All Blacks aim to iron out scrum weaknesses v Sharks
New Zealand's Luke Jacobson. Pic: Brett Phibbs
New Zealand are looking to use Tuesday’s second game of their South Africa tour against the Sharks to fix areas of their game where they struggled in their opener last Friday, said Luke Jacobson, who will be captaining the side.
The All Blacks showed exciting speed on attack in their 38-21 win over the Stormers in Cape Town, but by their own admission their forwards had a torrid time.
Scrummaging weaknesses were exposed by the provincial side, who held the tourists level until the last 15 minutes.
A side closer to the possible lineup for the first test against South Africa on August 22 has been named for Tuesday’s game, and Jacobson said “there are a few tidy ups from the Stormers game that we're looking to impose.
“It’s an awesome challenge, an awesome opportunity for us to really dial in on maybe some things that didn't go as well for us in the last game.
“We know how the South African teams play, they know their game, they've got their mauls, their scrums. There’s going to be upfront battles, so we're going to have to be ready to play that.
“I thought there were some lessons and it was a great taste of what we were going to get on this tour. I think we’ve made some good adjustments.”
New Zealand also struggled with scrum technique, as they gave away multiple penalties, picked up three yellow cards and came under pressure from the hosts' high kicks, with Jacobson saying he expected another aerial bombardment from the Sharks.
“The top level of South African rugby has a really good kicking game, a really good chasing game. I don't think we're going to get anything different to what we saw last week in that area.” Rain is expected for Tuesday’s match, which will also test the All Blacks’ desire to play the game at pace.
“It's just a huge onus on the individual skill set and backing yourself. We’re professional athletes; this is what we're trained for. We back ourselves to be able to perform under any conditions.”
After Tuesday’s clash, the All Blacks move up to the high altitude of the Highveld, where they face the Bulls in Pretoria on Saturday in their third game of the six-week, eight-match tour, the first by New Zealand to South Africa in 30 years.
“It's something completely different that none of us have ever done before but I think that's the cool thing about it. It's continuous. There's no time to stop, sit back, and think,” he added.
Reuters
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