Dave Rennie believes superior defence could be the difference between winning and losing for his Wallabies side when they face the All Blacks in Wellington on Sunday.
On Thursday, Rennie named his match-day squad for their Bledisloe Test away to the All Blacks this weekend, with his selection combinations suggesting the Wallabies plan on playing an attacking game.
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However, the 56-year-old Rennie says defence will be the most critical aspect of the game come Sunday.
‘We’ve put a lot of emphasis around defence though and we know that’s going to be really important,’ he said.
‘The teams that have beaten the All Blacks in the past have limited [teams] to less than 15 or 16 points. That’s our challenge. The sides that have beaten them have defended really well so you can’t get away from that.
‘We’ve put a lot of time into our defence but it’s got to be constant. The ability of the ABs is to score in a heartbeat, or score twice in five minutes, we are well aware of the threats there.
‘We need to be able to apply pressure through our defence. The sides who have had success against them have defended really well so we’re aware that’s an important part for us.
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‘What we need to see is the attitude, and the work ethic’s going to be really important. We know we need to be physical because the All Blacks will have that mindset.
‘We need to be really aggressive to try and force them to kick or to try and turn over some pill. We certainly want to play, but we’ve got a plan. To beat a side like this, we’re going to have to play really well.’
Photo: Bruce Lim/Photosport.nz
