In the wake of New Zealand's staggering 43-10 defeat to South Africa, former All Blacks star Israel Dagg has voiced his dissatisfaction, stating that the team's performance fell well below the revered All Blacks standards. Particularly alarming was the team's defensive effort, which saw them concede 36 points in the second half alone, marking the largest loss in their storied history.
During a heated discussion on Sport Nation's "Scotty and Izzy" show, host Scotty Stevenson brought up a startling statistic that underscored the All Blacks' struggles.
"46 missed tackles. Are you joking? That is a village,"
Stevenson exclaimed in disbelief. He continued,"That many missed tackles in a Test from the All Blacks, I don’t know what’s going on there. How do you even conjure such a statistic? Yikes."
Dagg echoed Stevenson's frustration, pinpointing the missed tackles as a glaring issue. "That’s not a good stat, that’s not All Blacks standards," Dagg criticized. He further analyzed the factors contributing to the defeat, noting that the All Blacks' set-piece struggles and inability to maintain possession compounded their woes. "It’s always going to be a tough night when the set-piece is going backwards, you can’t get any continuity going, you’re constantly on the back foot," he commented.
The problems didn't stop there; Dagg also highlighted ongoing issues with the team's aerial game. "The same old questions, the same old problems at the moment with the high ball," he lamented. "We’re just losing the air and I say it most weeks, if you lose the air, you lose the game – it’s just clear and obvious now."
Additionally, the impact of the bench was minimal, failing to stem the tide of the Springboks' onslaught. Dagg pointed out a specific instance where the cohesion seemed off. "From a bench point of view, it looked like they came on and it looked like they were a little bit amiss. There was that RG Snyman try when Fabian [Holland] just shot out and he left a little corridor where they weren’t really on the same page," he observed, questioning the on-field leadership during these crucial moments.
As the All Blacks regroup, the reflections and criticisms shared by Dagg and Stevenson underline the magnitude of their loss and the areas needing urgent attention if they are to rebound from this historic defeat.