Defence is Steamers' key failing: Retallick

FOUR LOSSES: Culum Retallick says poor tackling has put his team under immense pressure, meaning they can't get their game going. PHOTO/GEORGE NOVAK

Bay of Plenty Steamers captain Culum Retallick blames his team's poor defence for losing all four games played in the ITM Cup.

Retallick, easily the team's most experienced player with 77 caps into his seventh season, was not mincing his words about the poor start to the campaign.

"Obviously if you are missing 20 to 30-plus tackles you are going to put yourself under an extreme amount of pressure," Retallick said.

"You are on the back foot the whole time and we just can't get our game going at all if we are under that sort of pressure the whole game. A lot of it is down to one-on-one tackles. You can train any D [defence] system in the world but individuals are not making the tackles. That is what is killing us."

The 29-27 loss to Manawatu on Wednesday night was particularly frustrating for Retallick.

"I thought we would get the job done against Manawatu. We worked really hard to get our tries and there was some good team attacks, but their tries were from us being soft. We give real easy tries away in how we turn the ball over and they run the length of the field, or we miss a tackle and they go and score. We need to make them work to score tries and to hang in there.

"Coaches are now picking players who are making their tackles so that is all we can really do. The troops that are there have got to do the job. We have 9, 10, 12, 13 and 15 in their first year at ITM Cup and those boys are learning. That is just the reality of where we are at."

The Steamers host North Harbour in Rotorua this Sunday and will be hot favourites against the perennial cellar dwellers. Harbour have had an eight-day gap since their last game, while the battered Steamers play their third game in seven days, pushing the players' limits to the extreme. Retallick will start off the bench against Harbour in a side featuring multiple changes from Wednesday with injuries taking toll. No 8 Carl Axtens will be captain and Te Puna's Te Aihe Toma gets his first start at first-five.

On a brighter note, Retallick is excited about the prospect of captaining the Steamers in their first Ranfurly Shield challenge since the 2004 win over Auckland.

If Hawke's Bay beat Otago on September 14, the Steamers will challenge for the Log o' Wood in Napier on Saturday, September 20.

"It would be pretty cool," he said. "I have never challenged for the shield so it is something I am personally looking forward to if we get the opportunity."

Bay of Plenty team v North Harbour
Rotorua International Stadium, Sunday, 4.35pm
1. Solomona Sakalia, 2. Joe Royal, 3. Mike Kainga, 4. Tim Bond, 5. Josh Sole, 6. Johan Bardoul, 7. Hamish Gosling, 8. Carl Axtens (capt), 9. Jono Kitto, 10. Te Aihe Toma, 11. Saiosi Iongi, 12. Doug Edwards, 13. Nic Evemy, 14. Junior Tofa Va'a, 15. Leroy Van Dam. Reserves: 16. Nathan Harris 17. Pingi Tala'apitanga, 18. Culum Retallick, 19. Jesse Acton, 20. David Whitecliffe-Davies, 21. Samisoni Fisilau, 22. Byron McGuigan.