Sports

The areas All Blacks must fix to stop their slide and upset the Springboks

Published

3 years ago

2022/08/6

New Zealand will start Saturday night’s Rugby Championship opener against the Springboks in a rare position: As underdogs.That is no surprise given the All Blacks’ recent 2-1 series loss to Ireland on home soil, a defeat that has put the proverbial cat amongst the pigeons in New Zealand rugby circles.

Coach Ian Foster and captain Sam Cane have both been spared the axe, however, and now must set about the task of leading an All Blacks resurgence.But that is easier said than done against the world champion Springboks, who will love nothing more than piling on the pain for their great southern hemisphere rivals.Here are four key areas the All Blacks must improve if they’re to be any chance in Nelspruit on Saturday night.

STUTTERING STARTS

In all three Tests against Ireland last month, the All Blacks conceded the opening points. Keith Earls scored the first try at Eden Park; Andrew Porter in Dunedin, Josh van der Flier in Wellington to leave the All Blacks firmly on the back foot.Only in the first Test did the All Blacks recover from their consistently poor starts. And, worryingly, they got progressively worse, despite identifying the need to rectify this area.

By the third Test defeat in Wellington the All Blacks found themselves trailing 22-3 after a horror first half display. Sure, they mounted a spirited second-half comeback but the hole was too big to overcome.There are no excuses for sleepwalking out of the gate in this fashion, particularly given it was an issue the All Blacks addressed internally on several occasions.

All Blacks coach Ian Foster, speaking after the Wellington loss, struggled to explain the reasoning for his side’s lacklustre starts.

“Not really because we’ve talked a lot about it. For some reason we’re not as calm, particularly defensively. It’s more the defence where we’re getting fidgety early, we’re letting a few holes through. Ireland aren’t a team that you can allow to get behind you. That is when they play an up-tempo game. We’ve done that and it’s hurt us. We’ve worked on it but, again, they got that early momentum.”

The All Blacks cannot afford to repeat their sluggish starts against the Springboks. Playing away from home it is imperative to mitigate the intimidating, hostile atmospheres they will confront in successive tests in Nelspruit and Johannesburg.Gifting the Boks an early lead to fuel the crowd will only amplify the magnitude of the task at hand.

MAUL

Conceding two maul tries in the last Test lost to Ireland was the final straw in regards to John Plumtree’s coaching future with the All Blacks.The struggles of the All Blacks forward pack to lay a consistent platform did not reflect well on Plumtree.

The All Blacks being outplayed at the breakdown, and their failings to repel Ireland’s maul, ultimately cost Plumtree his job as forwards coach.Crusaders guru, and Scott Robertson’s righthand man, Jason Ryan has been swiftly ushered in as Plumtree’s replacement.While Ryan has only been with the team for two weeks, he’s made an immediate impression with his direct honesty and technical nous.

“There’s no hiding from it – the All Blacks pack has been dented, it really has,” Ryan said in his first press appearance since assuming responsibility for the forward pack. “We talked about it in the forwards meeting. We didn’t hide anything. We were really honest. And we have to be. We have to get on with it.”

Whether Ryan has enough time to evoke the major shifts needed from the All Blacks forward pack remains to be seen but ahead of the toughest baptism in Test rugby – confronting the Springboks in South Africa – he is targeting the right areas.

“We’ve got to stop mauls, that’s for sure. There’s a bit of work that needs to go into that and our contact area. We’ve stripped a little bit out and concentrated on a critical few things, getting them to understand what they’re trying to achieve and believe in has been the big one.”

MISFIRING ATTACK

Alongside Plumtree, All Blacks attack coach Brad Mooar was jettisoned following the home series loss to Ireland. Mooar’s dismissal reflects the All Blacks attacking struggles after they managed just two line break assists in their last Test – both coming from Ardie Savea to Will Jordan.

Igniting this once world-leading area of their game is a must for the All Blacks. Their attack has become increasingly predictable, relying far too heavily on individual brilliance such as Jordan and Akira Ioane’s solo efforts in the third Test loss against Ireland rather than any form of creative, constructed potency.

