“The other team put us under a fair bit of pressure. We were on the wrong side of the referee for a fair bit of it. With all that adversity, down to 13 players, we still fought our way back to a good win so plenty of lessons to take out of that,” Barnes said as the All Blacks flew from Cape Town to Durban for their next match against the Sharks on Wednesday morning (NZT).
“It’s not like we haven’t planned for what the rugby will be like over here but the boys just need to experience it. We’ll be better for it.
“When it gets to the Boks it’s going to go up tenfold. The lessons I see as a positive. The worst thing would have been if we got through that game without any challenges and had the Boks coming. They’ve exposed us. We’ve got to have a look at it and try and fix it.”
Neil Barnes: “When it gets to the Boks it’s going to go up tenfold.” Photo / SmartFrame
While first-choice props Ethan de Groot, Tyrel Lomax and Fletcher Newell should stabilise the scrum, the Stormers sparked major concerns as Pasilio Tosi conceded three penalties and shone a spotlight on the need for Jason Ryan to address this crucial area, with the Boks sure to target the All Blacks there.
“We knew what was coming. That’s the way they play over here we don’t experience it too much,” Barnes said. “Our scrums back home are a starting point. It’s a game with the referees as well over here. We’ve got to try and find ways to lessen those opportunities.
“The front row out there yesterday were pretty young. Now they know what it’s like.
“Jason is awesome at his job as a scrum coach. I’m pretty sure he delivered some similar messages to what he [Tosi] needs to fix up. Now he’s been out there and felt what that’s like and how their props are going to scrum he has to find a way to stop that.
“Forwards need to train these things otherwise you’re going to be in the same position. We’ll review it harshly on ourselves and put that into work without beating ourselves up too much and then have another crack at it.”
The All Blacks struggled at times with Karl Dickson’s pedantic officiating but Barnes refused to criticise the Englishman’s overbearing control of the contest.
Dickson, after dishing the All Blacks 16 penalties and three yellow cards in this match, will take charge of the fourth test against the Boks in Baltimore, too.
“I’m not going to say I was enjoying how it was flowing but there’s some parts of the world that’s how they play. We don’t get to dictate how everyone plays. If they want to play that way we’ve got to counter it. There’s no use complaining about how it’s officiated we’ve got to adjust and stop it ourselves.
“If I’m sitting in the same place in three weeks’ time saying the same things you can say to me you need to sort your crap out.”
In a match where few players enhanced their cases to crack the test team, Peter Lakai is one notable exception. The loose forward is surely now a must inclusion after impressing with his dynamic ball carrying – one example of which set up Leroy Carter’s second half strike that allowed the All Blacks to kick clear with four tries in the final quarter.
Fabian Holland impressed with two telling lineout steals in his return from injury and Rieko Ioane was highly involved.
Despite a scratchy performance from Beauden Barrett in his first match for almost two months, Barnes praised his efforts.
“He’s been outstanding. He’s a leader in our team. That’s his first hit out in quite a long time so if I were him, I’d be pretty pleased with his efforts.”
Billy Proctor’s tour hangs in the balance after he left the field early in the second half with a shoulder injury but a definitive prognosis is yet to be determined.
As the All Blacks prepare to rotate their shadow test team into the fray for the Sharks, they will expect much more synergy amid the hectic tour schedule.
“We’ve trained as one the whole way through because we wanted to keep the team aligned. We had one training the day before yesterday and we’ll put another good day’s work into them tomorrow and then they’re out there.”
Liam Napier is a Senior Sports Journalist and Rugby Correspondent for the New Zealand Herald. He is a co-host of the Rugby Direct podcast.