All Blacks skipper Richie McCaw says sluggish play reason behind defeat - Rugby News
All Blacks captain, Richie McCaw, has accepted the reality that his side cut a sorry figure in the final of the Tri-Nations Cup 2011 against the Wallabies on August 27 due to their sluggish play. The New Zealand national team failed to deliver in the final
and proved too slow in the championship deciding clash against Australia in Brisbane and lost the match by 25-20. McCaw told reporters on August 28 that the All Blacks had been dealt the defeat because of their poor show in the first 20-minutes of the match
The All Blacks opened their account in the 23rd minute of the match when the hosts Wallabies had added 10 unanswered points to their total. Furthermore, they were trailing by a huge gap of points at the end of the first-half as the sharp work
from the Wallabies kept them under pressure. The Wallabies led the game by 20-3 at the interval as the All Blacks scored only one penalty goal in the match so far.
On the other hand, Wallabies had stolen a couple of tries along with two penalty goals before the midway break. The All Blacks players had displayed poor defence and a horrible show of passing the pill until the end of the first-half.
However, they came back in the match very strongly and managed to level the score within 19 minutes of the second-half. Yet again they failed to add any points in the remaining time.
Giving the reasons of their defeat by the Wallabies, McCaw said that his side lacked in the momentum and could not make a good impression in the match. He added that, “We were beaten to the punch in the first 20 minutes. We struggled to get our game going
and they had more momentum and intensity than us.”
He added that, “It's going to be a good wee lesson. The two games (this season) against the Wallabies have showed that there is very little between the teams and it's how you turn up, your mental state and how you play yourself.”
All Blacks have lost the last two games of the Tri-Nations to Springboks and Wallabies.
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