All Blacks head coach Scott Robertson has taken responsibility for his team's performance in their record-breaking meltdown against the Springboks last night.
The morning after the 43-10 defeat in Wellington, New Zealand’s largest ever Test loss, Robertson faced the media at the airport in what was a change to the press schedule.
An assistant coach was originally slated to appear for the traditional morning-after media duties, but it is understood that Robertson believed it was more appropriate for him to front.
Like in last night’s post-match press conference, Robertson still cut a relatively philosophical figure after watching his side collapse from a 10-7 halftime lead due to a defence which leaked five tries and 36 unanswered points, but he made it clear the performance was not acceptable.
"Obviously, the result reflects that," he said. "We own it as a group. It’s pretty clear that we got to a point where we played some great rugby and we let them get away. Our execution wasn’t good enough. The start to the second half wasn’t what we expect of ourselves.
"We just have to be honest with each other as a whole group and all of that starts with me."
The task for Robertson and his assistants now is to find answers from the wreckage of their defeat before Australia’s visit to Eden Park in just under a fortnight.
The Wallabies will arrive for the Bledisloe Cup Test as leaders of the Rugby Championship after claiming two bonus points in their defeat to Argentina in Sydney yesterday.
Their head coach Joe Schmidt, the former All Blacks assistant, will inevitably be buoyed by New Zealand’s extraordinary collapse at Sky Stadium and chief among his positives will be the All Blacks’ frailty in the set piece, aerial game and defence.
The resurgence of the Wallabies and Pumas meant this Rugby Championship always promised to be tight – two points separate Australia at No.1 (11 points) and Argentina at No.4 (9 points) – but few could have predicted New Zealand’s record defeat which eclipsed their previous worst (35-7) against their rivals at Twickenham two years ago.
"No team has won two games in a row in this competition," Robertson said. "It just shows how tight it is. It can swing from week to week and you’ve got to be on… in both halves. There are two starts and two finishes to every match and that’s something we’ve got to get better at."
Boks head coach Rassie Erasmus memorably described his side’s performance in their defeat to the Wallabies in Johannesburg recently as "dog s**t".
When asked whether he would describe his own side’s efforts in a similar way, Robertson laughed and said: "My language is not quite as eloquent as his…"
But he will know more than anyone how serious this setback is for the team and the nation’s rugby hopes as a whole.
It was in Wellington three years ago that New Zealand Rugby boss Mark Robinson put his name to a press release which described the All Blacks’ performance under previous head coach Ian Foster as "not acceptable" during their defeat to Ireland which sealed the series for the visitors.
Soon afterwards Foster’s assistants Brad Moore and John Plumtree were relieved of their roles.
Such measures are unlikely mid-way through Robertson’s second year in the top job, but there may be casualties among his playing personnel in terms of selections for the Wallabies Test in Auckland on September 27.
Fortunately, halfbacks Cam Roigard and Cortez Ratima will be back in the frame after recovering from a foot stress fracture and fractured rib respectively, although Noah Hotham is set to be sidelined with another ankle problem.
Speaking of specifics in terms of the high ball failures last night, Robertson said: "We put a lot of time into it. We’re not getting the return or the outcomes."
Of the scrum and lineout collapses, he said: "We’re diligent, we work really hard on it and we pride ourselves on it as well, but we’ve got to deliver now and it’s going to have to come quickly."
In terms of the Wallabies, who were gifted two bonus points by the match officials in Sydney when they failed to spot a clear forward pass in the lead up to their final try, Robertson said: "They’re tough and resilient and playing some really good footy. All the teams are. They’ve got a good, balanced team and it’s going to be hell of a Bledisloe."
For his part, Erasmus was magnanimous in victory last night, saying: "We’ve been on the other side where we’ve been beaten 57-0 [by the All Blacks] away from home. So, there’s no need for us to celebrate too much. The respect we have for them – they’ve given us shots many times. We’re just glad we got five points and stay in the mix for the Rugby Championship.
"Obviously, people are going to talk about records – last week they kept the record at Eden Park and didn’t put it in our faces. The scoreline is nice and for the guys to hang in there is nice… I know what it feels like in the changing room on the other side."
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