With the first Test against the Springboks on August 22 looming, the All Blacks' tour management are making no secret of their frustration with the tempo they've encountered in South Africa. Rennie, Umaga, and now Codie Taylor have all flagged the deliberate slowing of play — through scrums, lineouts, and injury stoppages — as a tactical reality they need to manage, with Taylor suggesting the burden will ultimately fall on referees to keep matches honest. The subtext heading into the Test series is clear: the All Blacks want to play at pace, but they're being forced to adapt to a South African game-management style they're not yet comfortable countering.
On the scrum, Taylor is candid — they're still building combinations and are under no illusion about what awaits them in the Tests, openly acknowledging the Springbok scrum as the world's most dominant. The Bulls clash is framed as a useful pressure test before the real thing, with Taylor expecting the kind of physical confrontation that will run from club level to Test level in this country. For Bok supporters, the piece is worth reading for what it reveals about All Blacks' anxieties — both tactical and up front — heading into the series.