All Blacks coach: Argentina Test ‘like watching rugby league’ as ‘rubbish’ scrums negated New Zealand strength
All Blacks pack scrummaging and forwards coach Jason Ryan.
All Blacks forwards guru Jason Ryan is hoping that this weekend’s Test doesn’t once again become ‘like rugby league’ after the scrum was a non-factor in Wellington.
New Zealand are renowned for their skill levels with ball in hand and their creativity in attack, but the set-piece has become a real weapon over the past couple of years.
It was key in the series victory over England in July while the front-row was expected to dominate their Argentinian opponents last Saturday.
Scrum-free for an hour
However, remarkably there was not a scrum for an hour of the match, which some felt proved costly to the All Blacks’ chances.
And Ryan, who has played a vital role in the improvement of their forwards, wants to see his powerhouse front-row go up against Los Pumas’ pack in their second Rugby Championship encounter.
“No one wants to see that do they? It was a bit like watching league there for a while,” he told reporters.
“Probably when we got into the shed, you could tell the tight-five were a little bit fresher and I could feel that we were going to change gears a wee bit, but we didn’t.
“We want to scrummage though, we don’t want any of this folding on the hip rubbish, we want to actually scrummage, especially when both teams have got the ball.
“There’s been some conversations had there and we’re looking forward to the contest.”
Ryan admitted that they were ‘punched’ a couple of times by Argentina, who impressed in the 38-30 victory over the All Blacks last weekend.
“All Test seasons you get one on the chin and we probably got two, so we’ve had to make those adjustments and you’ve got to make them quickly,” he said.
“We got two punches on the chin, it felt like that. It was bang, bang; a couple of different areas were a little bit lumpy, but we’ll get on with it. We’ve put that behind us and we’re looking forward to Eden Park tomorrow.”
Improvements
The All Blacks struggled in a few facets in Wellington which contributed to their shock loss to Los Pumas, with one of those areas partially Ryan’s responsibility.
“The breakdown wasn’t up to speed last week, so we’ve put some effort into that,” he added.
“There’s a bit of a balance between the skill set side of it and also the mindset side of it. At the end of the day, the ball carrier’s got a responsibility to get the ball back as well, and your ball carrier’s a reflection of the breakdown.
“We’ve done a little bit of work on that around our height and our targeting.”
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