Joe Schmidt’s addition to the coaching team should help. While the former Ireland mentor is not with the All Blacks in South Africa, his role as selector/analyst will see him inject fresh ideas from afar. During his time with Ireland Schmidt’s set-move pet plays were renowned. The All Blacks sure could do with executing one of those this weekend.

In Mooar’s absence, the All Blacks are believed to have approached Blues coach Leon MacDonald to join the team. MacDonald, for now at least, is thought to have rebuffed the offer. That scenario leaves Foster to assume the attacking brief, alongside his head coach duties, as he attempts to save his job in South Africa.

DEFENCE

There are two aspects the All Blacks must fix in their defence. The first is basic one-on-one tackling. Too many times against Ireland, individuals fell off front-on tackles to give up easy metres.

That’s partly due to Ireland’s attacking manipulation – the way Jonathan Sexton controlled their phase play to successfully target the All Blacks props.

The second point is the All Blacks line speed and breakdown work.Former Springboks captain Victor Matfield criticised both aspects this week, noting the All Blacks failed to apply pressure through their defence or slow the breakdown which allowed Ireland to build rapid phases against a scrambling defensive line.

“The New Zealand defence has been one of the slowest in terms of coming off the line,” Matfield said. “That’s what gave the Ireland attack a lot of opportunity over the course of that series.

“New Zealand don’t have the best defence at the moment. The Boks can run at them – and I’m not talking about running from deep within our own half.

“If we get into their half, we can build through our forwards and we can come around the corner. Once we set the platform, we can play a few options. That’s how you can build momentum against them.

“They’re not really stopping the opposition from getting quick ball.”

In some respects the Springboks are easier to plan for than Ireland in that their attack revolves around direct, combative carries; the maul and set-piece. That does not mean it is easy to stop, though.

(ESPN)

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Sports

Red-hot Royal Challengers Bengaluru stay perfect ain 20nd march into playoffs

Published

11 hours ago

2026/01/20

Priyan

Gautami Naik blazed 73 off 55 deliveries ( BCCI)

Gauttami Naiks’s 73 and a combined effort from their bowlers powered Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) to a comprehensive win against Gujarat Giants sealing their playoffs spot in WPL 2026. RCB maintained their perfect record in the tournament, winning five games in a row to become only the second team after the Mumbai Indians in 2023 to achieve this feat; they also posted their biggest win by runs (61) in the tournament.

Playing the first match of the season at the Kotambi Stadium ing Vadodara, RCB recovered from 9 for 2 to post 178 for 6 thanks to Naik’s half-century and handy contributions from Richa Ghosh and Radha Yadav. In return, Giants could only make 117 for 8, losing their second match in a row to RCB.

It wasn’t an easy start for RCB. Renuka Singh struck with the final ball of the opening over, dismissing Grace Harris, who chipped a simple catch to mid-on. Georgia Voll, who made her RCB debut in the previous game and made a fifty, followed soon after, attempting a cut and losing her stumps.

Giants captain Ash Gardner brought herself on, eyeing a favourable match-up against Smriti Mandhana, but Mandhana countered her with a couple of boundaries. Naik at the other end took some time to get going. Her first boundary came off a drive, before a pick-up shot over deep square leg signalled her intent. But even after that, she was moving at just under run a ball. With the duo slowly rebuilding, they brought up their fifty-run stand at the end of the eighth over.

But Gardner returned in the ninth and showed why she dominated the match-up against Mandhana, removing her for the fourth time in the WPL in eight innings.

With Naik getting on with the rebuild, she also found the gaps occasionally. She got to her fifty off 42 balls as she became the first uncapped Indian player in the WPL to hit a half-century, also surviving a dropped catch shortly after. Ghosh, meanwhile, upped the tempo, hitting three sixes in her 20-ball stay before she was caught at long-on off a full toss, which she reviewed for no-ball to no avail.

After a solid start with the ball, Giants let the momentum slip away, conceding 94 runs in the middle overs. They also went on to concede 40 runs off the last four, with Radha Yadav and Shreyanka Patil taking Gautam for four fours in the last over. Giants were also sloppy on the field and conceded 21 runs as extras on the day, the joint second-most by a team in the WPL.

