Travel a major factor in All Blacks’ loss

The All Blacks suffered their first loss to Australia in almost three years on Saturday night in Melbourne, but now is not the time to panic.

Playing the third ranked team in the world, flying half-way around the globe and then playing the fourth ranked team within a week was always going to be a stern test for the All Blacks, but after their poor performance against Australia many fans are wondering if the All Blacks are headed in the right direction.

To their credit, All Blacks’ management have not chosen to blame the tough travel schedule for the loss, instead pointing out how well the Australians played and how the New Zealanders failed to take their chances. But the lack of creativity shown and the apparent absence of a Plan “B” both point to mental fatigue, most likely caused by the long flight from South Africa.

There were some positives to come out of this game for the All Blacks, such as their dominating scrum and much improved lineout, especially on defence. Despite having the more powerful scrum, the All Blacks were frustrated by a series of strange refereeing decisions which did defused any advantage they had.

However, failing to win the contest at the breakdown and leaky mid-field defence will be of great concern to the coaching staff. Stand-in centre Luke McAlister missed several crucial tackles on Wallabies’ captain Stirling Mortlock, including one which led to the match winning try.

The reconditioning program has ensured that the All Blacks are in top physical condition, but there is no way to prepare players for long road trips. In two weeks the All Blacks begin their home Tri-Nations games, which will provide a truer indication of where they are on the road to the World Cup, without having to travel.

A loss at this stage of the season will not derail the All Blacks’ World Cup campaign, in fact it may strengthen it by pointing out some weaknesses. It is unlikely that fans will see another jet lagged All Blacks team this season, and a mentally sharp team will be a tougher prospect than was shown on Saturday night.

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The Travel a major factor in All Blacks’ loss by Hamish McBrearty, unless otherwise expressly stated, is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License.