September 5, 2026 • 10 mins
It's been a gutting morning for the All Blacks, with the Kiwi side losing to the Springboks 29-24 in Soweto.
Ardie Savea has a dislocated shoulder, Quinn Tupaea a damaged knee and Luke Jacobson has injured a tendon in his elbow - meaning three key players will be out of commission for the final test in Baltimore.
While the All Blacks lick their wounds on the flight to the United States they're sharing with the Springboks, coach Mike Blair joined Piney to discuss what went wrong.
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Speaker 1 (00:06):
You're listening to the Weekend Sport Podcast with Jason Pine
from Newstalk ZB. Peanut like line, no drive, wrap around,
Amoa barges into a couple of spring box defenders.
Speaker 2 (00:18):
Adi Sarvia over the line.
Speaker 1 (00:20):
All Blacks 4-5. Yeah, that was the first try of
the game in Soweto this morning. The All Blacks though
going down to South Africa 29-24. Assistant coach Mike Blair
is with us. Thanks for your time, Mike. What was
your overall assessment, first of all, of the 80 minutes
in Soweto?
Speaker 2 (00:38):
Yeah, we're obviously really disappointed with the result. We felt
in the first half, we put a lot of our
game on the pitch. We were able to move South
Africa around. We scored a couple of great tries and
we felt we were going to bear fruit for the
work that we'd put in the first half. Unfortunately, in
the second half, we struggled to get any momentum in
(00:59):
the game for one reason or another. I thought the
South Africans defended well and their set piece was excellent
as well and And they were able to get their
game on the pitch.
Speaker 3 (01:07):
So, yeah, we're frustrated. We had some excellent work.
Speaker 2 (01:12):
I think we had 12 line breaks, which is a
great start against this South African defence. But it was
the same story last week. We just need to finish
those opportunities.
Speaker 1 (01:22):
South Africa scored 17 unanswered points in 11 minutes in
the second half. What did you see happening during that period?
Speaker 2 (01:32):
I think they were just able to get their game going.
They got some penalty advantages through their work in the
set piece. And they moved the ball around a little
bit in that period while they had the advantage. But ultimately,
they were more clinical with the ball in that period.
Speaker 3 (01:52):
And that put a little bit of pressure on us.
Speaker 1 (01:54):
Is there anything that you can do better when a
side like South Africa gets a roll on like that?
Speaker 2 (02:03):
This is obviously something that we, that we talk about
where we're very conscious that against a team like South Africa,
you know, they're the number one team in the world
and against them, you're going to lose momentum at times.
So we talk about ways in which we can, we
can get back into the game. Unfortunately, we stacked a
couple of errors, whether that be in the breakdown or,
(02:25):
or a set piece and that allowed them to, to
get their game going and, You know, when they get
momentum and get on the front foot, they're a difficult
team to stop.
Speaker 1 (02:34):
When you see inaccuracy like that, and as you say,
a couple of errors stacked on top of one another,
is there anything you can do as a coaching staff in-game?
Speaker 2 (02:43):
We obviously send messages down about, you know, what the
guys are seeing and what's happening. But, you know, this
is a pressure environment. The guys are having to make
decisions every... every 10 seconds on, you know, options they
(03:03):
can take, defensive reads, you know, setups for set-piece defence.
You know, the way that South Africans play, they do
drain you of energy in that way. But we're also
really confident in what we're trying to do. We've got
to just put our game together for longer. I think
(03:25):
you'll have seen in that first half about when we
can get momentum in our game. we're going to put
the best defence in the world like South Africa is
under pressure.
Speaker 1 (03:34):
Oh, certainly. I mean, the start and the first 30 minutes,
the best of the year. Was starting well a specific
focus in this one?
Speaker 3 (03:44):
It was a real focus.
Speaker 2 (03:47):
We talk about South Africa in the first 15 minutes
and when they're fresh and when they're trying to impose
their physical game on us and and what's important for us.
We won the toss and we took the kick off
and thought there's a great opportunity here to start the
game with a bit of territory. But I think within
about 15 seconds, we were back in our own half
(04:07):
again because we conceded the penalty. But after that, we
were excellent. I thought the continuity in our game was good.
And as I say, we really bent the South African
defence and I thought our attack was excellent. Just maybe
one pass off, you know, finishing things on a number
of occasions. But, you know, what we did put together
(04:30):
was excellent.
Speaker 1 (04:31):
With ball in hand, Mike, how do you evaluate the
balance you're striking between optimism and pragmatism?
Speaker 2 (04:41):
Yeah, it's a great question. And we kicked the ball
20 times in the game. South Africa kicked the ball
19 times. Up until the 60th minute, we were having
really positive... Statistically, our outcomes from our kicking game was
really strong. So probably subjectively watching the game, you wouldn't
think that we kicked the ball more than South Africa,
(05:03):
but the balance in our game is really important. We've
also got to appreciate that when there are opportunities for us,
whether it's inside our 22 or not, we want to
be optimistic about taking those opportunities because... Sometimes kicking the
ball back to the opposition doesn't actually relieve pressure. And
having the ball in our hand to manipulate a defence
(05:24):
when we're numbers up is a way of manipulating that pressure.
So it's just getting the balance right. When we kick,
we've got to kick well. But equally, when we play
the ball from our own third, we need to do
that well.
Speaker 1 (05:39):
We know injuries are a fact of life, but was
there a degree of the team... being a little bit
mentally affected by seeing their skipper, their inspirational skipper, depart
in the fashion that he did?
Speaker 3 (05:53):
I mean, no, you know, Artie's exactly that. He is inspirational.
Speaker 2 (05:56):
I think his form over the last couple of months
has been absolutely unbelievable. He's led from the front in
the way he speaks, how he prepares and how he's played.
So it's really disappointing to lose him. And, you know,
we hope a speedy recovery for him On the flip side,
I thought while Satiti came in and.
Speaker 3 (06:17):
I thought he did a brilliant job when he came on.
Speaker 2 (06:19):
I thought he got the ball a lot, made a
couple of great turnovers and it's great to see him
playing with that real energy as well.
Speaker 1 (06:27):
And you jump on a plane now for Baltimore. I
don't know, it just felt like this was the series decider.
I know it's not, Mike. I know there's one more
to go, but the third and final test on South
African soil. There must have been a lot of emotional
energy put into this one. Will there be enough gas
in the tank for another test seven days from now?
Speaker 2 (06:47):
There was definitely a huge amount of emotional energy put
into this game. You know, to win a series in
the games in South Africa would have been massive for us. But,
you know, when you ask about will we be able
to get up for next week, 100%. The series is
on the line, so there's a huge amount on the
(07:08):
game next week, and we'll be looking forward to preparing
for that. All right.
Speaker 1 (07:11):
Travel safe, Mike. Thanks for your time this afternoon on ZB.
Mike Blair, assistant coach of the All Blacks there. Congratulations,
South Africa. They were the better team. World champions for
a reason. Today they showed why. When they get a
roll on, as they did midway through the second half,
they are very, very hard to contain. Their scrum and
their maul functioned impeccably during that time, and the All
Blacks struggled to cope. The loss of Adi Savia can't
(07:34):
be overestimated. He was having a whale of a test match.
Two tries, one of those inspirational follow-me performances that only
he can really produce. His injury-enforced departure after 30 minutes
and what the All Blacks lost in his absence were
major factors in this game. Wallace Atiti came on, had
his best test of the year, but Adi is Adi,
and him not being there was telling. The All Blacks
(07:56):
start a lot better today. They're best in the six
test matches this year. They were focused from the opening whistle,
showed intent and tempo, had the breakdown with vigour, secured
their own scrum and line out ball, scored the first try.
They actually could have had a second from a line
dropout by South Africa shortly afterwards if Tupuwe had caught it.
He had a clear run to the line. First 35 minutes,
(08:17):
some of the best All Blacks minutes of the year.
But as we know, the game lasts 80 minutes. And
when you look back on that game, it is the
period after Will Jordan's try on 55 minutes that decides it.
The Springboks took it up a notch or two, in
fact more than that, and the All Blacks could not
live with them. It was a noticeable difference from the
(08:39):
first two Test matches where the All Blacks had the
better of the last 25 minutes at both Ellis Park
and in Cape Town. Today it was South Africa who
won the back end of the game. In that period
between minutes 58 and 71... when they scored two converted
tries and kicked a penalty, that's series defining. Now, there
were many pivotal things that happened in that period, a
(09:03):
lot of them of the All Blacks' own making, giving
away penalties, four of them, in a 12-minute period between
the 61st and 73rd minutes. Missed tackles, not being able
to defend a 25-meter rolling wall, some poor decision-making with
ball in hand, missing touch, with one of our own penalties.
(09:24):
As Mike Blair said then, these things all stack on
top of each other, and they allowed South Africa to
take control of the game. By contrast, the All Blacks
just lacked that cool-headed composure and a bit of cohesion
in that period, and that is where the game was
won and lost. If we fast forward a year, if
this is a World Cup knockout match, then the All
(09:46):
Blacks are out. Undone by a short but crucial period
in the second half, where they just couldn't contain the
South African juggernaut and did themselves no favours with some
of their own discipline, or in-discipline, and decision-making. But as
with any test match, and specifically tests between these two,
(10:07):
we can acknowledge the work on areas while also absolutely
appreciating the positives. Are the All Blacks a competitive test side?
Of course. The first 30 minutes prove that. Is there
still work to do? Again, absolutely yes. They've lost back-to-back
test matches, and that's never acceptable for the All Blacks,
regardless of of who the opposition is. Who's the better
(10:27):
side right now between these two? South Africa are. But
can that gap be closed before we play them, probably,
in a World Cup quarterfinal next year? Without question, that
gap absolutely can be closed.
You're listening to the Weekend Sport Podcast with Jason Pine
from Newstalk ZB. Peanut like line, no drive, wrap around,
Amoa barges into a couple of spring box defenders.
Speaker 2 (00:18):
Adi Sarvia over the line.
Speaker 1 (00:20):
All Blacks 4-5. Yeah, that was the first try of
the game in Soweto this morning. The All Blacks though
going down to South Africa 29-24. Assistant coach Mike Blair
is with us. Thanks for your time, Mike. What was
your overall assessment, first of all, of the 80 minutes
in Soweto?
Speaker 2 (00:38):
Yeah, we're obviously really disappointed with the result. We felt
in the first half, we put a lot of our
game on the pitch. We were able to move South
Africa around. We scored a couple of great tries and
we felt we were going to bear fruit for the
work that we'd put in the first half. Unfortunately, in
the second half, we struggled to get any momentum in
(00:59):
the game for one reason or another. I thought the
South Africans defended well and their set piece was excellent
as well and And they were able to get their
game on the pitch.
Speaker 3 (01:07):
So, yeah, we're frustrated. We had some excellent work.
Speaker 2 (01:12):
I think we had 12 line breaks, which is a
great start against this South African defence. But it was
the same story last week. We just need to finish
those opportunities.
Speaker 1 (01:22):
South Africa scored 17 unanswered points in 11 minutes in
the second half. What did you see happening during that period?
Speaker 2 (01:32):
I think they were just able to get their game going.
They got some penalty advantages through their work in the
set piece. And they moved the ball around a little
bit in that period while they had the advantage. But ultimately,
they were more clinical with the ball in that period.
Speaker 3 (01:52):
And that put a little bit of pressure on us.
Speaker 1 (01:54):
Is there anything that you can do better when a
side like South Africa gets a roll on like that?
Speaker 2 (02:03):
This is obviously something that we, that we talk about
where we're very conscious that against a team like South Africa,
you know, they're the number one team in the world
and against them, you're going to lose momentum at times.
So we talk about ways in which we can, we
can get back into the game. Unfortunately, we stacked a
couple of errors, whether that be in the breakdown or,
(02:25):
or a set piece and that allowed them to, to
get their game going and, You know, when they get
momentum and get on the front foot, they're a difficult
team to stop.
Speaker 1 (02:34):
When you see inaccuracy like that, and as you say,
a couple of errors stacked on top of one another,
is there anything you can do as a coaching staff in-game?
Speaker 2 (02:43):
We obviously send messages down about, you know, what the
guys are seeing and what's happening. But, you know, this
is a pressure environment. The guys are having to make
decisions every... every 10 seconds on, you know, options they
(03:03):
can take, defensive reads, you know, setups for set-piece defence.
You know, the way that South Africans play, they do
drain you of energy in that way. But we're also
really confident in what we're trying to do. We've got
to just put our game together for longer. I think
(03:25):
you'll have seen in that first half about when we
can get momentum in our game. we're going to put
the best defence in the world like South Africa is
under pressure.
Speaker 1 (03:34):
Oh, certainly. I mean, the start and the first 30 minutes,
the best of the year. Was starting well a specific
focus in this one?
Speaker 3 (03:44):
It was a real focus.
Speaker 2 (03:47):
We talk about South Africa in the first 15 minutes
and when they're fresh and when they're trying to impose
their physical game on us and and what's important for us.
We won the toss and we took the kick off
and thought there's a great opportunity here to start the
game with a bit of territory. But I think within
about 15 seconds, we were back in our own half
(04:07):
again because we conceded the penalty. But after that, we
were excellent. I thought the continuity in our game was good.
And as I say, we really bent the South African
defence and I thought our attack was excellent. Just maybe
one pass off, you know, finishing things on a number
of occasions. But, you know, what we did put together
(04:30):
was excellent.
Speaker 1 (04:31):
With ball in hand, Mike, how do you evaluate the
balance you're striking between optimism and pragmatism?
Speaker 2 (04:41):
Yeah, it's a great question. And we kicked the ball
20 times in the game. South Africa kicked the ball
19 times. Up until the 60th minute, we were having
really positive... Statistically, our outcomes from our kicking game was
really strong. So probably subjectively watching the game, you wouldn't
think that we kicked the ball more than South Africa,
(05:03):
but the balance in our game is really important. We've
also got to appreciate that when there are opportunities for us,
whether it's inside our 22 or not, we want to
be optimistic about taking those opportunities because... Sometimes kicking the
ball back to the opposition doesn't actually relieve pressure. And
having the ball in our hand to manipulate a defence
(05:24):
when we're numbers up is a way of manipulating that pressure.
