All Blacks v Springboks: What went wrong in Wellington – Ant Strachan

THE FACTS

• The All Blacks’ 43-10 defeat to South Africa shows top-tier nations have closed the gap.
• The team’s ability to contest high balls was exposed, suggesting a need for specialised coaching.
• Despite the loss, new attacking strategies showed promise, but mental resilience needs urgent improvement.

Newstalk ZB rugby analyst and former All Black Ant Strachan opens his notebook to analyse the key facets from the 43-10 defeat to the Springboks in Wellington.

Saturday night’s record defeat to South Africa highlights that the top-tier rugby nations have closed the gap, putting immense pressure on the All Blacks. Any mental, physical, technical or tactical shortcomings are now ruthlessly exposed and exploited by opponents.

The critical thing here is that we acknowledge and embrace how the top-end global game has evolved – but we don’t have to accept it. Let’s always strive to stay ahead of the pack.

It’s also important to reflect on a first-half performance which highlighted some new attacking pieces that did stretch the South African defence – strange though it may seem to say it after a record defeat, there were some promising signs.

Selection issues

• Halfback selection has been unsettling. The loss of Noah Hotham potentially disrupted the rhythm although Finlay Christie continues to punch above his weight. They are definitely missing Cam Roiguard’s strength and power.
• At first receiver, Beauden Barrett’s ability to be a “triple threat” (attack space, manage his extensive toolbox and defend) is starting to be challenged.
• The front row really struggled. Tamaiti Williams was challenged technically and tactically against the physically dominant South African front-rowers. Our lineout also started to misfire, especially at the back end of the game.
• Scott Barrett’s captaincy might be hindering his performance. He’s a terrific player and being able to focus solely on his positional experience and physical attributes (on both sides of the ball) could enhance the teams’ performance.
• Wallace Sititi is still adapting and adjusting to the relentless physical grind of high-level international rugby – he will get there.
• The midfield remains unsettled, with Jordie Barrett having to shift roles in game definitely disrupting the cohesion. is it time to start him at fullback?
• Some defensive struggles were evident, especially with the back three during the second half.

All Blacks captain Scott Barrett is beaten to the ball by Springboks lock RG Snyman. Photo / SmartFrame

The aerial game

This is a significant – and ongoing – weakness. The All Blacks’ ability to contest and defuse high balls was exposed again, suggesting the need for specialised coaching, perhaps from AFL expertise, to improve under-pressure catching.

Defensive integrity

Once South Africa gained momentum in the second half, the All Blacks struggled to stop their forward progress (especially post-contact metres). Mental resilience and the ability to reset/recalibrate defensively need urgent improvement.

Respect for the game

For the first time, we started to see some trash talk from the All Blacks – especially in the first half. In my humble opinion, this is not how we respect the game.

Playing to strengths

We need to make sure we understand that our DNA advantage is playing unstructured rugby in the game. Let’s make sure we allow this to play out. The team should continue to focus on playing what they see and leverage their unstructured play to gain small advantages.

Reflection and adaptation

Quick regrouping is essential. Players must self-reflect, adapt to the coaching strategy critically and maintain humility and determination – especially with upcoming challenges like the Wallabies, who will be aiming to breach the All Blacks’ home fortress for sure.