All Blacks deny inability to change tactics

Senior members of the World Cup favourite All Blacks denied that their Achilles heel was an inability to switch tactics midgame if things are not going their way. The charge was levelled against the All Blacks when they lost to France in the quarter-finals of the last World Cup and surfaced again when they were beaten by Australia two weeks from the start of this year's tournament. Against France, the All Blacks lost 18-20 and despite dominating territory in the closing 10 minutes they never attempted a potential match-winning drop goal because it is a weapon they rarely use and they wanted to score a try. Captain Richie McCaw said then the drop goal was talked about but the team "always backed itself to use the ball effectively". Their determination to run at all costs against the Wallabies saw them trail 3-20 at half-time before they faced a stern coach Graham Henry who was able to hammer home a new strategy for the remainder of the game. In the second half, the All Blacks took a much tighter, forward-dominated approach that saw them draw level at 20-20 before Kurtley Beale clinched the game for the Wallabies with a 61st minute try, giving a final score of 25-20. Backline commander Dan Carter said the All Blacks were aware in the first half that they needed to attack tighter through the forwards but maintained a belief their running game would work despite a high error count. "We were coughing up too much ball, there were far too many mistakes and therefore we couldn't change our plan," he told a World Cup media conference. "It wasn't until we regrouped at half-time and had a good chance to sit down and nail exactly how to do that. "So we had noticed it earlier but it just took a little bit longer. We still had confidence in that first half that we could attack certain situations." Veteran lock Ali Williams said there was also the problem of knowing when to change tack when their favoured expansive style had been a match-winner many times before. "It's a fine line because you've still got your plan and your plan may come off in 60 minutes, so if you go changing it 40 minutes or 30 minutes into the game then you would say we lacked structure and discipline," he said. Fullback Mils Muliaina, who is in line to play his 100th Test in the World Cup starting on Friday, said that ultimately the All Blacks paid the price for easing up at a crucial stage against Australia. "We regrouped at half-time and came out in the second half and we collected the points and that's what we wanted to do," he said. "Unfortunately we reached 20-all and we probably relaxed a little bit and thought 'far out we're back in the game' and that bit of relaxation got the Aussies back in the game and before you know it we were fighting again. "So we did well to get back but we've got to be a lot better to lift another level once we've got there."