"We need to utilise our back five in terms of our forward pack to carry the ball," Read, who once commanded the team from the No. 8 position, emphasized. He noted a lack of strategic ball carrying that could empower Savea to make impactful plays.
"At the moment … I’m probably not seeing Ardie carrying the ball enough in positions where he can make an influence. That’s with Ardie, you see him off the back of the scrum against Ireland. That’s the first time I’ve actually really seen him do that. I’m like screaming out for them to put him there or utilise what he’s got. That’s what he can do off the back of a maul, what he can do when he’s down a 15m channel or like two passes wide. So why is he not getting the ball in those positions?"
Savea is set to miss the first three matches of the tour, including the opener against the Stormers at Cape Town Stadium. However, he will join the team just in time for the first Test against the Springboks in Johannesburg on August 22.
Read also issued a caution regarding the over-reliance on Sam Darry, highlighting the potential pitfalls. The lock’s recent performance in the July Tests in the Nations Championship earned him rave reviews, but Read pointed out the risk of him being heavily marked by the South Africans.
"Sam Darry has probably been our best player in the forwards over these three Tests," he noted. "Against the South Africans, they’re going to double-team him, and he probably doesn’t have that in his game to be able to be doing that all game. Against a great defence, which is what they have, we need to have our best ball carriers carrying; otherwise we will get shunted back, and we’ll get put under pressure."
The All Blacks' approach in the upcoming matches could well determine their ability to penetrate the Springboks’ formidable defence and reclaim their dominance in one of rugby’s fiercest rivalries.
