MARSEILLE - Graham Henry promised himself a good talking to as All Black defensive coach after the leaks in the backline at Twickenham.
A transcript of that dialogue would have been fascinating but Henry was not about to share that in any detail.
"Individually we were okay, collectively
we had a few problems," he said about the three tries the All Blacks conceded. "I think we were fairly rusty defensively and we did not get into position quickly enough, we were a bit too square defensively.
"So we did not get up and push as much as we have in the past and we were found wanting on numbers so I think that was a good learning experience for the team."
Henry thought those defects showed the lack of matchplay and communication during the 41-20 victory against England. There were other factors too but Henry was unwilling to elaborate.
Henry's sidestep did not clarify whether there had been a system malfunction or individual flaws at Twickenham but centre Ma'a Nonu said there had been communication problems in the din at the ground.
He rushed out of the line a number of times ahead of Aaron Mauger, which left an untidy look to the defensive line and holes for the England midfielders.
The midfield duties this weekend have fallen to Luke McAlister and Conrad Smith whose return at centre will be a huge leap for him after a successful comeback from a broken leg in the national championship.
"It is a big ask," backline coach Wayne Smith said of Smith's elevation. "We are uncertain about whether he is as good as he was."
However, Smith's fitness and skills profile were better than last season and he had all the spirit, character and savvy to make the job stick.
McAlister's primary role at Lyon was organisation.
"As a second receiver, it is an important position for us from broken play in particular where we require quite a big contribution, someone to look in front of them and make the calls and we were really happy with the work Luke had there in the Tri-Nations," said Smith.
