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Patience required with Razor's regime as All Blacks try to find their identity
Stephen Foote • September 2nd, 2024 10:56 am
For as epic as Sunday's clash between the All Blacks and Springboks was, there's still a sense of inescapable uneasiness for plenty of Kiwi fans, as they process the second defeat of the season under new coach Scott Robertson.
Adding to that discomfort is the nature of that defeat at Ellis Park, where the All Blacks failed to capitalise on their late lead and were unable to close out what would've been a landmark scalp for the Robertson regime.
But according to All Blacks centurion Mils Muliaina, the Springboks and New Zealand are two sides very much at the opposite ends of the spectrum.
While the world champs are operating at the peak of their powers, Muliaina says the All Blacks are very much in a rebuilding phase under their new coaching regime, meaning they should be afforded plenty of leeway in these early stages of their tenure.
The fact that the All Blacks were even in a position to beat the All Blacks at their iconic home ground was reason to be encouraged, Muliania adds.
"I don't think we give the Springboks enough credit," Muliaina told SENZ's Scotty & Izzy.
"They are at the peak of their game and they've created this over the last eight or so years. We're probably on the other side. This is a side that's basically rebuilding.
"I like the fact that we had a chance to win. We definitely did. But, the worrying other side is South Africa didn't play their best rugby, and so there's still plenty more to come in terms of the Cape Town Test."
The former fullback points to a turbulent few years for NZ Rugby - both on and off the field - that has prevented the All Blacks truly finding their cohesion on the paddock, an issue which dates back to the later stages of Ian Foster's reign.While South Africa are very much comfortable in their own skin and on the same page in terms of their approach to the game, the All Blacks haven't been able to nail down their identity.
But that will take time, Muliaina notes, urging patience with the inevitable growing pains under Razor and his staff.
"You've got to give Razor and his team some time," he said. "We're not at the South African level in terms of everything they're doing, not just on the field, but off it.
"I said at the beginning of the year, I'd be happy if we won nine Tests.
"You've got to give these players some time - expose them to the lessons of Test rugby, and what better way to do it than against a team who, for the last eight years, have really dominated.
"They've found their identity, South Africa, They've found everything off the field, they've gone over to Europe.
"We haven't been that. Not just the stuff on the field but everything off it in the past two or three years, the administrative stuff. The Silver Lake deal.
"But you've got to give Razor and his team a bit of time to find that, find their cohesion, expose a number of young guys coming through. I still think we have the talent. There's no doubt.
"I think there's a lot of rebuilding. We still have the players but they just need a bit more time in the saddle."
Perhaps best exemplifying that difference are the team's respective benches. While the All Blacks clearly fell off the pace once the subs rolled, the Springboks turned the tide of the match with their 'bomb squad', who took the field early in the second half and immediately made an impact.
The six-two split between the forwards and backs has become synonymous with the Boks, and Muliania suggests the All Blacks could be well served to try the same approach in next weekend's rematch in Cape Town.
"That's possibly something we could've thought about - having that loose forward," he explained.
"I know Dalton Papali'i was out but instead of carrying an extra wing, what impact does that have on a game when you're up against the No.1 team in the world, the physicality that you need to bring. Do we need to think outside the box a bit in terms of our bench?
"But first and foremost, we've got to find the identity and the task at hand for those coming off the bench to try and counteract some of those things and make an impact, because that's what (South Africa ) are there to do."
Listen to the full interview below:
