The All Blacks admit they'll need to adjust to Springboks coach Rassie Erasmus' improvements from test one after the series was levelled 1-all in Cape Town.
South Africa's 33-26 win featured resolute defence and superb kicking off the tee from Cheslin Kolbe, who had 18 points.
All Blacks assistant coach Tana Umaga joined Piney to explain how the Springboks improved.
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Speaker 1 (00:06):
You're listening to the Weekend Sport Podcast with Jason Pine
from Newstalk ZB. On his left.
Speaker 2 (00:13):
For Adi, Sarvia reaches out.
Speaker 1 (00:15):
Sarvia, has he got it down? Not sure.
Speaker 2 (00:21):
Try.
Speaker 1 (00:22):
Try for Adi Sarvia, he's got it down. Yeah, that
was the last scoring action, well certainly the last try
scoring action of the game converted, but South Africa are
running out 33-26 winners in Cape Town. The series is
all square. at one test apiece. All Blacks assistant coach
Tana Umanga is with us. Tana, what was your overall assessment,
(00:43):
first of all, of the 80 minutes?
Speaker 2 (00:46):
Oh, there's some big moments and obviously they got off
to a flying start and that's something that I think
we can say we've had a few issues with how
we've started this year over a few games. I'm sure
that's something that we need to have a look at
going forward and then I was just trying to crawl,
(01:07):
you know, claw it back. But again, disposition, trying to
get the ball back from the kicks and trying to
retain position when they were so good on the ball. Again,
you've got to take your head off to the African side.
They were obviously highly motivated after... losing the first one
(01:30):
in Joburg. And we knew they were going to come
out like that. And we prepared for it as best
we could this week. But obviously, there's still some areas
that we still need to keep working on.
Speaker 1 (01:41):
How different was the challenge that South Africa presented today
compared to last weekend?
Speaker 2 (01:50):
Yeah, obviously, as we said, they came in the areas
that we thought they would. And they just.
You know, the changes that they made to their team
really accentuated where they were coming in terms of their attack.
And I thought the way hooker obviously made a massive
(02:13):
impact in terms of getting that ball back from the
high kicks. And they were able to play off that.
Early on, that swung the momentum and we were just
chasing our feet, chasing our tail from then on, really.
And I think that was the big thing. They were
able to retain possession and get possession back throughout the game,
(02:38):
whereas last week we were able to handle those areas.
And so, again, we just need to be better in
the next seven days before we play them again.
Speaker 1 (02:48):
How tricky is the aerial challenge of test matches against
South Africa?
Speaker 2 (02:55):
Well, as you can see, they're very good at it. And,
you know, that's an unbelievable, you know, a great skill
when they're coming forward all in that traffic and they
make their way to the point of where the ball's
coming down. And, you know, that's something, again, that we just...
(03:18):
Got to keep improving on, you know, we know it's coming,
so we need to be better at that. But they're
very good at it. And again, they showed, you know,
when their backs are against the wall, they have a
game that they know very well and they can rely
on and they get paid out of it.
Speaker 1 (03:37):
When you're defending those high kicks, how do you work
out what the strategy is, Tana? We see the wingers
running backwards to try and deal with it, or I
guess the fullback can come forward. How do you work
out which is the right way, the best way to
defuse those bombs?
Speaker 2 (03:54):
Yeah, well, for us, our strategy around coming backwards to
catch the ball with our wingers because... You know, with
the laws the way they are, you can't have escorting or,
you know, you can't put people in front of the chasers.
So the winger coming back has to create that space
(04:15):
himself in terms of trying to find clean air that
he can go up to. But, you know, the South
Africans were very good around getting around our– our wingers
and players that were coming back to get the ball
and just able to put good pressure on. And they
had plenty of numbers coming through that as well, which
(04:37):
really put us under pressure.
Speaker 1 (04:39):
How happy were you with your own kicking game?
Speaker 2 (04:44):
Yeah, I suppose we'll have to dissect that a little
bit more. You know, kicking's not my forte. So we'll
have to get the kicking coach to probably answer that
one a bit better. But again, you know, like, we
knew the kind of line speed that they'd bring. And
so we just, sometimes you just got to put some
seeds of doubt into their mind around, you know, how
(05:06):
much line speed they can bring up. Otherwise they keep
themselves vulnerable to space in behind. And so, you know,
it helped us later on because it did slow down
their line speed a bit. And I thought we kicked
well later in the game as well. So, you know,
it's a balancing act. You know, obviously we love to play.
