ANALYSIS: This is the honeymoon period for new All Blacks coach Dave Rennie. The coach has certainly started off on the right note, and his intelligent and forthright style - combined with assistant Neil Barnes’ homespun wisdom - will strike a chord with many. But Rennie is also smart enough to be wary. He’ll know that those currently slapping his back will be quick to plunge daggers into him if the All Blacks don’t meet their expectations. And Rennie, like every coach, has chinks in his armour. The issue that has been almost airbrushed out of existence in recent is the poor discipline the Wallabies showed during his tenure. In 2021 and 2022 the Wallabies conceded a double-digit penalty count in every test, and Sydney Morning Herald rugby reporter Iain Payten wrote this in 2023: “Last year, the Wallabies’ problems escalated rapidly. “They became the most penalised team in world rugby’s top tier, with an average of 13.6 penalties per game; up from the 10-11 per game range of the last decade. “To compound the problem, the Wallabies were also the most carded team in world rugby in 2022; with 15 yellow cards and one red, in 15 test matches.” Rennie was making progress with the Wallabies before he was sacked in early 2023, but their poor discipline was the big issue he could never get on top of. If Rennie’s All Blacks concede that many cards and that many penalties, they are doomed. Under Rennie, the Wallabies were particularly susceptible to coughing up costly penalties while in possession. Rennie’s demand for brutality at attacking rucks can be a liability if the intent isn’t matched by technique. In the 2022 Bledisloe test in Melbourne, All Blacks midfielder Quinn Tupaea was badly injured by an ugly cleanout by Wallabies lock Darcy Swain. The Wallabies’ bad habit of conceding penalties at attacking rucks continued throughout Rennie’s last year in charge - it was something of a blight on his tenure. Rennie is also inheriting an All Blacks team that isn’t even close to having world-class discipline habits. Codie Taylor conceded a soft yellow card in the 33-19 loss to England last November, a week after the All Blacks had put themselves under enormous pressure with three yellow cards during the 25-17 win against Scotland. The flaw has been carried into Super Rugby Pacific, with the Crusaders and Blues topping the statistics for most yellow cards conceded - seven and four, respectively. Crusaders and All Blacks prop Tamaiti Williams has also been banned for a dangerous cleanout and two of the yellow cards the Crusaders conceded against the Highlanders would have been cast-iron red cards in test rugby. Rennie will demand a hard-nosed attitude from his All Blacks but accuracy is just as important in test rugby, if not more so. Discipline will be his most pressing concern in the coming months, because New Zealand’s players just don’t appear to be getting the message. https://www.thepost.co.nz/sport/360974820/dave-rennies-wallabies-had-discipline-problem-and-issue-will-doom-all-blacks-if-he-hasnt-found   submitted by   /u/newdawn2k22 [link]   [comments]