Legendary All Blacks outside back Mils Muliaina has underlined the importance of watertight discipline and accurate kcking out of hand in Test rugby after New Zealand’s 31-27 defeat to South Africa in Johannesburg on Saturday.
The All Blacks are a team in transition and it’s fair to say they are yet to fire on all cylinders under the guidance of new head coach Scott Robertson in 2024.
Although they claimed a 2-0 series win against England in New Zealand, they were not at their best and although they cruised to an easy win against Fiji in their next international, they suffered a shock loss in their Rugby Championship opener against Argentina in Wellington before exacting revenge on Los Pumas in the corresponding fixture in Auckland the following week.
That boosted their confidence ahead of their clash with the world champions and on Saturday the men in black dominated proceedings for most of their match against the Springboks and held a 10-point lead deep into the second half.
Lost their way in the game’s closing stages
The All Blacks were on course to their third successive victory over the Boks at Ellis Park before things went pear-shaped in the final quarter and a lack of discipline played it’s part as they were reduced to 14 men in the 68th minute when Ofa Tu’ungafasi was shown a yellow card for a cynical defensive foul deep inside his half.
During Tu’ungafasi’s stint off the field, South Africa came back strongly and Kwagga Smith and Grant Williams crossed for converted tries which helped the world champions to secore their victory.
Speaking on The Breakdown, Muliaina was reminded by host Kirsty Stanway that the All Blacks’ lack of discipline is not something new and replied: “No, it’s not, and it’s at crucial moments. The fact that they were blown off the park, particularly in the 22, they were warned.
“So it’s definitely an issue, and it’s an issue when they’re under pressure. They were under pressure when they had the lead. When you’re playing against a classy outfit, they thrive on stuff like that.