We’ve got work to do, says All Blacks boss Rennie

All Blacks coach Dave Rennie has acknowledged that his team needs to work on improving their slow starts in matches, following their opening two games of Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry. In their first encounter against the Stormers, the All Blacks took an early lead but then conceded several penalties and were unable to maintain their advantage, finishing the first half 14-5 down.

Their performance against the Sharks was even more concerning, with the Durban side dominating the opening 15 minutes before the All Blacks slowly gained control and went on to win 14-0 at halftime. Rennie admitted that the team was frustrated by these slow starts, which could be particularly damaging when facing the formidable Springboks in the upcoming Test match.

"We gave away a lot of penalties early and struggled to get our hands on the ball," Rennie admitted. "When we did, we looked good, but we didn’t build enough pressure for long enough." Despite the sluggish starts, Rennie remains confident in his team's abilities, praising their solid defensive efforts. He emphasized that the main goal of these warm-up matches was to get more playing time for his extended squad, ensuring everyone is well-prepared for the first Test against the Springboks in two weeks.

"The majority of the squad have played," Rennie said. "A lot of guys have got good minutes and more of them did tonight." With the All Blacks set to face the Bulls at Loftus Versfeld in Pretoria on Saturday, Rennie is optimistic about the team's prospects ahead of the crucial Test match.