If Lauren Bell doesn’t get you, Sayali Satghare will. Giants may have escaped the first over from the clinical Bell, but lost both openers cheaply in the second over to Satghare – Beth Mooney bowled for 3 and Sophie Devine holing out for a duck.

It was then Bell’s turn as she got one to swing back in to knock Kanika Ahuja’s stumps over, leaving Giants at 5 for 3 at that point. Anushka Sharma, who was returning from an injury, then timed a few boundaries to perfection but could not build on the start, slicing a Nadine de Klerk slower ball to Radha. Giants went on to lose their next two batters cheaply, reeling at 56 for 6.

Chasing 163 off the final six overs, the equation was steep, but Gardner found her rhythm after a stuttering start. She took Radha for three boundaries and launched a big six off Bell to raise a fighting half-century. Satghare, however, returned to end Gardner’s resistance and finish with three wickets, as Giants eventually slipped to a big defeat.

Brief scores:

Royal Challengers Bengaluru Women 178 for 6 in 20 overs (Smriti Mandhana 26, Gautami Naik 73, Rich Ghosh 27, Radha Yadav 17; Renuka Singj 1-27, Kashvee Gautam 2-38, Ashleigh Gardner 2-43, Sophie Dev8ne 1-25) beat Gujarat Giants Women 117 for 8 in 20 overs (Anushka Sharma 18, Ashleigh Gardner 54, Bharati Ful,ali 14, Tanuja Kanwar 11*; Lauren Bell 123, Sayal8 Satghare 3-21, Nadine de Klerk 2-17, Radha Yadav 1-34, Shreyanka Patil 1-19) by 61 runs

(Cricinfo)

Sports

Zadran, Rasooli power Afghanistan to commanding win over West Indies

Published

13 hours ago

2026/01/20

Priyan

Ibrahim Zadran and Darwish Rasooli were part of a 162-run partnership (ACB)

On Sunday, Afghanistan beat West Indies at the Under-19 World Cup in Windhoek. On Monday, the senior side followed suit, producing a similarly clinical performance against West Indies ahead of the T20 World Cup next month.

On a Dubai pitch that assisted the slower bowlers, Ibrahim Zadran’s unbeaten 87 off 56 balls and Darwish Rasooli’s 84 powered Afghanistan to an imposing 181 for 3. Zadran revealed at the innings break that the total was around 20 runs more than what the team had targeted after the powerplay.

The score proved more than sufficient as West Indies struggled for timing against Afghanistan’s spin attack. Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Rashid Khan and Noor Ahmad shared six wickets between them, squeezing the chase and ensuring a comfortable 38-run victory.

Afghanistan found themselves in early trouble after losing two wickets in quick succession. Rahmanullah Gurbaz was run out off the first ball, beaten by Gukesh Motie’s direct hit as he fell short of his ground at the non-striker’s end. Sediqullah Atal departed soon after, punching a short ball straight to Brandon King, who pulled off a superb one-handed catch at first slip.

When Rasooli joined Zadran, Afghanistan were 19 for 2. The pair, however, settled quickly and went blow for blow through the middle overs. Zadran brought up his fourth consecutive T20I half-century, scoring largely with a straight bat to anything full and on the stumps, and using the pace on the ball to swing cleanly through the line.

Rasooli, by contrast, was more industrious, favouring cross-batted strokes to keep the scoreboard moving. He took a particular liking to Khary Pierre, striking him for 4, 6 and 4 in the 15th over to swing momentum back Afghanistan’s way after the pair had gone 18 deliveries without a boundary.

The duo put up a 162-run partnership for the third wicket to lift Afghanistan to a competitive total.

The pair was helped by a sequence of eight balls that saw three drops in the outfield during the 18th and 19th over. Seales and Joseph both were employing slower balls and cutters to great effect, but luck was not on their side. First, Gudakesh Motie dropped a sitter at long-on off Rasooli; in the same over, Evin Lewis ran in from deep midwicket to drop Zadran. Soon after, Zadran was dropped once again by Hetmeyer at long-off.

