The ‘outrageous’ stat which delighted Dave Rennie as All Blacks boss gives verdict on first game
Dave Rennie greeting Fabien Galthie and Will Jordan scoring for the All Blacks v France.
Dave Rennie admits that there is plenty to improve on but he was left particularly pleased with the All Blacks’ attacking endeavour as they edged past France in Christchurch.
In New Zealand’s first match since they replaced Scott Robertson with Rennie, there was a stark contrast from the previous regime after they played with tempo and ambition with ball in hand.
While it did not always pay off and Les Bleus remained in contention throughout the 80 minutes, the hosts claimed a 34-32 triumph to kick-off the Nations Championship in fine style.
They scored five tries in total, with Will Jordan and Cam Roigard scoring two apiece to help them to the win.
All Blacks’ quick ball
“I loved the effort, I loved the optimism. There was one time where we were probably overly optimistic… but we were able to play with a really high tempo and lightning quick ball – almost 85 per cent which is just outrageous,” he told reporters.
“I thought we did a lot of really good things with the ball but we just needed to play through them a little bit more. Their big men were tiring and they were able to play high on the edge, and we made a few errors there.
“Can’t fault the effort, I loved the mindset, we’ve just got to be a lot more accurate.”
France also had plenty of success in attack thanks to their quick ruck speed – 76 per cent according to Rennie – and the All Blacks’ next task is to slow their opponents down.
“It was an arm wrestle, we couldn’t shake them. We would score and then make a couple of errors that gifted them good field position,” the head coach said.
“It wasn’t a great start was it? Down 7-0 and a yellow card, but I thought we managed the next 10 minutes really well and managed the score.
“We constantly got our nose in front and then gave them an opportunity, and they’re good enough to take it.
“Their short passing game was excellent and we probably just lacked a little bit of line speed on the inside to apply a bit more pressure, but there was no lack of effort.”
Impressive start but “time” needed
It was still an impressive start from the All Blacks considering it was their first game under Rennie but “time” will be the watchword for the Kiwis going forward.
“We just need more time, more reps, more around combinations. There was a lot of guts, we scrambled really well at times, but we’ve just got to get off the line and apply a lot more pressure. Get two in the tackle more often to give them slow ball so we can reset and get off the line and do it again,” Rennie added.
“We’ve spent a bit of time on it in the last few days, we just need a lot more and it will make a massive difference because if you can give them slow ball, it gives us time to fold [around the corner], get appropriate numbers and get off the line.
“Both teams played pretty similarly, had a similar mindset, and you look at a lot of the stats and the numbers are very similar.
“We’ve got to be a bit better, but I liked the mindset and, if we had tidied up a few things, we would have created a lot more opportunities.”
