All Blacks Coach Criticizes Penalties After Loss to Springboks in Baltimore

All Blacks center Anton Linet-Braun admitted that New Zealand did not live up to its high standards after two defeats in friendly matches against the Springboks.

Linet-Braun stated that in the last two games, the team 'did not meet the required form.' This makes the final match of the 'Greatest Rugby Rivalry' in Baltimore on Saturday an especially important test for the new era of New Zealand under Dave Rennie's leadership.

The player, with 93 caps, noted that the tension of the last three encounters showed how insignificant the difference was between the two teams, despite the convincing 33–16 victory for the All Blacks in the first match at Ellis Park stadium.

'We all see that it comes down to small details. In the last two matches, they had the advantage in this regard; they will probably say the same about Ellis Park,' commented Linet-Braun. 'Even though we won by a large margin, it really were small details, so we don't expect less this weekend.'

The All Blacks secured five victories in South Africa over Stormers, Sharks, Bulls, Lions, and the first game against the Boks. However, after two subsequent losses to the Springboks, the visitors need to finish the tour with strong results.

'We hoped to get another win even in South Africa; that would have been great,' reflected Linet-Braun. 'But as a group, we learned a lot. We played against the best team in the world on their home ground, and many new players experienced such rugby.'

He continued: 'For a team that has gathered with a new coaching staff—we have only been together for three or four months—I think we built up well. But we need to show results. The last two matches did not meet the required form, so this weekend is extremely important for this group.'

Linet-Braun will play his sixth game in eight weeks on Saturday and receive a fourth start, which is an impressive workload during a busy tour. Nevertheless, despite the fierce rivalry on the field, he noted that his experience in South Africa was generally very positive off the field.

'My experience interacting with the South African people and my time in South Africa is that they are amazing people,' he said. 'Even if you want to go there and beat them, off the field they are wonderful people.'

The long journey to Baltimore also brought both teams into close proximity, as the All Blacks and Springboks shared a 19-hour charter flight to the United States.

'Obviously, we spent 19 hours on the plane together, although most were asleep,' joked Linet-Braun.

Reflecting on a decade in the All Blacks environment, the veteran midfielder believes that the unique concept of the 'Greatest Rugby Rivalry' gave him an experience he will cherish long after hanging up his boots.

When asked whether rugby should have more tours of this scale, Linet-Braun was reluctant to engage in administrative politics, focusing instead on the personal impact of the tour.

'It's not my job to figure out if it's feasible or not,' he stated. 'But I have been in this team for a long time, and it is undoubtedly one of the coolest things I have experienced as an All Black. It is something I will remember my whole life.'

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.

The All Blacks forwards coach, Neil Barnes, expressed dissatisfaction with the team being forced to face opponent penalties during set-piece contests.

The Greatest Rivalry in Rugby

The All Blacks suffered a serious blow before the fourth and final match of the 'Greatest Rivalry in Rugby' series in Baltimore due to the shoulder injury of captain Ardie Savea. Arriving in Baltimore late Sunday, the All Blacks were without three key players while trying to secure a victory in this decisive series.

The Springboks lead 2-1 after a 29-24 win in Soweto over the weekend, leaving New Zealand with only one chance—to win the fourth and last match on Saturday to tie the series 2-2.

One of the most significant setbacks for coach Dave Rennie was the injury to captain and star player Ardie Savea, who sustained a shoulder injury in the third match. Rennie expressed disappointment, noting: 'It's Ardie's shoulder. He's going home. He was huge, wasn't he? But Wallace (City) came out and played well. Of course, we won't use that as an excuse.'

Winger Quinn Tupaea is also heading home due to a knee injury, and flanker Luke Jakobson will miss the Baltimore match after an elbow tendon injury. Jakobson took on the captaincy role after Savea left the field after 30 minutes in Soweto, having already scored two tries.

Rennie emphasized the need for humility and finding solutions: 'But ultimately, we are on the wrong side of the scoreboard, so we must accept our defeat, be honest in our reviews, and focus on finding solutions because we must get better and end up on the other side of the scoreboard.'

The All Blacks believe one of the most crucial battles in Baltimore will unfold within the set-piece. Assistant coach Neil Barnes openly stated before the team's departure to the USA that the Springboks gain a significant advantage from penalties during the scrum.

Barnes noted: 'The Springboks' set-piece is quite dominant, and they receive a stream of penalties because of it.' He added: 'I'm not going to say they are all legal, but we must change the perception among officials to gain a fair advantage.'

Barnes insisted that the All Blacks cannot afford to dwell on the loss but must instead find ways to counter South Africa's strengths. 'We must act based on finding solutions. They are good at what they do, and we must compensate for it. The rest of our game is tense; there isn't much in it.' He continued: 'We won't beat ourselves up too much, but it's disgusting. We are losing to this team, and we tried very hard to achieve the desired result for our country.'

The Springboks won the scrum in the first match, struggled in the second, but regained control in Kabelaba on Saturday. Barnes stated that the All Blacks must find a way to stop the penalties that allow the Boks to turn pressure in the set-piece into territorial advantage. 'In our game, we barely conceded penalties, and the ball goes back into play; that's the mindset.' He clarified: 'In South Africa, your set-piece exists to create penalties to advance toward the opposite end of the field.'

He urged the team to concentrate on finding solutions to stop the opponent's set-piece. 'We had an out-try in our favor that hurt a lot, but we must also find a way to stop scrum penalties.'

Barnes also firmly stated that the All Blacks cannot blame referees or luck for their difficult situation. 'In sports, sometimes you are on the right side of the balance, and sometimes you are not. But we must eliminate luck, eliminate referees, and simply become better.'