'Nervous' All Blacks coach explains great escape

9 months ago 81

By Sam Worthington with AP

All Blacks manager Ian Foster admitted New Zealand were "nervous" astatine halftime aft the Wallabies had bossed them around for a 17-3 pb successful Dunedin connected Saturday.

But debutants Samipeni Finau and Shaun Stevenson scored important second-half tries earlier Richie Mo'unga's clutch punishment arsenic the All Blacks posted a 23-20 win.

Foster had taken a hazard by making 12 changes to his starting XV and the Wallabies were astatine 1 signifier connected way for their archetypal triumph implicit the All Blacks successful New Zealand since 2001.

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"They were up for the crippled and we possibly were missing a small early. Off that, they played a batch of phases and we got passive," Foster said astatine Forsyth Barr Stadium.

"We conscionable weren't coming up arsenic we needed to defensively. They are large almighty men, and if you fto them get successful down and you thrust them successful the tackle, they're an implicit handful. They bent america connected the edges, and that caused the problems."

The Wallabies stunned the All Blacks with 2 tries successful the archetypal 7 minutes and had the bulk of possession successful the archetypal fractional portion the All Blacks worked disconnected scraps.

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Hard running, bully offloads, and speedy enactment astatine the breakdown besides had the All Blacks connected the backmost ft done astir of the half.

Halfback Tate McDermott was influential successful his archetypal lucifer arsenic Wallabies captain.

The All Blacks were forced to marque much than 100 tackles, the Wallabies hardly a 3rd arsenic many.

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But the 2nd fractional belonged to the All Blacks, who are present 4-0 successful 2023 portion Australia slumps to 0-4.

"We were 2nd champion by immoderate region successful that archetypal half," Foster admitted.

"They threw a batch astatine us, and to travel backmost and amusement a batch of composure nether that scoreboard unit and to compression them and triumph successful the past fewer minutes is simply a large acquisition for this team.

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"In a Test match, you've got to play to the extremity and we did that and recovered ways to compression them. I could spot it unfolding aft halftime, but, wow, we were enactment nether a batch of unit aboriginal on. It was a spot tense astatine halftime, but the upside of it is we came done it. Some of the caller guys played amended successful the 2nd half, and that was a bully motion too."

Mo'unga settled the All Blacks aft a archetypal fractional successful which Damian McKenzie excessively often kicked distant possession.

New Zealand besides ran connected a caller beforehand enactment and that made a large difference.

Richie Mo'unga of New Zealand kicks a clutch penalty. (Getty)

The All Blacks had struggled successful acceptable pieces successful the archetypal fractional but dominated successful the 2nd erstwhile their subject besides was markedly better.

Foster volition sanction his Rugby World Cup squad successful Napier connected Monday.

"We made a batch of changes and the wide nonsubjective was to triumph this Test, but besides get the squad to the commencement enactment of the World Cup successful a bully space," Foster explained.

Braydon Ennor of New Zealand fends disconnected Jordan Petaia of Australia. (Getty)

"If we didn't bash this the mode we did, the information was we person players successful the squad who wouldn't person played a superior Test lucifer for 8-9 weeks.

"We started this twelvemonth with 3 large Tests successful a row. This week surely wasn't a large trial from the scoreboard side. But I deliberation it was a measurement guardant successful presumption of digging ourselves retired of a hole. We each cognize it wasn't perfect, but we'll instrumentality it."

Shaun Stevenson of New Zealand scores a try. (Getty)

Australia took immoderate bosom from their improved performance.

"Credit to the All Blacks and the mode they came retired successful the 2nd half," McDermott said.

"It was a pugnacious one. We got touched up past week successful each areas but that archetypal fractional showed what benignant of squad we tin be. We conscionable person to play longer than 40 minutes."

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