Jason Holland: All Blacks assistant coach on what went wrong for the team in Johannesburg

Discipline is high on the All Blacks work-ons list as they prepare for the rematch against the Springboks in Cape Town.

New Zealand conceded 14 penalties to five in the 31-27 Johannesburg defeat - as well as throwing away a late 10-point lead.

Prop Ofa Tu'ungafasi was also shown a yellow card late in the match.

Assistant coach Jason Holland says they also failed to put further points on the board at crucial moments.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:06):
You're listening to the Weekend Sport podcast with Jason Vine
from News Talk zed B closing.

Speaker 2 (00:13):
In on the line Williams about Africa score and take
the lead here. That's the try that see All Day
thirty one, twenty seven victory for the spring Box over
the All Blacks at Alice Park this morning. Shortly after
the final whistle, I spoke with All Blacks assistant coach
Jason Holland to get his initial reaction.

Speaker 3 (00:33):
Oh, obviously she disappointed for the boys.

Speaker 4 (00:36):
You have some massive efforts out there, and yeah, just
small parts of the game with us down in the
in the second half there, and you know a little
bits of pressure cycles where we don't win moments and
let them into our half. So a massive effort from
the voice. So the main things is disappointed for them.

Speaker 2 (00:53):
How much did the yellow card hurt you?

Speaker 3 (00:57):
Yeah, obviously it did.

Speaker 4 (01:00):
Obviously the UO card came from a lot of pressure
that they've been able to apply in our end, so
that sort of took play. Yeah, definitely, definitely to its toll. Obviously,
you know they grew legged in and went to work
up front and you know they were really solid in
that last ten twelve minutes.

Speaker 2 (01:16):
And the stats say fourteen penalties to five. A lot
of those penalties from pressure, as you've mentioned, how big
a factor do you think that was?

Speaker 4 (01:24):
Yeah, Like obviously chimpounding penalties make it really tough, and
then then that that results in the yellow and then
you got seven points and you know it all sort
of rolls into one.

Speaker 3 (01:34):
But you know, little things we can do around.

Speaker 4 (01:37):
You know, a couple of times we get down into
their end and little simple things let let the South
Africans off the hock where we could have maybe put
them away with fifteen minutes to go, we felt and
then you know, not being able to get out of
our corner two or three times as vital. So you know,
those are the little moments which which mean that the
pressure just gets too much for and ends up with

(01:58):
yellow cards or penalties.

Speaker 2 (01:59):
Did you feel in control when Caleb Clark scored a
second try to make it twenty seven to seventeen? You
did you feel in a pretty good place?

Speaker 3 (02:05):
Then? Oh, look, you never feel in control Elis Park.
We never.

Speaker 4 (02:12):
Not at all, But definitely we felt like, you know
where it was a real opportunity to sort of turn
the screw get.

Speaker 3 (02:19):
Out of our inn.

Speaker 4 (02:19):
The end, and then when we went down there, I
think with twelve we had a penalty and we kept
to the corner.

Speaker 3 (02:24):
If we'd have scored there, maybe it might have felt comfortable.

Speaker 4 (02:27):
But yeah, big moment where we don't we don't get
points and they camp down the other end and she's
not thirty four to what would have been you know
where we're We're not thirty four seventeen. We're now twenty
seven twenty four, So you know, massive swings and tight
moments in a test match.

Speaker 2 (02:45):
Yeah, you've talked a couple of times there about not
being able to get out from your own end. What's
the ideal strategy for that? Is it just better clicking?

Speaker 4 (02:53):
Oh, look, we've got to there's a little bit of
strategy involved in it, and there's making sure that, yeah,
we get some execution to get to a start point
we're happy with.

Speaker 3 (03:02):
So yeah, it'll be definitely something we worked really hard
at make.

Speaker 4 (03:06):
Sure that we don't give this this South African forwards
easy ends to our twenty two.

Speaker 2 (03:12):
Yeah, both sides kicked a lot tonight, Jase, how did
you assess the all black skicking game tonight?

Speaker 3 (03:19):
Yeah? Look, at times really good, we were still going
to be.

