Sonny Bill Williams has urged the All Blacks to adapt their strategy by taking a page from South Africa’s playbook, calling for a more forward-heavy bench in line with the Springboks’ Bomb Squad.
The former All Blacks midfielder has raised concerns about New Zealand’s ability to handle pressure, noting that the team “don’t like it” when tested at the international level.
The All Blacks suffered from several late fades in the Rugby Championship, notably not scoring a point in the final 20 minutes their matches against Argentina, South Africa and Australia.
Williams highlighted how the world’s top two teams, Ireland and South Africa, routinely select fewer than three backs on their bench, whereas the All Blacks have stuck to a more traditional back-heavy approach.
“We like to blow teams away at the minute, it’s kind of like that Super Rugby style of play. The way your leading, playing well, everything is free flowing and things are comfortable as a rugby player,” Williams said on Off the Ball.
“But as soon as the heat comes on, as soon as that battle intensifies, and we’ve seen it. Like you said, three out of the last six games, that last 20 minute period when the heat is on, we’re struggling and falling away.
“I try and look at the things from an open perspective. We can’t just blow teams away anymore,” Williams explained. “We’ve got to look at what the greatest teams in the world at the moment are doing, what’s Ireland doing, what’s South Africa doing?
“Example, the Bomb Squad, they’ve been putting no backs on the bench, these guys are crazy. Well, how about we meet power with power?
“We’ve got Beauden Barrett that can play a few different positions, we’ve got Rieko Ioane who can slide onto the wing.
“How about we mix it up and put Dalton Papali’i on the bench? We should be carrying an extra forward. We’ve got the depth, we’ve got the talent, I just feel like the coaches need to accept that we are not where we once were.
“We’ve got to fight power with power, test the waters so to speak.”
Photo: Anton Geyser/Gallo Images
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