Source: Radio New Zealand
Tevita Mafileo. www.photosport.nz
All Blacks prop Tevita Mafileo has been ruled of this weekend’s test against Wales after suffering a rib fracture during training.
The Chiefs front rower George Dyer has been brought in from the All Blacks XV squad as training cover.
Hurricanes forward Devan Flanders has also joined the squad as training cover following lock Fabian Holland’s illness over the weekend, which ruled him out of the defeat to England at Twickenham.
George Dyer of the Chiefs. Jeremy Ward / www.photosport.nz
The team said Holland is recovering well and expected to be available for selection for the test against Wales in Cardiff.
The All Blacks will be desperate to bounce back from their disappointing defeat to England last weekend and end their season on a high with a win over Wales, who have never beaten New Zealand.
Assistant coach Jason Holland knows a second straight defeat, and first ever to Wales, won’t be acceptable for All Blacks fans.
“This game is as important as any of the four games (on tour),” Holland said.
“Everybody’s been dialled in since this morning around exactly what it’s going to take to beat Wales. We’re excited and looking forward to putting on a good performance.”
Holland said they’ve identified where they went wrong against England.
“Obviously a lot of disappointment after Saturday … but we had a good day yesterday, did our own review and work around understanding some of the pictures where we took the pressure off England and put the pressure on ourselves,” Holland said.
“You go 12-0 up, you’ve got your skills going well and you’re holding on to the ball and then we make some fundamental errors which we can’t make. Then we give England a bit of a sniff and momentum and they’re putting us under pressure.
“It’s also around how we kick and when we kick and how we could have isolated people with a little bit more kicking on our terms versus kicking when we’re under pressure. And just skill sets, three or four big errors around simple skills really turns a test match, doesn’t it? And that was a big part as well.”
Jason Holland. John Cowpland / action press
The All Blacks have made a habit of starting well only to fall off in the second half, with some pundits suggesting they have an inability to adjust to their opposition’s changes in strategy.
Holland said the coaches have to take responsibility.
“The first part of that is making sure we get the detail and the work into the week so that when you’re in the stand you can give a one or two word explanation around how behaviours can change or tactics can change,” Holland said.
“So getting the week right is massive.”
With nine wins and three losses this year, inconsistency has been a bit of a hallmark of the All Blacks and questions are being asked about the progress of the team two years out from the next World Cup.
Holland is adamant the team is showing enough growth to be comfortable with how their tracking, though he concedes there’s plenty of work to be done..
“We’ve all got to keep working hard at helping the boys to perform under pressure and understand exactly what that looks like.”
Meanwhile, Wales have lost wing Josh Adams for the test after he was suspended for three matches.
Adams was sent off in Wales win over Japan last weekend for a dangerous clearout on Japan’s Kippei Ishida.
He was initially given a yellow card but it was upgraded to a red after review.
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– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand
