fewer bodies than the defensive side has committed.

Watch: Rugby Highlights: All Blacks beat Wallabies

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It's simple arithmetic at that point - if they have two men at the tackled ball and the opposition three, then the All Blacks will have the advantage in open play.

And that's the nub of their whole pass and run strategy - to come at the opposition at pace; whip the ball away from the contact zones and use the superior skill sets of all their players to exploit the space.

It's deadly when it all comes together but, following the difficulties they had in Brisbane, and to a lesser extent Johannesburg, they are going to have to consider some alterations.

They need to determine whether opposition teams have analysed the All Blacks' ball-carrying pod patterns they use with the forwards and sussed when to pounce for the turnover.

They also need to determine whether their clean-out men aren't getting to the ball quickly enough or are guilty of not being technically good enough if they are.

"We didn't respect them enough or get good enough numbers around the ball and they got some great turnovers and did an outstanding job," said Read.

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"Hooper was great and the guys who went over the ball were really great and that was probably the only thing we will look at."

3 things which helped the All Blacks overcome Australia

Replacements
Sam Cane, TJ Perenara, Keven Mealamu, Charlie Faumuina, Charles Piutau and Colin Slade all played their part for the All Blacks in the final stages. One of the team's great strengths is the depth and impact the bench can provide and these six in particular played their roles extremely well. Special mention should go to Cane for his defence and turnover near the end.

Malakai Fekitoa's resilience
This was a tough test for Fekitoa. He was found out on defence by Christian Leali'ifano in the lead up to Nick Phipps' try, and his hands let him down on another occasion. However, it was his burst past Bernard Foley and try in the 80th minute which sealed what was an unlikely win for his team. Fekitoa never let the setbacks get to him and his try was a testament to the x-factor he possesses.

Self belief
Being behind on the scoreboard with time ticking down is not a new thing for the All Blacks. They got through three extremely tough tests against France, England and Ireland at the end of last year, then did it again in the final stages against England at Eden Park in June and the Springboks in Wellington recently. Those experiences of winning in the toughest of circumstances have given them a remarkable coolness under fire.

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