Umaga urges All Blacks defensive response after three straight Springbok defeats

All Blacks defence coach Tana Umaga has called on New Zealand to deliver a powerful response against the Wallabies at Eden Park, after the side suffered three consecutive Test defeats to the Springboks while conceding an average of 35 points per game.

Speaking in Auckland on Tuesday, Umaga — appointed to the role by head coach Dave Rennie — admitted he could not recall an All Blacks side in his lifetime losing three Tests in a row and leaking points at that rate. Despite New Zealand winning the opening Test of the Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry series at Ellis Park in Johannesburg, the Springboks’ physical dominance with ball in hand proved too much across the final three matches.

“It’s probably the one stat we look at the most: the three in the red that we lost,” said the 53-year-old, who previously served as head coach of Moana Pasifika. “I couldn’t remember the last time that happened as an All Black. For us, it does stick in the guts a bit. We’ve got to come out with the response after that, look at where we’re playing, who we’re playing, what we’re playing for; if that’s not enough to get us up, then I don’t know what will.”

The Wallabies arrive in Auckland for the 2026 Bledisloe Cup series opener seeking their first win at Eden Park against the All Blacks since 1986 — a drought that Umaga believes the home ground’s long-standing record can help the squad use as motivation.

Umaga drew on his own playing experience to reinforce the significance of the occasion, reminding the squad that he was part of the All Blacks side that reclaimed the Bledisloe Cup after a period of heartbreak.

“I was part of the team that won it back. It took us a couple of goes at it, and some were quite heartbreaking, the ones we lost,” he said. “So I’ve shared that with the group. You know what the cup means to us and the people that have played for it and coached for it. Some of those things that have happened to those people, it means a lot, personally to me. I’ve just shared that with the group. It’s up to them now to stake their claim.”

Umaga added that internal conversations within the defensive leadership group had already addressed what the fixture demands, leaving no room for uncertainty heading into the weekend. “There should be no hesitation around understanding what this weekend means to us,” he said.