Rugby: All Blacks' lack of patience could be costly

Anton Lienert-Brown of the All Blacks attempts an offload. Photo / Getty

Patience is the factor the All Blacks continue to miss. They didn't have it in the second half in Sydney, nor for much of the last game in Dunedin and it was again conspicuous by its absence in New Plymouth.

There's an almost unseemly desire within this young All Blacks side to get on with the business of destroying their opponent.

They seem to believe they have to take risks early in the game, force the pace, force the pass and try to play all their rugby in all parts of the field.

It's almost as if they believe the world will stop spinning if they haven't gone into the shed at halftime with the game already in the bag.

Maybe that's a legacy from Sydney where they produced such a commanding and effective first 40 minutes that had Australia broken beyond repair.

That was probably a one-off, though. The sort of night that only comes around once in a season and the quicker the All Blacks accept that, the better.

Against Argentina there was no sense of them being calculated, calm and patient. The balance in their game still isn't there. They want to make every play a winner, push the boundaries and look for the impossible rather than the probable.

Some of the problem might be that when they get it right, they are deadly. They scored an early try that was all about their pace, awareness and handling under pressure.

They stretched Argentina one way, then the other and Damian McKenzie was able to slice through a hole and play Nehe Milner-Skudder into space.

It was classic high tempo rugby and it encouraged the All Blacks to think about nothing but all-out attack.

There is no concern that the All Blacks want to try to play at that pace for 80 minutes, but to make it work for them they are going to have be more disciplined and less rushed in the way they go about it.

There is no shame in a bit of percentage football. There is still a place within their ambitious plan to hoof the ball down the field; or to at least go to the air and create contestable opportunities.

The All Blacks of recent years have been at their best playing a triple threat game where they are as happy kicking as they are running and perhaps this week would be a good time to remember that.

That element of looseness and almost recklessness - evidenced by some poor decisions to kick and kick badly out of defence - could be costly next week against the Boks.

Against South Africa they will need to be prepared to take their time on attack, to go one more phase; to hold rather than pass.

"Again it was a great game for us to learn about ourselves," said All Blacks coach Steve Hansen. "We had moments where we had to battle and think through some stuff that didn't come easy for us.

"Obviously you don't want the errors to keep growing. But we have come off the back of a great year and it is not flowing as easily for us and we are having to work at it. Which is what we need.

"Being put under pressure by linespeed is good for us. We are trying to play this brand of rugby that everyone wants us to play and we are going to have to get better at it."