Rennie pinpoints ball speed and lineout flaws as All Blacks chase 2-1 series win in South Africa

Dave Rennie has identified ball speed, aerial contest, and lineout reliability as the three areas the All Blacks must improve if they are to claim a 2-1 series victory on South African soil in the third Test.

Speaking after the second Test in Cape Town, Rennie acknowledged that referee Angus Gardner’s management of the breakdown contributed to slowing New Zealand’s attacking rhythm. With scrumhalf Cam Roigard on the field the All Blacks were able to sustain tempo for long passages, but Rennie noted that Gardner’s habit of verbally clearing out players — rather than penalising — allowed the Springboks to slow the ruck legally.

“Continuity is such a big part of our game. I thought we carried better, we cleaned better, the speed of the ball is important for us,” Rennie said. “Angus is the type of referee who manages the breakdown a lot. He spends a lot of time telling guys to get out, and so that was able to slow a bit of our ball down too. Speed of ball’s massive for us.”

The Springboks’ kicking game also posed persistent problems, with South Africa registering 35 kicks to the All Blacks’ 23. High-ball contests proved particularly troublesome, with the Springboks repeatedly winning aerial duels even against retreating catchers. Rennie believes securing that ball could unlock significant counter-attacking opportunities.

“They kick a lot of balls here, and then you get a lot of opportunities from a counter-attack point of view,” he said. “They were able to sneak around the side and contest and win stuff. It gives them a little bit more continuity, puts more pressure on us.”

The lineout was another area Rennie flagged as a concern. Hooker Codie Taylor missed multiple throws in the first half, including one with the All Blacks in the red zone after kicking to the corner. Reserve hooker Asafo Aumua also lost a key throw inside the 22 in the second half. New Zealand won 15 of 18 lineouts, but Rennie was candid about the quality of those wins.

“We had 18 lineouts, won 15. A couple of those were a little bit scrappy,” he said. “They had a pretty good plan. We’ve got to be able to adjust how they’re defending our lineout — it’s a work on.”

The All Blacks had already addressed a problematic scrum performance from the first Test, and Rennie will expect similar improvement at the set piece ahead of the decider. Despite the defeat, the narrow seven-point margin and nine tries across the two Tests suggest New Zealand have the attacking tools to win the series — provided the execution tightens in the final match.