Speaker 4 (03:24):
We still feel like we've got to be a little
bit braver and keep the ball hand a little bit
at times and get to get the edges a bit more.
But yeah, there was times in that first half I
thought we were really solid. We put pressure on with
our kicking game and mixed up our game and varied
our game pretty well. But as I say, when you
play a lot of your game and you in your
own fifty, you've got to find better ways to apply

(03:46):
pressure at the other end.

Speaker 2 (03:47):
How pleased were you though with the moves that led
to Caleb Clark's two tries, in particular that the catch
and pass that led to those two tries.

Speaker 3 (03:55):
Yeah, look, we wanted to. We wanted to, you know,
attack when we had the opportunities.

Speaker 4 (03:59):
I think the first one came from a really good
set of d with a good tackling, a really good
turnover attack. And then you know it was good to
get a sick piece try there from from something we'd
planned during the week. So that's that's excellent, and you
know that big moments in games as well. But you
know there was a bit of a theme with score

(04:20):
points and then beatter to get out of our end
as I'd say, so you can tell that's up most
of my mind at the moment.

Speaker 2 (04:26):
It certainly can. You know, you've referenced that a couple
of times, so again without you know, I mean, it's
the game's only just finished. But what are the strategies
for that, Jase? What will you be looking at this
week as you head to Cape Town to try and
be better in that area?

Speaker 3 (04:41):
I was the.

Speaker 4 (04:42):
Key thing is how do we want to give so
the balling and what parts of the field. So obviously
you don't want to give it to them in the
twenty two, but it's more, you know, where are we
where really comfortable to defend from if we're going to
give position away.

Speaker 3 (04:55):
So that's something that we'll be looking at really hard
during the week.

Speaker 4 (04:58):
So I thought a lot of our a lot of
our defense was really good today, you know, So we'll
just get really tight around and around how, how and
where we give the significans the ball to stop their
forwards getting that role on that they got on the
last fifteen minutes.

Speaker 2 (05:14):
A lot to be made of their bench impact as well.
Did you think that was a factor.

Speaker 4 (05:20):
Yeah, well I thought that they all come on on
pretty EARLYI than there I think it was forty three
minutes the old on squad came on, and I think
we dealt with that pretty well. I think we were
we were were ten points up with cought them now
to go, So we dealt with that pretty well.

Speaker 3 (05:32):
And how guys had come on. So I didn't didn't
think that was a major I didn't didn't feel like
they made a major impact.

Speaker 2 (05:39):
Did you think the first out African try was a
knock on?

Speaker 3 (05:43):
I haven't seen it.

Speaker 4 (05:44):
There's a bit of check going around, but I haven't
seen I couldn't see anything.

Speaker 3 (05:48):
I don't know if there was no replay or something.
I don't know. I didn't see it. But yeah, I
don't know. I don't know. I'll have to I maybe
i'll see that when we have a look at the
computer and see what that was. Why what what are
you reckon plaining? Oh?

Speaker 2 (05:59):
Absolute knock on? Jose honestly was one hundred percent. He
loses it before the line. So yeah, now you've I've
got away with one there, right, Yeah, have a look
at it, mate, It's it's one hundred percent of knock on. Hey,
just I go both ways? Yeah, very diplomatic. Hey, just
before you go, how have you reshuffled responsibilities this week

(06:21):
with one fewer coach in the setup?

Speaker 3 (06:24):
Oh yeah, just a little bits and pieces mate. We're all.

Speaker 4 (06:29):
Ordering a little bit extra and it's you know, it
hasn't hasn't hindered anything.

Speaker 3 (06:34):
So that's been. It's been okay.

Speaker 4 (06:36):
So I'm just doing a little bits and pieces here
and there for mainly for myself.

Speaker 3 (06:40):
Comes and end, Scotty Henson.

Speaker 2 (06:42):
Thanks for taking the call. Jay, Safe travels to captain.
Look forward to the second test next week.

Speaker 3 (06:46):
Okay, thanks boone, see you mate.

Speaker 2 (06:48):
That's Jason Holland, who I spoke to shortly after the
final whistle from from Alice Park.

Speaker 1 (06:53):
For more from Weekend Sport with Jason Fine, listen live
to News Talk zed B weekends from midday, or follow
the podcast on iHeartRadio