Scott Robertson warns England over ‘connected’ All Blacks after ‘honest’ criticism during July series
October 29, 2024Scott Robertson insists that England should expect a much better All Blacks side to the one that scraped to a series victory in July.
The 50-year-old took over the team following the 2023 Rugby World Cup and started with two Tests against the Red Rose.
New Zealand were challenged in both matches but came through them to secure 16-15 and 24-17 victories in Dunedin and Auckland respectively.
However, the All Blacks were unable to maintain their 100 per cent record and they suffered a disappointing Rugby Championship campaign where they lost three of their six contests.
Rematch
As a result, Robertson goes into the European tour under slight pressure and it starts with a tough game at Twickenham on Saturday.
But the head coach has warned England that the All Blacks have improved since that mid-year series.
“We’ve been on tour a few times, we’ve experienced some different environments and we’re a lot more connected and understanding of our game, so we’re in a good spot,” he said after their 64-19 victory over Japan.
Robertson was slightly frustrated by what he saw in their mid-year series as he felt that the players failed to execute what they had practiced in training.
“I’ll be honest, we didn’t transfer what we trained onto the field,” the All Blacks boss said following their 24-17 triumph at Eden Park in July. “But we created enough opportunities in the end and that’s Test footy.
“We knew we had opportunities. I’ve got to take ownership of, ‘Look I’ve asked them to do it.’ Now we’ve still got to do it.
“Have I got to coach better? That’s what the next week and the next series is about.”
All Blacks winners and losers: Damian McKenzie ‘fails’ fly-half audition as Scott Robertson learns plenty ahead of England challenge
Unlike the mid-year series, the All Blacks have an advantage over England this time around as they head into the clash in London battle-hardened after a tough Rugby Championship schedule.
In contrast, Steve Borthwick’s men go in cold having not played since July. Although the players have been finding their feet during the opening rounds of the Premiership season, it is not the same as featuring in a full-blooded Test match.
‘They’ll be ready’
“They’ll obviously still be match fit, a lot of their players a playing in the Premiership, that’s a great comp and they’ll be ready,” Robertson said.
“They’ve been under Steve for a while now. It seems a long time ago since we played them, a lot can happen in between that.
“We’re playing good footy, they’re playing a little bit more footy than they have before so it’s going to be an exciting week.”
The All Blacks began their preparations for the England match with a dominant victory over Japan in Yokohama.
It was not perfect, with their second-half performance once again an issue, but there were a number of positives which Robertson took from the win.
“I thought the Test match had everything, I thought Japan’s start was superb. They wanted to play fast rugby and they did. Extremely fast,” he said.
“And then when we held the ball, we executed and we looked great. There were some great aspects in that first half and we defended for long periods in that second half but overall, we’re pleased; to finish strong and have no injuries.
“Japan are a good team. They were big, they were physical, and they had their moments.
“I’m really proud of our defence. A lot of time we were covering tackles, had a strong set-piece and did some good stuff, and there are areas to work on as normal.”
: All Blacks: Rookie to remain with squad after versatile stalwart withdraws from tour