By the time Rasooli had finally holed out going for a pull off the last ball of the innings, the pair had piled on their 162-run partnership in the space of 17.4 overs.

Mujeeb ur Rahman had already spun one through Brandon King’s bat and pad in the opening over of the chase, signaling how useful accurate spin would be on the surface. West Indies were 22 for 1 at the end of the fourth over, but threatened to break free when Ziaur Ahmed was introduced. Johnson Charles took 16 runs off his first four deliveries, making use of width as well as height to free his arms.

Off the fifth ball, Ziaur got the ball to rise at him off middle stump. The top-edge was skied to Dawish Rasooli. He would return in the 15th over, despite giving 23 off his first two overs, to take out Quentin Sampson (30) and kill the chase.

By the time he bowled the final over, West Indies had been reduced to 139 for 8. He trapped Khary Pierr lbw plumb in front of the wicket, and completed his spell with figures of 3 for 36.

The most impactful bowler of the night, however, was introduced right after the powerplay. With the field spread, Rashid opted for a tight line outside off. He had Shimron Hetmyer dismissed off a slog sweep. Rashid’s quick trajectory through the air ensured – with this ball, and the rest of his spell – that no one could get under him for the big hits.

Amir Jangoo fell victim to another sweep in his next over, the ball skidding through to hit his pads. He bowled 15 dots during his spell, giving away just 19 runs for his two wickets.

Twelve of those runs came off Sampson’s bat in the 14th over: a six straight over his head, then another one pulled over deep midwicket. It was the highlight of Sampson’s power-hitting on T20I debut.

By then, however, West Indies still needed 89 off the final six overs. They never got close, with Afghanistan cramping the batters by bowling on the stumps and taking pace off the ball. Once Sampson fell in the next over – leaving them on 95 for 6 – the lower-order was left with too much to do.

Bref scores:

Afghanistan 181 for 3 in 20 overs (Ibrahim Zadran 87*, Darwish Rasooli 84; Jayden Seales 1-30, Maththew Forde 1-51) beat West Indies 143 for 9 in 20 overs (Johnson Charles 27, Quintein Sampson 30, Maththew Forde 25, Gudakesh Motie 28; Mujeeb Ur- Rahman 2-29, Ziaur Rahman 3-36, Rashid Khan 2-19, Noor Ahmed 2-34) by 38 runs

(Cricinfo)

Latest News

U – 19 World Cup: Sri Lanka beat Ireland by 106 runs

Published

14 hours ago

2026/01/20

Priyan

Vimath Dinsara played a captain's knock for Sri Lanka (Cricinfo)

In Windhoek, Sri Lanka strode to 267 for 5, with Vimath Dinsara hitting 95, and Chamika Heenatigala hitting 51. That pair put on a 100-run partnership for the fifth wicket, but there had also been a solid contribution from Kavija Gamage, who made 49. Ireland seamer Oliver Riley who took 2 for 51, dismissing top-scorer Dinsara and also Viran Chamuditha, who had made 192 in the last match.

But Ireland were timid in response. Behind the required rate from early in the piece, they also lost frequent wickets. They were struggling at 66 for 2 in the 19th over, but were soon 96 for 6 in the 27th over, the match essentially having slipped away. They were eventually dismissed for 161 in the 41st over. The right-arm seamers did the damage for Sri Lanka, Rasith Nimsara taking 3 for 29, and Dulnith Sigera claiming 4 for 19.

This victory puts Sri Lanka at the top of Group A, with a Net Run Rate of 3.090 – the best in the tournament so far.

Brief scores:

Sri Lanka Under 19s 267 for 5 in 50 overs (Vimath Dinsara 95, Kavija Gamage 49, Chamika Heenatigala 51*; Oliver Riley 2-51) beat Ireland Under 19s 161 in 40.1 overs (Callum Armstrong 39; Rasith Nimsara 3-29, Dulnith Sigera 4-19) by 106 runs

(Cricinfo)