Scott Robertson said after the All Blacks' victory in Dunedin that he was largely satisfied with how his side closed out an unexpectedly tight, tense contest. Photo / Photosport
Scott Robertson said after the All Blacks' victory in Dunedin that he was largely satisfied with how his side closed out an unexpectedly tight, tense contest. Photo / Photosport
The All Blacks projected brave faces after closing out a scrappy opening win but behind closed doors, there is no need to dig deep to uncover a wide range of improvements needed before confronting France again next week.
Toasting four debutants – Fabian Holland, Du’Plessis Kirifi, Ollie Norris and ChristianLio-Willie – will take priority in the immediate aftermath of their nervy 31-27 victory in Dunedin but coach Scott Robertson’s focus will soon shift to the areas in need of swift attention.
Robertson, starting his second season at the helm of the All Blacks, suggested he was largely satisfied with the way in which his side closed out an unexpectedly tight, tense contest with a late scrum penalty from an inexperienced forward pack at the death proving pivotal.
“It was really pleased for all of them,” he said of his rookies.
“They all stepped up and made an impact. Fabian went the whole 80. I was impressed with all the guys who came off the bench as well. We had some big moments – the scrum at the end there.
“Du’Plessis was really effective with lots of energy and I’m really pleased for Christian.”
The mood will be decidedly different, though, when the spotlight turns to the All Blacks leaking 27 points and giving up 16 turnovers to a second-string French side missing the majority of their best players.
“Every time the French got into our 22, they were ruthless. They kept on coming. We know what we’ve got to do, we’ve just got to stop them now. It’s pretty clear,” Robertson said.
“Turnover ball, the scraps in the air, they kicked pretty much everything in the first three phases and that puts you on the back foot so we’ve got to get better off the defensive set for the majority of the game.
“We knew any French team, especially one on tour that’s been written off, is going to put up a scrap and fight for everything.
“That second half was a pretty impressive performance, minus a couple of tries. We were pleased. Set piece was great and the imprint that came on so there’s a lot of positive stories.”
Clinical finishing is a major focus for the All Blacks this year and while they have reason to grumble with two of their three disallowed tries, so too will they reflect on the inability to convert pressure, including 11 line breaks and 250 more post-contact metres, into more points.
“Playing fast created so much, we just didn’t finish enough. We stayed brave. We were trying to get two scores ahead so they had to play a bit more. All the possession was in our hands but we didn’t quite put enough pressure on them and finish so they had to play,” Robertson said.
Other than injecting four new faces, the focal positional switches – Tupou Vaa’i moving from lock to blindside and pushing Rieko Ioane from centre to the wing – didn’t bring immediate rewards.
Ioane in particular endured a difficult night in his first test in three years on the edge.
“They had some really good moments and will be better for that,” Robertson said. “I’ll have a look at the game.
All Blacks coach Scott Robertson (left) fronts the media post-match alongside captain Scott Barrett. Photo / Photosport
“I get caught up in the big picture. It’s great to see guys slot back in there, play two different positions and experience that test.”
Addressing issues under the high ball will also be a priority after the French regularly exposed the All Blacks with their persistent kicking game.
Will Jordan, after claiming two tries on the wing following Sevu Reece’s departure with a head knock in the first minute, acknowledged the French success in this area.
“They won the battle in the air in the first half and that got their game going,” Jordan said. “As a back-three player, that’s probably the area we’re most disappointed with and we rectified that in the second half.
“It’s individually going up and getting it. Aside from that, with the new rules and not being able to escort, there’s going to be loose ball and scraps on the ground.
“It’s making sure there’s good numbers around the ball and you’re hungry to win it. We were a little bit slow to adjust.
“They were getting up and slapping it back, which makes it a dog fight, but I thought we made a good adjustment in the second half.”
Liam Napier is a Senior Sports Journalist and Rugby Correspondent for the New Zealand Herald. He is a co-host of the Rugby Direct podcast.
