Bledisloe Cup: All Blacks legend concerned about lack of threat at the breakdown

New Zealand and Australia will go head-to-head at Eden Park in Auckland this weekend before facing off in the Bledisloe rematch at the Accor Stadium in Sydney on October 17.

Although the All Blacks are currently on a 53-match unbeaten run at Eden Park, which stretches back to 1986, Marshall is wary of the threat which the Wallabies pose at the breakdown.

He highlighted that aspect of play as an area which needs serious improvement especially as it was a genuine strength in the All Blacks' play during their glory days.

"I think probably my main concern is our lack of getting turnovers and All Black rugby has always thrived on turnover ball," he told The Good, The Bad & Rugby Australia & New Zealand podcast.

"That is where All Blacks are at their most dangerous because it's like playing with the ball in the backyard. (When) the defence is not organised, (and) you turn the ball over, they had the ball and they were expecting to phase into their work and boom you've turned it over and they're unstructured in their defence and that's when you're at your most vulnerable.

"In my mind we as a rugby team are not turning the ball over enough to create those opportunities."

The All Blacks recently suffered a 3-1 series defeat to their arch-rivals the Springboks and Marshall used the current world champions' outstanding breakdown work as an example to illustrate his point.

"For example, a team like South Africa, breaking them down from set-piece all the time is just not f**king easy because they are so well organised and so well drilled," he said.

"And then they've got people hunting the ball. Like if (Malcolm) Marx is over it, Ox Nche is over it, Pieter-Steph du Toit is over it, (Paul) de Villiers is over the goddamn thing, Cobus Wiese's over it.

"They've got guys over the ball all the time turning our ball over because we're playing a lot from structure.

"So, we need to start picking some players. Now you can't just pick them, I know this, on getting turnovers because they've got to have the other attributes and working with the (loose) trio or with the pack, I get that.

"Ironically, probably our best guy over the ball can't even make the team and that's (Timoci) Tavatavanawai. He's probably the best bloke in that squad over the ball.

"So, I just wonder how we're going to get that balance because we've got to have front-rowers, the modern-day commands that everybody's got to be over the (ball). Wingers, midfield backs, loosies."

Former All Blacks captain and number-eight Kieran Read believes the All Blacks' overall approach to the breakdowns could be the reason for their current turnover woes.

"I think maybe it might be an emphasis thing, right? If you look at how we were defending against the Springboks, it was our inside player (who) was going around the corner to create that extra man on defence," he explained.

"Rather than an emphasis of 'Okay, let's put it, let's have a crack in that ruck'.

"It's like we know we're not gonna (do that), we don't want to do that, we don't want to either give away penalties potentially or we want to secure our d-line so that's probably just the way the emphasis of our defence is going.

"But you are right, we do need to create opportunities to turn the ball over and especially once you get into your own half and your own 22, if you just defend it's gonna cough up a try.

"It's just the way the game goes. You just can't defend for that long and they'll just get as close (to scoring a try) so you've got to find a way to get that turnover so I'd like to see (the All Blacks) maybe finding ways for that to happen."

Marshall reiterated his concern regarding the All Blacks' struggles to win turnovers and feels it was the "big difference" for him during their recent series defeat against the Boks.

"It was the big difference to me in the four Tests because I had a real good sit down and think about it, which is very unlike me," he said.

"But anyway, once I regrouped from the arduous social activities that I was on, I sat down and thought, 'Right, where did I think we went wrong from Test one to Test four'.

"And when I looked at it, they were still very good in Test one, the Springboks, but what we did was actually turned the ball over that day. Now, some of it was through errors but we forced them into making errors and we made some big plays. Jordie (Barrett) made a couple inside the 22; I think Ardie (Savea) got a turnover.

"We actually got turnovers in that game, so we changed the momentum of what they were doing by our own good work at hunting the ball or putting pressure on the ball because sometimes getting a turnover is not just getting over the ball and physically getting it.

"It is putting pressure on that ball or on the cleaner to make them make an error or to compromise their ball presentation or whatever and attacking that with that mindset.

"I think we did that really well in the first Test but through the next three I just I feel they won that contest on us and they're a dangerous side when they turn it over.

"I know we're talking about the Bledisloe but this is just the mindset of us (and) how we're trending from where we finished against them in Baltimore to where we need to get to to be contesting that (Nations Championship) final come November."

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