All Blacks coach Dave Rennie reported that his players expected former All Blacks player Mâa Nonu to respond to the haka when New Zealand displayed its famous war cry to the Sharks team at Kings Park stadium in Durban on Tuesday evening.
Nonu, who currently plays for the Sharks, stepped forward after the haka was performed and delivered a Māori response along with his former New Zealand teammates before the game started.
As a result, the match ended with the Sharks losing 54-0 amid heavy rain at Shark Tank.
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Rennie noted that they anticipated this situation. He added that Mâa had spoken with their assistant coach Tana (Umaga) and some players this week. They held discussions because Mâa wanted to show respect and determine the best way to respond to the haka; the team members supported him. The coach highly praised how everything turned out.
At the start of the match, the All Blacks struggled to establish control for the first thirty minutes, but after gaining the initiative, they significantly increased the pace and confidently extended the lead.
Rennie admitted that a slow start is a concern area. He explained that the team is trying to form the desired playing style, but weather conditions hindered ball progression. Although their defensive efforts were good, the coach stressed that they cannot afford such starts as seen in the previous two games, and this will be a main focus in the future.
Nevertheless, Rennie was satisfied with the All Blacks' performance in the second half, as his squad continues moving towards the Rugby World Cup. He stated that the main objective was to increase the number of matches played. The team has played five games in the Tri Nations, and now they have a better understanding of how they want to play. Furthermore, more players are enjoying a good period, and there is competition for spots in the squad. Weather conditions had to be taken into account, which did not always allow for a perfect game. He concluded that if the team demonstrates superiority and discipline, the number of balls in play will increase, and they will be able to exert pressure, but every time they lose possession, they give opponents time to slow down the game.
