Former All Blacks scrum-half Justin Marshall has identified the All Blacks\u2019 \u201clack of getting turnovers\u201d as his \u201cmain concern\u201d ahead of Saturday\u2019s Bledisloe Cup Test in Auckland.<\/p>\n
New Zealand and Australia will go head-to-head at Eden Park this weekend before facing off in the rematch at the Accor Stadium in Sydney on October 17.<\/p>\n
Although the All Blacks<\/a> are currently on a 53-match unbeaten run at Eden Park, which stretches back to 1986, Marshall<\/a> is wary of the threat which the Wallabies pose at the breakdown.<\/p>\n He highlighted that aspect of play as an area which needs serious improvement especially as it was a genuine strength in the All Blacks\u2019 play during their glory days.<\/p>\n \u201cI think probably my main concern is our lack of getting turnovers and All Black rugby has always thrived on turnover ball,\u201d he told The Good, The Bad & Rugby Australia & New Zealand<\/a> podcast.<\/p>\n \u2018It\u2019s like playing with the ball in the backyard\u2019<\/p>\n \u201cThat is where All Blacks are at their most dangerous because it\u2019s like playing with the ball in the backyard.<\/p>\n \u201c(When) the defence is not organised, (and) you turn the ball over, they had the ball and they were expecting to phase into their work and boom you\u2019ve turned it over and they\u2019re unstructured in their defence and that\u2019s when you\u2019re at your most vulnerable.<\/p>\n \u201cIn my mind we as a rugby team are not turning the ball over enough to create those opportunities.\u201d<\/p>\n The All Blacks recently suffered a 3-1 series defeat to their arch-rivals the Springboks and Marshall used the current world champions\u2019 outstanding breakdown work as an example to illustrate his point.<\/p>\n \u201cFor example, a team like South Africa, breaking them down from set-piece all the time is just not f**king easy because they are so well organised and so well drilled,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n \u201cAnd then they\u2019ve got people hunting the ball. Like if (Malcolm) Marx is over it, Ox Nche is over it, Pieter-Steph du Toit is over it, (Paul) de Villiers is over the goddamn thing, Cobus Wiese\u2019s over it.<\/p>\n \u201cThey\u2019ve got guys over the ball all the time turning our ball over because we\u2019re playing a lot from structure.<\/p>\n \u201cSo, we need to start picking some players. Now you can\u2019t just pick them, I know this, on getting turnovers because they\u2019ve got to have the other attributes and working with the (loose) trio or with the pack, I get that.<\/p>\n \u201cIronically, probably our best guy over the ball can\u2019t even make the team and that\u2019s (Timoci) Tavatavanawai. He\u2019s probably the best bloke in that squad over the ball.<\/p>\n \u201cSo, I just wonder how we\u2019re going to get that balance because we\u2019ve got to have front-rowers, the modern-day commands that everybody\u2019s got to be over the (ball). Wingers, midfield backs, loosies.\u201d<\/p>\n All Blacks: Kieran Read makes blunt admission about back-row and reveals the player Dave Rennie should \u2018build loose trio around\u2019<\/a><\/p>\n Former All Blacks captain and number-eight Kieran Read<\/a> believes the All Blacks\u2019 overall approach to the breakdowns could be the reason for their current turnover woes.<\/p>\n \u201cI think maybe it might be an emphasis thing, right? If you look at how we were defending against the Springboks, it was our inside player (who) was going around the corner to create that extra man on defence,\u201d he explained.<\/p>\n \u201cRather than an emphasis of \u2018Okay, let\u2019s put it, let\u2019s have a crack in that ruck\u2019.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s like we know we\u2019re not gonna (do that), we don\u2019t want to do that, we don\u2019t want to either give away penalties potentially or we want to secure our d-line so that\u2019s probably just the way the emphasis of our defence is going.<\/p>\n \u2018Need to create opportunities to turn the ball over\u2019<\/p>\n \u201cBut you are right, we do need to create opportunities to turn the ball over and especially once you get into your own half and your own 22, if you just defend it\u2019s gonna cough up a try.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s just the way the game goes. You just can\u2019t defend for that long and they\u2019ll just get as close (to scoring a try) so you\u2019ve got to find a way to get that turnover so I\u2019d like to see (the All Blacks) maybe finding ways for that to happen.\u201d<\/p>\n Marshall reiterated his concern regarding the All Blacks\u2019 struggles to win turnovers and feels it was the \u201cbig difference\u201d for him during their recent series defeat against the Boks.<\/p>\n