Attention to detail key as All Blacks try to sharpen up
Coach Steve Hansen insists he saw enough to build on after scrappy win over France
New Zealand will concentrate on ball security, particularly at the breakdown, as they prepare for the second test against France in Christchurch next week, All Blacks coach Steve Hansen said yesterday.
The World Cup winners scraped to a 23-13 victory over Philippe Saint-Andre's side at Eden Park on Saturday, courtesy of two counter-attacking tries late in the first half.
The home side were without regular captain Richie McCaw, who is on a sabbatical from top-flight rugby until the end of the month, and Hansen gave openside flanker Sam Cane the nod to cement his place as McCaw's successor in the side.
But Cane, who scored one of the All Blacks tries, and the other forwards found the French tough to combat at the breakdown with Fulgence Ouedraogo, Thierry Dusautoir, Yannick Nyanga and Sebastien Vahaamahina particularly adept at disrupting that area of the game.
"Yeah it didn't flow and it wasn't a hundy [hundred per cent] but the opportunities, if we modify a few things and get rid of the unavoidable errors like turning the ball over unnecessarily, then we will have something to really build on," Hansen said.
"Some of it was ball security, some of it was the ball carriers going in and turning it over, or going to ground too early, some of it was not enough numbers. We can fix all of those."
