- All Blacks head coach Dave Rennie addressed growing concerns about his team's aerial vulnerability after their Bledisloe Cup opener
- Rennie revealed a specific statistic about clean catches that challenges the narrative around New Zealand's struggles under the high ball
- A key injury in the back three has forced a selection change ahead of the second Bledisloe Cup Test against Australia
All Blacks head coach Dave Rennie has pushed back against the notion that New Zealand carry a unique weakness under the high ball, arguing that no side in the world, including South Africa, consistently dominates aerial contests.
Rennie made the remarks to reporters following his team's 50-19 victory over the Wallabies at Eden Park in the first Bledisloe Cup Test, where improved kick receipt played a significant role in the result.
Rennie's take on the aerial battle
Questions over New Zealand's ability to deal with the high ball have persisted since the 2023 Rugby World Cup, with the issue surfacing repeatedly under both former head coach Scott Robertson and during Rennie's Test campaign in South Africa, where the Springboks held the upper hand in aerial contests.
Rennie, however, placed the challenge in a broader context.
"There's no side in the world dominating the ball being kicked to them, and not South Africa," he told reporters.
"It's the teams that kick the ball who are winning a lot in the air or getting a lot of scraps. It's about one in four that are caught clean by the receiving team."
He outlined the approach New Zealand have been developing to turn contested kicks into an advantage.
"Our tactic has been to rather come forward and get in the air where there's a competition, we're trying to track back so we can legally block and win ball there," Rennie said, adding that the tactic is not unique to the All Blacks.
"It's no secret, a number of sides in the world are doing the same thing."
One of New Zealand's tries against Australia directly resulted from this approach, with winger Will Jordan tracking back to compete for a kick before the ball was worked through phases and converted into points.
Injury Forces Back Three Change
Ahead of the second Bledisloe Cup Test, Rennie confirmed that Leroy Carter, who impressed while chasing kicks in the first match, has been ruled out with a high ankle sprain. Josh Moorby has been named in his place on the left wing, coming in ahead of the more experienced Rieko Ioane.
Rennie indicated that aerial ability was a factor in the selection.
"The high ball's been a big part of our focus," he said of Ioane's current workload.
"He's a hell of an athlete so he's very much in the mix."
The coach added that his side expects the Wallabies to use shorter, more contestable kicks this weekend, and that the selected wingers were chosen specifically to handle that threat.
Briefly News previously reported that All Blacks head coach Dave Rennie publicly questioned the structure of the 2027 Rugby World Cup draw after it was released
New Zealand could face defending champions South Africa in the quarter-finals, with France potentially waiting in the semis
Source: Briefly News
Authors:
Hot: