"We are now Vulnerable" – Tana Umaga: All Blacks legend believes New Zealand have lost 'Aura' ahead of England Autumn Test

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Former All Blacks captain Tana Umaga believes that New Zealand have lost some ‘aura’ on the Test match stage, after their recent run of defeats. The All Blacks have not had the strongest run under their new head coach Scott Robertson, with the man known as ‘Razor’, overseeing defeats to South Africa and Argentina in the 2024 Rugby Championship.

New Zealand finished second in the latest Rugby Championship, after suffering back to back losses to the champion Springboks. What stung the most for the All Blacks was the opening round defeat to Los Pumas, as Argentina stunned their hosts with a 38-30 away win in Wellington.

New Zealand commence their Autumn Nations Series campaign tomorrow with a battle with Japan, before heading over to Twickenham to take on England on Saturday November 2nd. Speaking to Prime Casino, All Blacks legend Umaga said that the side are ‘vulnerable’, after they suffer a defeat.

“Yes totally. Every time the All Blacks get beaten the aura takes a whack. The All Blacks always have a target on their back and we are now vulnerable.”

“It is a tough tour coming up. They've really set themselves up to challenge themselves. I am not too sure it is really the kind of tour they would have wanted at this stage.

“They’ve got five matches, including England, Ireland and France and we can't overlook Italy where Gonzalo Quesada has got them playing some brilliant rugby. They have their work cut out on this tour, no doubt about it. You can't take anything for granted. The caliber of the teams they are playing is second to none.

“We are in a rebuilding phase. But the sad thing is the current situation is not something we normally associate with the All Blacks. In my time the rebuilding phases were done in the competitions before big tours and not on the tour themselves. And they haven't had the most successful run of games over the summer.”

England are eyeing up this battle with New Zealand as the perfect opportunity for revenge. The All Blacks recorded back-to-back wins over Steve Borthwick’s side this past Summer, with just a one-point win in Dunedin (16-15), and a more convincing win at Eden Park (24-17).

Umaga understands that just because the All Blacks achieved their wins upon home soil, they are by no means guaranteed to succeed when they descend on South West London. The former New Zealand midfielder described playing England in the stadium known as ‘HQ’ as a ‘different kettle of fish’, with over 80,000 fans expected to be backing Borthwick’s men next weekend.

“They will have learned from the summer when they're tired after a long domestic season. It's a different kettle of fish when we go up there and play them at Twickenham. 

“It is the start of a big campaign and with Steve and what he learned and saw, he will be keen and quietly confident that they can turn the All Blacks over.  They blooded some youngsters down here who will be better for the experience.  No-one can underestimate how difficult they are going to be.”

Umaga expressed how he sees the All Blacks’ ability to close out a match as a ‘genuine worry’. The Moana Pasifika head coach understands the importance of securing a win in the last quarter of a match, and how finishing strong is just as important regardless of having a comfortable lead.

“That is a genuine worry for us.” Umaga added. “It has traditionally been an area where we have excelled in the last 20 minutes where we would grind out the comeback and get the win. When that is not happening what do you look at? The skillset? Or are they fit enough? Part of that may be the lack of experience in those tough moments.

“We saw Beauden Barrett's impact when he came on against England in the second test. He made a difference because of his experience. But we need more than just Beudy to be switched on and know the pressures and the expectation of what is coming and not let that weight of expectation hold you back.

“Hopefully the All Blacks are looking to rectify that. I am sure they will be. Rugby is a very simple game, based on physicality. Against South Africa we lacked physicality, that ability to keep coming again and again and dealing with the pressure. The All Blacks are playing a good style of rugby. It is just in the key moments when we were not able to dial up the physicality and the energy.

“That is what I will be looking at on the upcoming tour especially against the English, who will have learned from their defeats in the summer, the Irish and the French.

The pressure has certainly been dialled up on the All Blacks, with head coach Scott Robertson feeling the heat of the hard to please New Zealand fans. Anything less than a successful series would put the head coach back in the hot seat, as Umaga admits the transition from the Ian Forster era to having Razor at the reigns has been less than ‘seamless’.

“The handover was not seamless with the same team. The wealth of knowledge and experience that left after the World Cup has got to have made a difference. They have left a huge hole.

“It has been a bit of an eye opener for Scott what he has gone into. There was no doubt that he would not have expected to have had the losses that he has had. At the Crusaders he knew nothing but success. He has also seen the gap there is between NPC and Super Rugby and then international rugby. 

“Some people don't appreciate that. Consistency is the tough thing. Not just the consistency of performance, it is the consistency of training, turning up every day ready to do what you need to do. For some players it is a steep learning curve.”

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