So it's just getting the balance right. When we kick,
we've got to kick well. But equally, when we play
the ball from our own third, we need to do
that well.
Speaker 1 (05:39):
We know injuries are a fact of life, but was
there a degree of the team... being a little bit
mentally affected by seeing their skipper, their inspirational skipper, depart
in the fashion that he did?
Speaker 3 (05:53):
I mean, no, you know, Artie's exactly that. He is inspirational.
Speaker 2 (05:56):
I think his form over the last couple of months
has been absolutely unbelievable. He's led from the front in
the way he speaks, how he prepares and how he's played.
So it's really disappointing to lose him. And, you know,
we hope a speedy recovery for him On the flip side,
I thought while Satiti came in and.
Speaker 3 (06:17):
I thought he did a brilliant job when he came on.
Speaker 2 (06:19):
I thought he got the ball a lot, made a
couple of great turnovers and it's great to see him
playing with that real energy as well.
Speaker 1 (06:27):
And you jump on a plane now for Baltimore. I
don't know, it just felt like this was the series decider.
I know it's not, Mike. I know there's one more
to go, but the third and final test on South
African soil. There must have been a lot of emotional
energy put into this one. Will there be enough gas
in the tank for another test seven days from now?
Speaker 2 (06:47):
There was definitely a huge amount of emotional energy put
into this game. You know, to win a series in
the games in South Africa would have been massive for us. But,
you know, when you ask about will we be able
to get up for next week, 100%. The series is
on the line, so there's a huge amount on the
(07:08):
game next week, and we'll be looking forward to preparing
for that. All right.
Speaker 1 (07:11):
Travel safe, Mike. Thanks for your time this afternoon on ZB.
Mike Blair, assistant coach of the All Blacks there. Congratulations,
South Africa. They were the better team. World champions for
a reason. Today they showed why. When they get a
roll on, as they did midway through the second half,
they are very, very hard to contain. Their scrum and
their maul functioned impeccably during that time, and the All
Blacks struggled to cope. The loss of Adi Savia can't
(07:34):
be overestimated. He was having a whale of a test match.
Two tries, one of those inspirational follow-me performances that only
he can really produce. His injury-enforced departure after 30 minutes
and what the All Blacks lost in his absence were
major factors in this game. Wallace Atiti came on, had
his best test of the year, but Adi is Adi,
and him not being there was telling. The All Blacks
(07:56):
start a lot better today. They're best in the six
test matches this year. They were focused from the opening whistle,
showed intent and tempo, had the breakdown with vigour, secured
their own scrum and line out ball, scored the first try.
They actually could have had a second from a line
dropout by South Africa shortly afterwards if Tupuwe had caught it.
He had a clear run to the line. First 35 minutes,
(08:17):
some of the best All Blacks minutes of the year.
But as we know, the game lasts 80 minutes. And
when you look back on that game, it is the
period after Will Jordan's try on 55 minutes that decides it.
The Springboks took it up a notch or two, in
fact more than that, and the All Blacks could not
live with them. It was a noticeable difference from the
(08:39):
first two Test matches where the All Blacks had the
better of the last 25 minutes at both Ellis Park
and in Cape Town. Today it was South Africa who
won the back end of the game. In that period
between minutes 58 and 71... when they scored two converted
tries and kicked a penalty, that's series defining. Now, there
were many pivotal things that happened in that period, a
(09:03):
lot of them of the All Blacks' own making, giving
away penalties, four of them, in a 12-minute period between
the 61st and 73rd minutes. Missed tackles, not being able
to defend a 25-meter rolling wall, some poor decision-making with
ball in hand, missing touch, with one of our own penalties.
(09:24):
As Mike Blair said then, these things all stack on
top of each other, and they allowed South Africa to
take control of the game. By contrast, the All Blacks
just lacked that cool-headed composure and a bit of cohesion
in that period, and that is where the game was
won and lost. If we fast forward a year, if
this is a World Cup knockout match, then the All
(09:46):
Blacks are out. Undone by a short but crucial period
in the second half, where they just couldn't contain the
South African juggernaut and did themselves no favours with some
of their own discipline, or in-discipline, and decision-making. But as
with any test match, and specifically tests between these two,
(10:07):
we can acknowledge the work on areas while also absolutely
appreciating the positives. Are the All Blacks a competitive test side?
Of course. The first 30 minutes prove that. Is there
still work to do? Again, absolutely yes. They've lost back-to-back
test matches, and that's never acceptable for the All Blacks,
regardless of of who the opposition is. Who's the better
(10:27):
side right now between these two? South Africa are. But
can that gap be closed before we play them, probably,
in a World Cup quarterfinal next year? Without question, that
gap absolutely can be closed.
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