Ahead of the fourth and final match in the greatest rugby rivalry, New Zealand's attack coach Mike Blair called for cleaner ball possession during rucks for his team.
The greatest rivalry in rugby
In the match between the All Blacks and the Springboks, where scrum-half Cobus Reinach contested the ball with hooker Asafo Aumua, Mike Blair emphasized that teams slowing down ball possession during rucks should not receive advice from match officials such as 'hands off' or 'release the ball'; instead, immediate sanctions should be applied for such infringements.
Mike Blair stated that if players commit illegal actions during a ruck, referees must penalize them rather than allowing them to slow down the pace of the game. Although the New Zealand team is currently trailing the Springboks 2-1 in the series, the match in Baltimore gives them a chance to draw with a win. Nevertheless, after two consecutive defeats, they face a game that determines the victory on Saturday at M&T Bank Stadium (starting at 23:00 South African time).
According to Blair, he understands the pressure faced by referees. He noted: 'I sympathize with the referees because it is truly a difficult game they are officiating.' He added that while they respect the complexity of the referee's job, they demand consistency in decisions, as sometimes the referees make correct calls, and sometimes they do not, and one must accept this and play within the accepted decisions.
The coach explained that the team's attack is based on the ability to move the ball and opponents; therefore, the cleaner the ruck, the better it is for them. Furthermore, he conveyed a key message to the team following the 29-24 loss in Soweto at FNB Stadium last week: they create many scoring opportunities but somehow fail to convert them.
New Zealand started the game in Soweto more confidently and should have capitalized on the moment when fly-half Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu was sent to the blue card, and the team played against 14 men for 10 minutes. However, they failed to do so and allowed South Africa to remain within reach.
Blair concluded that while they score touchdowns, they also miss many opportunities. Therefore, his message was twofold: positive regarding the chances created, but also concerning how to maintain pressure in a multi-phase game and how to use chances for communication and finishing attacks.