Rennie admits All Blacks breakdown discipline 'not good enough' after 43-28 loss to Springboks

Dave Rennie acknowledged the All Blacks’ breakdown discipline cost them dearly in their 43-28 defeat to South Africa in Baltimore, admitting the team’s tendency to concede needless penalties was simply “dumb”.

The All Blacks had been warned. Assistant coach Neil Barnes had stressed before the fourth Test that giving away “DAPS” — dumb-ass penalties — against the Springboks was unacceptable. Yet New Zealand were guilty of precisely that, handing back possession in dangerous positions throughout the match.

The most glaring example came from No.6 Tupou Vaa’i, penalised by English referee Karl Dickson for holding onto Cameron Hanekom’s leg at the breakdown. It was the kind of infringement Rennie had no patience for.

“Yeah, it’s not good enough. It just does not affect the game either. But it’s dumb,” Rennie said in his post-match press conference. “So yeah, we’ve got to get this sort of stuff out of our game.”

The 62-year-old was not without positives. He highlighted a much-improved set-piece as a genuine bright spot, and pointed to the team’s ability to score tries when their continuity clicked. But he identified the high ball as another area where New Zealand struggled, noting his side were put under repeated pressure they failed to deal with.

“I thought set-piece was excellent — scrum and lineout — so I thought that was a real positive, and we showed again when we can get our continuity going, we’re going to score tries,” Rennie said. “South Africa are very good, electric and really clinical when they got their opportunities. That was probably a key point tonight.”

Tour captain Codie Taylor was reflective on the Baltimore experience overall, noting the enthusiasm of American crowds while good-naturedly lamenting the volume of Springbok supporters in attendance.

“I would have liked to see a few more black jerseys, but obviously there’s a lot of South Africans over here, which I wasn’t aware of until I see them in the elevator every time you go up and down at our hotel,” Taylor said.

With the tour now concluded, Taylor confirmed the squad’s focus shifts to rest and family before preparations begin for a series against Australia.