Defence also an issue?<\/p>\n
While there has been plenty of criticism over the All Blacks<\/a> attack, their defence has also struggled at times and they were shocked by the lack of dominant tackles.<\/p>\n The number stood at 4.5 per cent, 102 of the 2,234 for they made.<\/p>\n \u201cI tell you what, if you\u2019re sitting at full-back and you\u2019re seeing five per cent dominance, you\u2019re thinking, \u2018man, I\u2019m going to be making some tackles today\u2019,\u201d Muliaina said.<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s not good enough and that\u2019s where teams have been able to get momentum. We\u2019re sort of carrying and riding teams [in defence], and it means then that teams are dictating their terms and you can\u2019t afford to have that.<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s why decision-making becomes a really key factor. If you\u2019re riding tackles and you\u2019re not dominating, five per cent is low, that is really low.\u201d<\/p>\n Credit: The Breakdown<\/p>\n Wilson then chimed in, claiming that the All Blacks\u2019 defensive stats would have paled in comparison to the Ireland v Springboks<\/a> clash in Dublin on the same day.<\/p>\n \u201cIf you watched other Test matches this weekend, it\u2019s not five per cent. If you\u2019re watching Ireland take on South Africa, that\u2019s more like 60 or 70 per cent from both sides in terms of the defensive intensity they\u2019re bringing,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Wales v All Blacks winners and losers: \u2018Woefully inconsistent\u2019 New Zealand weakness continues as Welsh enjoy exploits of \u2018box-office attraction\u2019<\/a><\/p>\n Are All Blacks legends right?<\/p>\n While Wilson was correct that there were more dominant tackles in that Dublin clash, according to Oval Insights, the All Blacks are not quite as far behind as they would seem.<\/p>\n Those statistics showed that South Africa stood at around 10 per cent while Ireland were at 5.6, but they are right that New Zealand have some ground to make up on the very best in that regard.<\/p>\n In the July series, the Boks\u2019 dominant tackle success rate was as high as 15 per cent. That is considered unusual but Rassie Erasmus\u2019 men have consistently been one of the better countries in that area.<\/a><\/p>\n The All Blacks do therefore have some ground to make up if they are to match the South African defence, but it is not quite as poor as Muliaina and Wilson have suggested.<\/p>\n It does imply, however, that Robertson\u2019s team are perhaps slightly too passive in defence or are simply not winning the battle on the gain line often enough.<\/p>\n![\"\"\/](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/All-Blacks-defence-stat-in-2025.png\")
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