Ryan warns All Blacks 'got to be careful' as Rennie-ball intensity takes injury toll

New Zealand forwards coach Jason Ryan has welcomed the All Blacks’ most sustained display of Rennie-ball to date across the two-Test Bledisloe Cup sweep over Australia, while sounding a note of caution about the physical cost of playing at that pace.

New Zealand scored 93 points across the Auckland and Sydney Tests, with their most clinical rugby concentrated in the opening half at Eden Park and the second half at Accor Stadium — 69 of those 93 points coming from those two periods alone. The Wallabies actually outscored the All Blacks across the remaining halves, underlining how much the contest ebbed and flowed.

Speaking to Jason Pine on Newstalk ZB after Saturday’s Sydney win, Ryan pointed to the team’s ability to sustain their high-tempo game for longer stretches as the most encouraging sign of the fortnight.

“We’ve had glimpses, we’ve played real red hot 20 minutes, and then we’ve had 40, and probably last night we put 60 together,” Ryan said. “That was the standard we’d like to play at, and the speed — which we’re getting used to trying to play as well. So it was satisfying.”

The performance came despite a disrupted build-up. Quinn Tupaea was lost to a head knock during the Sydney Test, Shannon Frizell also went down, and Ryan noted that several players pulled out with injuries during the training week before the game.

“There’s a lot of stuff going on that can really break your timing,” he said, “but I think what we proved last night, which was probably the most pleasing thing, is during this season we’ve had glimpses.”

Ryan acknowledged that the fitness demands of Rennie-ball remain one of the biggest ongoing challenges for the squad, particularly with selectors managing a growing injury list and prioritising form and opportunity over settled combinations.

“We’ve had a few changes and bits and pieces and, God, there’s a lot of guys injured,” he said. “Piecing that together when we’ve lost experience and different guys — the importance of how we train is to set the boys up on Saturday.”

The coach was candid about the fine line the All Blacks are walking as they push the tempo higher. “It’s pretty fatiguing as well. We’ve got to be careful. We’re trying to fatigue the opposition, but” — the implication being that the toll on their own players is a live concern as the season continues.