All Blacks learn 3-dimensional lesson

Remember the Springboks last year and the way their rush defence from the outside curtailed the All Blacks attack?

If it concerned New Zealand supporters, you can imagine the frustration felt by backline coach Wayne Smith as he searched for keys to unlock the opposition tactics.

He needed to graft an attacking variety to the All Black forward patterns where they had a mindset of keeping the ball alive, where support players had to move bodies or keep moves going.

That tactic came to full bloom against France in Paris, in a stunning 45-6 victory. The All Blacks created 30 layoff passes compared with their opponents' seven.

It was a style, coach Graham Henry declared, that suited the mentality and athleticism of New Zealand players.

Fast forward to this season and the series against the Lions when the All Blacks outscored their opponents 12 tries to three.

The tight forwards held their more fancied opponents, and the backline was sublime, through either passing under pressure or the blend of their kicking game, compared with the stodgy Lions' work.

The haul of tries was a triumph for Smith's analysis, planning, coaching and production from the backline.

"We wanted it so that teams were forced to defend three-dimensionally against us," he said. "We found last year that there was always a wall in front of us.

"No team was concerned about our kicking game, and we basically tried to attack the same way all the time."

The All Black variation on attack improved significantly, and they were able to hurt their opponents in a number of ways.

"My criticism has been that we were too easy to defend against and that teams were able to throw everyone into their frontline defence," Smith said.

"And I think more and more teams will try to do a fish-hook defence against us. They are trying to stop us getting the ball to our outside backs because of the danger of them.

"We have to develop the game through the middle as one way to combat that, pop the ball, keep it alive and make the defence pedal backwards, but also we need to make teams think about defending three-dimensionally against us.

"That means putting players back in behind to cover our kicking game and maybe not allowing their outside backs to come at us so quickly on defence," Smith said.

A creative kicking game could exploit an overcommitted defence or create enough defensive uncertainty that passes could reach the All Black flanks. First five-eighths Daniel Carter was the tactician, but there were many times from phase play when midfielder Aaron Mauger's kicking choices could develop play or pressure.

A great deal of work had also gone into improving the kicking skills of Tana Umaga, Conrad Smith and Ma'a Nonu, guys who had received more tutelage this season from NZRFU specialist kicking and catching coach Mick Byrne.

"It is like carrying the ball in two hands on attack; it is just building up weapons in our players' armoury," Smith said.

The Springboks used their fish-hook defence effectively last year against the All Blacks. They were the first team to attack this All Black side in that manner. Smith expects they will use that tactic again when the sides meet in the Tri-Nations in Cape Town on August 6.

Players such as de Wet Barry, Marius Joubert and Jean de Villiers are all adept at using a rush-style defence.

However, the All Blacks road-tested some ideas against the Lions, who had used one call to try to cut New Zealand's attack off in the middle of the field.

It was a system that had been used by the Wasps club in England, a method of defending from the outside in, and one Smith thought teams like the Springboks would use to combat the All Blacks.

"I think more and more now coaches will look at scenarios and bring in different defences, and I think that is something which will develop more in the game," Smith said.

The Lions used a number of different calls on defence while the All Blacks were content, fundamentally, to use one system.