The All Blacks say they were “exposed” by the Stormers during their victory in Cape Town yesterday and have vowed to quickly put the lessons to use in their next game on Wednesday morning.
Discipline problems, a struggling scrum which gave up multiple penalties, more failures under the high ball and handling errors all blighted the 38-21 win at the DHL Stadium against a team still in pre-season mode.
There is a school of thought that the many changes head coach Dave Rennie will make before the next match against the Sharks in Durban will ease some of those issues.
But there is another that believes the Springboks will exploit them to the fullest, no matter the visiting line-up, during the first Test in Johannesburg in a fortnight, should improvements not be made and forwards coach Neil Barnes appears to be one of them.
"You have to understand when it gets to the Boks it’s going to go up 10-fold," Barnes said of the pressure that is coming from the world champions.
"There were some really good lessons to take out of that, and I see that as a positive thing. The worst thing would be to get through that game without any challenges.
"They’ve exposed us and now we’ll have a look at it and try to fix it."
Tighthead prop Pauliasi Tosi’s concession of two scrum penalties, along with hooker Samisoni Taukei’aho’s one, will be a focus over the next few days, but to borrow from the positive side of the argument the likely inclusion of Ethan de Groot and Tyrel Lomax or Fletcher Newell should bolster the front row significantly against the Sharks.
Furthermore, the success that Siale Lauaki had when he came in at tighthead in the second half yesterday was another indication that the scrum problems are more technical than terminal.
Likewise, the probable inclusion of halfback Cam Roigard and first-five Ruben Love will likely add to a more fluent attack.
Beauden Barrett, who started at No.10 against the Stormers, was not at his best but has not played since starting at fullback for the Blues in their Super Rugby semifinal defeat to the Hurricanes in Wellington on June 13.
Barnes confirmed the team’s review of their performance will not lack rigour, as expected, but it won’t be overdone either.
"It’s not like we haven’t planned for what the rugby will be like over here but the boys just needed to experience it," he said. "We’ve got some stuff to fix up and we’ll be better for it."
As for the scrum issues, Barnes said: "I won’t get into the technicalities of it but we knew what was coming – that’s the way they play over here. We don’t experience it too much.
"Our scrums back home are a starting point. Yeah, we try to dominate the opposition, but it’s a game with the referees as well over here. They are going to try to bring them into it and we’re going to try to find ways to lessen those opportunities."
Rennie has stated that all 44 players will be involved in the first three tour games in South Africa. After the Sharks the All Blacks travel to Johannesburg to play the Lions on Sunday morning NZT.
Barnes said rather than split the squads into match-specific units, the players had "trained as one the whole way through to make sure we’re all aligned".
Meanwhile, Barnes gave a wry smile when asked about the selection of 44-year-old former All Blacks midfielder Ma’a Nonu in their squad.
"We’ve got [assistant coach] Tana Umaga in our team, and if he won’t scrub up we’ll put Tamati Ellison [another assistant] out there – that should match that experience shouldn’t it?
"Oh mate, good on him. There’s so much respect in our country and around the world for what he’s done – to be in the nick he’s in at the age he is, hell, well done to him.
"We’re really looking forward to rubbing shoulders with him because he’s added a fair bit to our jersey hasn’t he?"
Barnes said midfielder Billy Proctor, who left the field with a shoulder injury yesterday, will continue to be assessed but was "sore". Barnes had no further details.
Meanwhile, South Africa’s talismanic captain Siya Kolisi strained a hamstring during his team’s 17-10 victory over Argentina in Buenos Aires this morning and may struggle to be fit in time for the first at Ellis Park.
"It’s really tough, but I can’t be sad about it, there’s nothing I can do now," Kolisi told a television interviewer afterwards.
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