‘Glaring deficiencies’: Weber identifies the All Blacks’ biggest issues

Sport Nation • September 15th, 2026 7:39 am

Brad Weber | Photo: Photosport

Brad Weber believes the All Blacks are clearly the second-best team in world rugby, but says several glaring weaknesses were exposed by South Africa.

New Zealand lost three of the four Tests in Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry series, with Weber identifying their scrum, defence and high-ball receptions as major areas for improvement.

“Clearly, we’re a really good rugby team and deserving to be second best in the world,” Weber said.

“But man, we have some glaring deficiencies against the South Africans at the moment.”

Weber also backed fellow No. 9 Cam Roigard, saying the halfback’s impact was limited by the quality of ball he received.

All Blacks scrum-half Cam Roigard | Photo: AP

“When our boys give him good ball, as we saw during the Nations Championship, he can be one of, if not the best nine in the world,” he said.

The former Chiefs halfback believes Dave Rennie’s side has enough time to close the gap before the World Cup but said the All Blacks may need to rethink their approach up front.

“We’re going to need them to be able to increase our chances to beat the South Africans unfortunately,” he said.

Despite the recent results, Weber remains confident in Rennie’s rebuild.

“I do think we’ll get better and we’ll really challenge the South Africans in 12 months’ time,” he said.

Listen to the full interview below: