Lock Tupou Vaa’i says the All Blacks were ready to counter the Springboks’ midfield ‘lineout’ at Eden Park.
In the 11th minute of the Rugby Championship match, the Boks tried to launch a maul from the trick play that they’d first used against Italy in July, stacking seven players – including three backs – behind Damian de Allende.
Grant Williams floated the ball to Ruan Nortje, who was lifted cleanly, but as the lock came down, Scott Barrett and Codie Taylor hit from the side. With no maul formed – the All Blacks hadn’t committed players at the front – there was no offside line. Barrett and Vaa’i then piled in to force a knock-on.
“We were well primed for it,” Vaa’i told 1News. “I guess we understood the rules around it. I was glad I didn’t have to stick my head into another maul, which was pretty nice. You want to get ahead of the game, and us lads had done our homework. We reacted to what we saw in front of us.”
Why the Springboks 10, 12 and 13 axis is bigger than Saturday’s result
The All Blacks scrum, however, was exposed in the second half at Eden Park, when the Boks dismantled their opponents and went on to score a try.
“We took it on the chin,” Vaa’i said. “We got our timings wrong and our set-up… hopefully it doesn’t happen again.”
MORE: All Blacks on THAT Bok scrum – ‘A never again moment’
With Rassie Erasmus having made sweeping changes for Saturday’s rematch in Wellington, Vaa’i expects a Bok-lash.
“You obviously saw what they did [in Cape Town] after they lost to the Aussies [at Ellis Park],” he said. “We know what’s coming. They’re going to be up for it, similarly to us after we beat Argentina in Test one. They [Argentina] beat us in Test two, so we know what it’s going to take to get the job done this week.
“Obviously, the Freedom Cup is on the line too, so that’s something we’ll be chasing.”
HOOKER: Bok calm heads give us confidence
The post All Blacks ‘well primed’ for Bok trick play appeared first on SA Rugby magazine.