Desperate for their fair share of possession, the Wallabies have fired off a reminder to New Zealand referee Brendon Pickerill to keep the All Blacks in check at lineout time in Saturday’s Bledisloe Cup return bout in Auckland.
The All Blacks conceded 18 penalties to Australia’s nine in last Saturday’s series-opening 33-25 victory, prompting Wallabies assistant coach Matt Taylor to declare “they’re a team that probably pushes the boundaries”.
“They’re right on the edge and sometimes that can be an advantage but they were certainly penalised heavily,” Taylor said on Wednesday.
The All Blacks have placed a big focus this week in improving their discipline and Taylor was happy to send a subtle plea to Pickerill to ensure the hosts didn’t infringe at lineout time, after the Wallabies lost their first five throws last start.
Knowing the Wallabies have little chance of winning without an even share of the ball, Taylor said resolving their set-piece troubles, and not allowing their opponents to hustle illegally for possession, was critical.
“The All Blacks are very good defensively [at the lineout]. They mirror hard, so we probably need to show different pictures,” he said.
“Like all lineouts, we need to execute quickly. Don’t give the opposition time.
“They’re very good at reading cues, which they did early on in the game.
“Certainly after the first couple of lineouts Australia had a little bit more success, but early on we just allowed them a little bit of time to read the shapes and get up and contest.
