All Blacks: Rennie’s rebuild needs to speed up

A year ago in Wellington, New Zealand took the heaviest defeat in their history from South Africa: 43-10. Twelve months on, Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry has ended 3-1 to the Springboks. In between there has been a change of coach, and now there is a building site with a World Cup closing in.

Scott Robertson left the All Blacks job in January, halfway through his contract; Dave Rennie was announced in March, signed through to the 2027 World Cup. I link that 43-10 and that exit, but that is my reading. What is certain is that Rennie has arrived short on time and has a lot to fix in very little of it.

What worked

There is the start of something, and it showed at Ellis Park: 33-16, a defence that survived three consecutive five-metre scrums past the hour-mark of pressure, and the ability to turn any transition into attack in a heartbeat. That was the best New Zealand of the series, and it wasn’t a fluke.

The problem is that the level never came back. The scrum held at times but never dominated — and against these Springboks that is not exactly easy.

What is Rennie’s most urgent problem?

Fly-half. Richie Mo’unga only became available for the closing stretch of the tour, Beauden Barrett came back into the mix, Ruben Love showed talent and courage but also a very costly yellow in Soweto. Who wears 10 for the All Blacks at the World Cup is the question Rennie has to answer before all the others.

The players to build on are there

Will Jordan still has tries in his hands: a brace in the first Test, on the scoresheet again in the last. Cam Roigard is now the first-choice scrum-half — sometimes extraordinary, sometimes enough to make you miss the Aaron Smiths of old, and, if I may, to make New Zealanders wonder about letting Gibson-Park go to Ireland.

Then there is Ardie Savea, who scored twice in Soweto before a shoulder problem ended his night and handed the captaincy to Codie Taylor for the final Test. And Fabian Holland, for me among the very best of the whole series.

Two coaches, two different clocks

This is where the imbalance shows. Rassie Erasmus has been in the job for ten years and in this series surprised us less than usual tactically — which tells you how much he already has in the bank. Rennie has been there a year and is building, in a more linear way. They are completely different jobs, and when it matters that difference can weigh heavily in South Africa’s favour.

Psychologically this is a hard one to take, even if the All Blacks knew they could lose it. The real question now is simple: can they close the gap on the Springboks within a year? Because when the going gets tough the tough start playing — and in 2023 a New Zealand side everyone was criticising played for the World Cup off one scrum, with fourteen men.

Read also

• Springboks 33-26 All Blacks: series level at 1-1
• DanPat Rugby — Home
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Danilo — DanPat Rugby