(05:26):
But also, you know, we want to make sure that
we're playing, you know, at the right times and the
right parts of the field.
Speaker 1 (05:33):
And last week, Tanner, of course, you had the midweek
game to negotiate. How different will it be this week
with a singular focus over the next seven days on
the third test?
Speaker 2 (05:43):
Yeah, it'll be totally different. Well, as you said, you know,
having a whole week to prepare, you know, it was
pretty full on those first couple of days. And that's
that's just the way the program ran. We're not making excuses.
We knew it was coming and we prepared accordingly and
I thought we did enough and I thought we prepared
really well. And so that's no excuse around that. We've
(06:05):
just got to be better in the areas that we
pinpointed and we've got seven days to get that done.
Speaker 1 (06:12):
So, and just on that then, what do you think
will form the basis of the review and then the
strategic planning for the third test? What are the main
main things at the top of, I guess, at the
top of your list?
Speaker 2 (06:24):
Well, obviously, yeah, dealing with the kicking game. I think
getting a fast start for us will be important. Again,
you know, we let them dictate terms early on. We
made a few errors. So just around making sure that
we start well. And, you know, again, we'll look at
(06:45):
the game in other areas, but I think those are
probably the two main things that I'm looking at All.
Speaker 1 (06:50):
Right, Tana. Well, all square, all to play for in
the third test. Thanks for taking the time for a chat,
as always.
Speaker 2 (06:56):
No worries, Pani. You're 100% right, man. You know, this
is exciting. It's 1-1. It's going to a disorder.
Speaker 1 (07:04):
Absolutely. Travel safe, Tana. Thanks for your time.
Speaker 2 (07:07):
No worries.
Speaker 1 (07:07):
That's Tana Umanga, assistant coach of the All Blacks. We
got the expected response, didn't we, from South Africa after
the first test. They were always going to be desperate.
to square things up. The backlash was inevitable. And the
Springboks are world number one and double defending world champions
for a reason. They haven't lost back-to-back test matches since 2022.
(07:30):
And that record stays intact. And the series stays in
the balance. From an All Blacks point of view, there's
absolutely no need for panic here. This was another intriguing,
absorbing test match in what is an engrossing series between
two juggernauts of the game. And now the plotting begins
for the third test a week from now. And while
(07:54):
this is a four-test series, Baltimore has always felt like
a commercial bolt-on at the end of the series. The
winner of next week's third test can rightly lay claim
to winning the South African-based three-test series. All Blacks work-ons. Well,
the scrum was a lot better this week, but now
(08:15):
attention turns to the line-out, the other set-piece. aspect of
the game, but ropey. In particular, the All Blacks lost
opportunities to attack from their own line-out due to poor execution.
There are so many moving parts to a line-out. I
often think the best strategy is just to go to
the front, hit your jumper at number two, secure possession,
and go from there. But of course, that does limit
(08:37):
your attacking options. So line-out to work on, and as
Tana mentioned, the ongoing issues with defending the aerial ball.
As he said just then, Tana, the strategy they've chosen
is for the wingers to retreat and look to catch
the ball rather than the fullback coming forward to try
and claim it. They think that is the better strategy.
(08:57):
Whichever way they look to deal with it, South Africa
will absolutely continue to do it. So continuing to work
on it this week will be near the top of
the list. Standout players, Leroy Carter, excellent. The best in
a black jersey in this one. He well and truly
justified his promotion to the starting side. And apart from
(09:17):
his try, which was, man, so brave. A combination of
pace and courage. His all-round game was really good. He
tackled well, kicked well, ran and supported well. It was
quite telling, actually. The All Blacks didn't even bring Josh
Moore beyond. Leroy Carter will definitely retain his spot next week.
And just a word on Asafo-Amoa. His impact off the bench,
again significant, that incredible leg drive of his and an
(09:38):
ability to consistently get over the advantage line with his
ball in hand are such powerful qualities. As always with
hookers though, you're judged on your core roles, aren't you?
And line out throwing continues to be a work on
for Asafo-Amor. If he can get that part of his
game right, he'll become one of the All Blacks' most
potent weapons. And just before we go to the lines,
(10:01):
a comparison. Last year, The Springboks responded to defeat. at
Eden Park with a mauling of the All Blacks in Wellington,
seven days later. A year on, in the same situation,
the All Blacks were a converted try away from drawing
this test match. This All Blacks team is miles ahead
(10:22):
of where they were 12 months ago, and the their
ceiling is still a little way off, but starting to
become visible over the horizon, which isn't a bad thing
because so too is the Rugby World Cup.
