Assistant coach Scott McLeod has emphasised the need for New Zealand to avoid a flat performance in the World Cup semi-final against Argentina, recalling their 2019 defeat.
Following their thrilling quarter-final victory against Ireland last week, the All Blacks defence guru stressed the importance of their preparation for Friday night’s final-four duel in Paris.
McLeod commended the Kiwis’ focus, detail, and energy during the lead-up to their clash with the Irish, which provided the players with confidence to execute their game plan effectively.
In contrast, he cited the disrupted preparation leading to New Zealand’s loss to England four years ago, highlighting the absence of captain Kieran Read from training.
He underlined the necessity of avoiding such disruptions and ensuring a week of high-quality and focused preparation.
Asked in an All Blacks conference on how to ensure the high of a quarter-final win is not followed by a deflated effort against Los Pumas, McLeod told reporters: “It’s a good question and it’s something some of us have already been thinking about.
“I guess an answer from me would be the week and the way we prepare during that week. I thought last week our detail and our energy and our focus was top class and it gave the players confidence to go out and execute that.
LISTEN: World Champion Boks make a point
KEO: Battered, but not beaten, Boks subdue ferocious French
“2019 [World Cup loss to England] we didn’t do that as well in our week leading into England. It’s not necessarily the opposition, it’s just the quality of what we put into the week. There were a couple of bits and pieces there, our captain Kieran Read couldn’t train and there were disruptions.
“So, we have to make sure that we don’t have those disruptions and we build the week with the quality and the focus that we did last week.”
Regarding this week’s showdown with Argentina, a team historically dominated by the All Blacks, McLeod acknowledged the South American’s impressive come-from-behind win against Wales to book their place in the final four.
He noted that Argentina’s strong finish likely boosted their confidence, adding: “The way they finished the game [on Saturday], they got off to a rough start, but the way they finished would have given them a huge amount of confidence to overcome Wales.
“I guess a bit of a mantra that we’ve been talking about is who is the best team on the day.”