ALL BLACKS LEADERS’ FRANK STATEMENTS FOLLOWING ANOTHER AGONISING DEFEAT TO THE SPRINGBOKS
All Blacks leaders Scott Robertson, TJ Perenara and Scott Barrett have all put the 18-12 defeat to the Springboks down to missed opportunities.
New Zealand held a slim 9-3 lead at half-time, but second-half scores from Siya Kolisi and Malcom Marx secured a first Freedom Cup triumph since 2009 for South Africa.
“They punish you”
Speaking to SuperSport after the game, All Blacks skipper Scott Barrett detailed how these missed opportunities came back to haunt his team.
“Yeah I think we had opportunities there, and against a quality side like the Springboks when you don’t take them they punish you,” he said.
Barrett added: “We probably didn’t get the points we were after and they edged their way back. That’s what they do.”
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The defeat in Cape Town will once again leave the All Blacks ruing what could have been, with Marx’s deciding try coming just minutes after Damian McKenzie missed a kick which would have put them 15-13 ahead in the final stages.
Lessons to learn for the All Blacks
Outgoing icon TJ Perenara – who will play his final Test for the All Blacks against the Wallabies in three weeks time – detailed how the squad need to take the lessons from the defeat and build on them moving forward.
“Yeah it’s disappointing,” he told SuperSport. “We put ourselves in a position again where we probably could have won it, but the Springboks closed out another game against us.
“As a group, we need to take this, harness it and let it improve us and then we can start closing these ones out.”
All Blacks head coach, Scott Robertson, echoed the words of the two leaders, telling SuperSport: “I’m really proud, it was an amazing effort. We had a few chances to win that, and it’s tough but that’s Test rugby. It’s what South Africa have done so well for a number of years.”
Steps in the right direction
The defeat in Cape Town is their third of the Rugby Championship, but there were signs of growth from last week.
New Zealand’s attack seemed a lot slicker than in previous Tests this championship, with the partnership of Cortez Ratima and McKenzie seeming more settled. Elsewhere, Wallace Sititi and Tamaiti Williams also looked very comfortable at this level, putting in decent showings.
“This is a one score game, it’s a moment, it’s a ref’s call, it’s small, small margins,” Robertson said. “We’ve got to back ourselves a bit more, I believe, but we’ll be brave. There are some great signs, but not far away (from the final package).”
The All Blacks now prepare for two tough Tests against the Wallabies, where they will be looking to keep hold of the Bledisloe Cup for the 21st successive year.
2024-09-07T20:10:24Z dg43tfdfdgfd