You're listening to the Weekend Sport Podcast with Jason Pine
from Newstalk ZB. On his left.
Speaker 2 (00:13):
For Adi, Sarvia reaches out.
Speaker 1 (00:15):
Sarvia, has he got it down? Not sure.
Speaker 2 (00:21):
Try.
Speaker 1 (00:22):
Try for Adi Sarvia, he's got it down. Yeah, that
was the last scoring action, well certainly the last try
scoring action of the game converted, but South Africa are
running out 33-26 winners in Cape Town. The series is
all square. at one test apiece. All Blacks assistant coach
Tana Umanga is with us. Tana, what was your overall assessment,
(00:43):
first of all, of the 80 minutes?
Speaker 2 (00:46):
Oh, there's some big moments and obviously they got off
to a flying start and that's something that I think
we can say we've had a few issues with how
we've started this year over a few games. I'm sure
that's something that we need to have a look at
going forward and then I was just trying to crawl,
(01:07):
you know, claw it back. But again, disposition, trying to
get the ball back from the kicks and trying to
retain position when they were so good on the ball. Again,
you've got to take your head off to the African side.
They were obviously highly motivated after... losing the first one
(01:30):
in Joburg. And we knew they were going to come
out like that. And we prepared for it as best
we could this week. But obviously, there's still some areas
that we still need to keep working on.
Speaker 1 (01:41):
How different was the challenge that South Africa presented today
compared to last weekend?
Speaker 2 (01:50):
Yeah, obviously, as we said, they came in the areas
that we thought they would. And they just.
You know, the changes that they made to their team
really accentuated where they were coming in terms of their attack.
And I thought the way hooker obviously made a massive
(02:13):
impact in terms of getting that ball back from the
high kicks. And they were able to play off that.
Early on, that swung the momentum and we were just
chasing our feet, chasing our tail from then on, really.
And I think that was the big thing. They were
able to retain possession and get possession back throughout the game,
(02:38):
whereas last week we were able to handle those areas.
And so, again, we just need to be better in
the next seven days before we play them again.
Speaker 1 (02:48):
How tricky is the aerial challenge of test matches against
South Africa?
Speaker 2 (02:55):
Well, as you can see, they're very good at it. And,
you know, that's an unbelievable, you know, a great skill
when they're coming forward all in that traffic and they
make their way to the point of where the ball's
coming down. And, you know, that's something, again, that we just...
(03:18):
Got to keep improving on, you know, we know it's coming,
so we need to be better at that. But they're
very good at it. And again, they showed, you know,
when their backs are against the wall, they have a
game that they know very well and they can rely
on and they get paid out of it.
Speaker 1 (03:37):
When you're defending those high kicks, how do you work
out what the strategy is, Tana? We see the wingers
running backwards to try and deal with it, or I
guess the fullback can come forward. How do you work
out which is the right way, the best way to
defuse those bombs?
Speaker 2 (03:54):
Yeah, well, for us, our strategy around coming backwards to
catch the ball with our wingers because... You know, with
the laws the way they are, you can't have escorting or,
you know, you can't put people in front of the chasers.
So the winger coming back has to create that space
(04:15):
himself in terms of trying to find clean air that
he can go up to. But, you know, the South
Africans were very good around getting around our– our wingers
and players that were coming back to get the ball
and just able to put good pressure on. And they
had plenty of numbers coming through that as well, which
(04:37):
really put us under pressure.
Speaker 1 (04:39):
How happy were you with your own kicking game?
Speaker 2 (04:44):
Yeah, I suppose we'll have to dissect that a little
bit more. You know, kicking's not my forte. So we'll
have to get the kicking coach to probably answer that
one a bit better. But again, you know, like, we
knew the kind of line speed that they'd bring. And
so we just, sometimes you just got to put some
seeds of doubt into their mind around, you know, how
(05:06):
much line speed they can bring up. Otherwise they keep
themselves vulnerable to space in behind. And so, you know,
it helped us later on because it did slow down
their line speed a bit. And I thought we kicked
well later in the game as well. So, you know,
it's a balancing act. You know, obviously we love to play.
(05:26):
But also, you know, we want to make sure that
we're playing, you know, at the right times and the
right parts of the field.
