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All black people Defense coach and former captain Tana Umaga has urged his side to bounce back against the Wallabies at Eden Park after falling to three consecutive defeats against the Springboks.
Umaga, who was appointed as the team’s defense coach by All Blacks head coach Dave Rennie, admitted in the Auckland on Tuesday that he wasn’t sure an All Blacks side had ever lost three Tests on the trot in his lifetime while conceding an average of 35 points.
The Springboks in Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry series pushed the All Blacks to the limit, forcing them to withstand intense waves of attack where the world champions repeatedly imposed their physical dominance with ball in hand.
Despite winning the first test at Ellis Park in Johannesburg, the results of the last three tests ultimately showed the All Blacks struggling to contain the Springboks.
That’s the fact ahead of the 2026 Bledisloe Cup series, where the Wallabies travel to Auckland in search of their first Eden Park triumph against the All Blacks since 1986.
But Umaga is confident his defensive leadership group and long-standing record at the Auckland stronghold can push this group of players into a strong response.
“That’s probably the one stat we look at the most: the three downs we lost,” the former Pacific Ocean the Auckland head coach said on Tuesday.
“I couldn’t remember the last time that happened as an All Black. It stuck in our guts a little bit. We have to come out with an answer after that, see where we play, who we play, what we play for; if that’s not enough to lift us, then I don’t know what will.
“We’ve had those conversations within our group, so there shouldn’t be any hesitation about understanding what this weekend means to us.”
The 53-year-old assistant coach said he reminded the players this week that he was part of the All Blacks to reclaim the Bledisloe Cup.
“Well, that was my expectation (to have it this long), I think, and I shared, like I was part of the team that got it back. It took us a few tries, and some were pretty heartbreaking, the ones we lost.”
“So I shared that with the group. You know what the cup means to us and to the people who played for him and trained for him. Some of the things that happened to those people mean a lot to me personally.”
“I just shared it with the group. Now it’s up to them to make their requests.”
