- By Henry Lee, AUT Journalism Student
All Blacks head coach Scott Robertson and his staff know their charges will have to be at their best if they want to come away with any results against the world champion Springboks.
Here are some tactical questions ahead of the series:
Scrum, lineout and forward pack physicality
A dynamic and destructive Springboks pack is ready to take on its biggest rivals.
All Blacks assistant coach Jason Ryan knows too well about the challenge that’s in store for his forward pack.
His first tests as All Blacks forwards coach came this time two years ago in South Africa.
Ryan transformed the forward pack on that occasion, solidifying the team’s lineout defence and scrum within a couple weeks of training.
Not many have proved it’s possible to overcome the Springboks pack in South Africa, and the question still remains whether the All Blacks forwards are up to the task.
The scrum has significantly improved under Ryan’s guidance, gaining an advantage over most teams at set piece time.
An effective scrum can relieve pressure from your own half, pin teams in corners and wear out the opposition forward pack.
You would imagine Robertson will stick with Tamaiti Williams and Tyrel Lomax in the front row, as the All Blacks completely obliterated Argentina at scrum time.
Williams’ 1.96m, 145 kg frame brings physicality at set piece time and gets the All Blacks to attack over the gain line with his ball-carrying prowess.
The Springboks are likely to go to their tried and trusted six forwards, two-backs bench set-up, that produces power and punch off the pine.
The ever-reliable combination of Ox Nche and Frans Malherbe will likely be in the starting lineup again, to combat Williams’ size and Lomax’s scrummaging expertise.
Codie Taylor has once again showcased his pinpoint throwing ability this year but will need to be near perfect with Pieter-Steph Du Toit and Ruan Nortje getting up to contest the All Blacks throw constantly.
Barring any late injuries, captain Scott Barrett will return to calling duties at the lineout, something to add to Barrett’s growing list of key roles.
Skillset execution at set piece time will have to be a step above what we’ve seen so far under Robertson, with Rassie Erasmus’s side’s ability to disrupt and unsettle opponents is among the best in the business.
Can the All Blacks stop the Springbok’s prolific driving maul? Will our scum hold its weight? All valid queries until proven otherwise by this new All Blacks regime.
Inside-out rush defence response:
Ever since the British and Irish Lions toured New Zealand in 2017, it seems as though the rush defence has never fully been dealt with.
Ireland tortured the All Blacks with it in 2022, creating unbearable pressure on the first and second receiver.
South Africa’s wingers and midfielders in recent encounters have brought blistering line speed, limiting time and space for the All Blacks.
There’s also England, who most recently, proved the tactic can still disrupt this new All Blacks team under Robertson.
So how will the All Blacks create opportunities with little time and space?
The little chip kick behind has been a threat recently, with Damian McKenzie and Jordie Barrett being the receivers behind the rushing defensive line.
But the most potent question is the contact area, that the All Blacks must dominate if they have any chance on this tour.
They’ll look to Ardie Savea, Ethan Blackadder, Jordie and Scott Barrett, their heaviest ball carriers, to pressurize the outside in rush defensive line.
Body height this, point of contact that, but if the All Blacks don’t get over the gain line. The rush defence woes will continue.
Loose forward balance
If you think back to the best All Blacks teams of all time, you’ll notice the sheer quality of the loose forward trio in all of those teams, players like McCaw, Read, Kronfeld, Jones and Kaino.
The current trio of vice-captain Ardie Savea at eight, Dalton Papalii at blindside flanker and Ethan Blackadder at openside flanker, almost haven’t stamped their mark as a dominant loose forward trio.
Some have called for Ardie Savea to return to blindside flanker, as questions remain about Papalii’s international impact.
Robertson has talked constantly about players being good on both sides of the ball, which may be the work on for Papali’i who has struggled to impose himself at test level with ball in hand, or at ruck time.
The injection of 96 test veteran Sam Cane could be on the cards, as he featured off the bench for the last half-hour of the second Argentina test.
Robertson may look to Cane for experience, whether it be from the bench or the starting side, the All Blacks will need all of his wisdom in Johannesburg.
Ethan Blackadder, son of former All Black Todd, is a workhorse around the park and prides himself on his strong ball carrying, but has never really utilised his opportunities.
Over time, Blackadder has improved, but these South African tests command quality for all 80 minutes.
Others believed blockbusting Chiefs hardman Samipeni Finau was the answer to the continuous search for a Jerome Kaino equivalent.
But he has also been overlooked in recent weeks and with the TMO intervention at an all-time high, Robertson may fear Finau’s discipline isn’t at test standard just yet.
In South Africa, the All Blacks need tall lineout options, to combat the height and physical expertise of the Springbok jumpers, led by Pieter-Steph Du Toit and Ruan Nortje.
Rassie Erasmus’s side has countless options to call upon when going for the lineout, all things that Jason Ryan and Scott Robertson must consider when selecting the 23-man game-day squad.
Leaving out Hoskins Sotutu was always going to raise eyebrows, certainly now after a couple of underwhelming performances from the All Blacks pack.
His tackle-breaking, try-scoring ability may well have been missed in the opening tests of 2024.
With all of the disruption caused by Assistant Coach Leon MacDonald being ushered out of the All Blacks coaching staff, Rassie Erasmus’s side will smell blood.
The All Blacks will get better over time, but this new regime hopes it doesn’t take a step backward this week.
The first test of the two-match tour is at Ellis Park Stadium in Johannesburg this Sunday at 3am NZT.
The second game of the tour will be in Cape Town a week later.
