“Fall in Love with Finishing”: Robertson Sets Focus for Wellington

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From the shelter of the enclosed Dunedin Stadium to the exposed SKY Stadium, the conditions can stretch to the outer limits of comparison, with Wellington's notorious winds a trial for all sides.

All Blacks coach Scott Robertson reiterated the side's focus ahead of Saturday would see finishing remain a top priority, and he wants players to 'fall in love with finishing', and to keep trusting their instincts.

Improving in other areas and building on their creation of opportunities, as well as executing their completions, are all on the menu.

"The conditions this week might be a little different, you expect everything here, so we have to adapt to that, but still have the same mindset about backing yourself.

"The set piece was outstanding [in the first Test]. We put a lot of work into it and it's the foundation."

Robertson said France responded to media comments about the quality of their side and took advantage of the lack of expectation on them, and that created plenty to work on for the second Test.

"They're so close and some of their players played incredibly well. They didn't have the highest cohesion, but they had a lot of spirit and that is what we're expecting again."


Journalists raised the issue of the All Blacks' recent performances in Wellington, where they ended a winless run since 2018 by beating Australia 33-13 last year.

Robertson said it was essential that they acknowledge and respect that record, but at the same time, work to improve it.

"It's around performance, and that's what we can focus on. We're going to perform better."

Whether that would involve more new players was still to be revealed. However, Robertson said that during his tenure as the coaching role, the management group was proud of the way the players introduced have stepped up to Test rugby and performed well.

"It's part of the environment and getting them ready. They've got themselves ready through Super and then our job is to do it through Test weeks and getting the players around them and supporting them and trusting in their ability."

Robertson said French coach Fabian Galthie is a unique character. He was a deep thinker and had clarity of how teams play.

"They'll know that you know how they're going to play, but you've got to stop them, and they do it under incredible pressure. They care deeply for each other, and they never give up. We saw that on the weekend, they never went away.

"We created so many opportunities but we couldn't finish because their efforts were so high. And that probably leads back to him as a coach and what he's achieved with that group."

Find out where to watch All Blacks v France around the world HERE.

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