Dave Rennie Claims All Blacks Are Better Than 3 Consecutive Defeats to Springboks Show
- All Blacks coach Dave Rennie spoke candidly about New Zealand's disappointing run against South Africa after losing 3 Tests in a row
- Rennie acknowledged the team let itself down against the Springboks but said six Tests remain to turn the season around
- New Zealand's attention now shifts to back-to-back Bledisloe Cup clashes against the Wallabies, who beat the Springboks at the weekend
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NEW ZEALAND — All Blacks head coach Dave Rennie has conceded that New Zealand's performances against South Africa have not reflected the team's true capabilities, following three successive Test defeats to the Springboks.
After winning the opening Rugby's Greatest Rivalry fixture at Ellis Park in Johannesburg, the All Blacks lost consecutive matches in Cape Town, Soweto and Baltimore. Speaking ahead of the upcoming Bledisloe Cup series against Australia, Rennie addressed the difficult stretch directly.
Rennie's honest assessment of the Springboks series
In an interview on Newstalk ZB's Mike Hosking Breakfast show, Rennie said the coaching group was not shying away from the results.
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"Obviously, we built pretty well through July. I thought their performance against Ireland was pretty strong, and the tour of South Africa was really good for us, but it's still disappointing," he said, according to Planet Rugby.
"We think we are better than the results, but you've got to earn it. We feel we let ourselves down a little bit and we get a chance to rectify that over the last six Tests of the year."
Rennie, who replaced Scott Robertson in the role, stressed that the squad is holding itself to a high standard. "I think we've put pressure on ourselves. There's no doubt," he said, adding that results must accompany the team's attacking intent if they are to pursue a World Cup-winning style of play.
All Blacks shift focus to the Wallabies
New Zealand's next challenge is a Wallabies side that produced a striking 42-38 victory over the Springboks in Perth. Rennie, who served as Australia's head coach from 2020 to 2023, will be facing his former employers for the first time since taking charge of the All Blacks.
He described Australia as a formidable opponent with significant collective experience.
"They've got a lot of guys who have been together since I was here in 2020. Maybe 10 of those guys have played the last seven years together and they've got 50, 60, 70 Tests under their belt," Rennie said.
He added that the Perth result was an instructive signal for his squad.
"The score was close because they have so many players sent off late, so they were pretty emphatic and it's a really good indication to our players around how tough it's going to be at Eden Park."
Following the two Bledisloe Cup fixtures, New Zealand will face Scotland, Wales, England and a Nations Championship finals weekend opponent on their northern hemisphere tour.
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Tony Brown’s influence on the Springboks’ aerial game
Briefly News previously reported that former All Blacks star Ben Smith had highlighted Tony Brown’s influence on the Springboks’ tactical approach, particularly their ability to adjust the kicking contest against New Zealand.
Smith pointed to how South Africa changed where it kicked the ball after the All Blacks adjusted their positioning.
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Source: Briefly News