Speaker 1 (05:33):
And last week, Tanner, of course, you had the midweek
game to negotiate. How different will it be this week
with a singular focus over the next seven days on
the third test?
Speaker 2 (05:43):
Yeah, it'll be totally different. Well, as you said, you know,
having a whole week to prepare, you know, it was
pretty full on those first couple of days. And that's
that's just the way the program ran. We're not making excuses.
We knew it was coming and we prepared accordingly and
I thought we did enough and I thought we prepared
really well. And so that's no excuse around that. We've
(06:05):
just got to be better in the areas that we
pinpointed and we've got seven days to get that done.
Speaker 1 (06:12):
So, and just on that then, what do you think
will form the basis of the review and then the
strategic planning for the third test? What are the main
main things at the top of, I guess, at the
top of your list?
Speaker 2 (06:24):
Well, obviously, yeah, dealing with the kicking game. I think
getting a fast start for us will be important. Again,
you know, we let them dictate terms early on. We
made a few errors. So just around making sure that
we start well. And, you know, again, we'll look at
(06:45):
the game in other areas, but I think those are
probably the two main things that I'm looking at All.
Speaker 1 (06:50):
Right, Tana. Well, all square, all to play for in
the third test. Thanks for taking the time for a chat,
as always.
Speaker 2 (06:56):
No worries, Pani. You're 100% right, man. You know, this
is exciting. It's 1-1. It's going to a disorder.
Speaker 1 (07:04):
Absolutely. Travel safe, Tana. Thanks for your time.
Speaker 2 (07:07):
No worries.
Speaker 1 (07:07):
That's Tana Umanga, assistant coach of the All Blacks. We
got the expected response, didn't we, from South Africa after
the first test. They were always going to be desperate.
to square things up. The backlash was inevitable. And the
Springboks are world number one and double defending world champions
for a reason. They haven't lost back-to-back test matches since 2022.
(07:30):
And that record stays intact. And the series stays in
the balance. From an All Blacks point of view, there's
absolutely no need for panic here. This was another intriguing,
absorbing test match in what is an engrossing series between
two juggernauts of the game. And now the plotting begins
for the third test a week from now. And while
(07:54):
this is a four-test series, Baltimore has always felt like
a commercial bolt-on at the end of the series. The
winner of next week's third test can rightly lay claim
to winning the South African-based three-test series. All Blacks work-ons. Well,
the scrum was a lot better this week, but now
(08:15):
attention turns to the line-out, the other set-piece. aspect of
the game, but ropey. In particular, the All Blacks lost
opportunities to attack from their own line-out due to poor execution.
There are so many moving parts to a line-out. I
often think the best strategy is just to go to
the front, hit your jumper at number two, secure possession,
and go from there. But of course, that does limit
(08:37):
your attacking options. So line-out to work on, and as
Tana mentioned, the ongoing issues with defending the aerial ball.
As he said just then, Tana, the strategy they've chosen
is for the wingers to retreat and look to catch
the ball rather than the fullback coming forward to try
and claim it. They think that is the better strategy.
(08:57):
Whichever way they look to deal with it, South Africa
will absolutely continue to do it. So continuing to work
on it this week will be near the top of
the list. Standout players, Leroy Carter, excellent. The best in
a black jersey in this one. He well and truly
justified his promotion to the starting side. And apart from
(09:17):
his try, which was, man, so brave. A combination of
pace and courage. His all-round game was really good. He
tackled well, kicked well, ran and supported well. It was
quite telling, actually. The All Blacks didn't even bring Josh
Moore beyond. Leroy Carter will definitely retain his spot next week.
And just a word on Asafo-Amoa. His impact off the bench,
again significant, that incredible leg drive of his and an
(09:38):
ability to consistently get over the advantage line with his
ball in hand are such powerful qualities. As always with
hookers though, you're judged on your core roles, aren't you?
And line out throwing continues to be a work on
for Asafo-Amor. If he can get that part of his
game right, he'll become one of the All Blacks' most
potent weapons. And just before we go to the lines,
(10:01):
a comparison. Last year, The Springboks responded to defeat. at
Eden Park with a mauling of the All Blacks in Wellington,
seven days later. A year on, in the same situation,
the All Blacks were a converted try away from drawing
this test match. This All Blacks team is miles ahead
(10:22):
of where they were 12 months ago, and the their
ceiling is still a little way off, but starting to
become visible over the horizon, which isn't a bad thing
because so too is the Rugby World Cup.
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