Breakdown key area for All Blacks

Rarely can it be argued that the breakdown and physical contest at the ruck is the game's most pivotal battle, especially in test rugby, and the All Blacks have unanimously agreed they need to step it up in coming weeks.

In the first Southern Hemisphere test of the season, if one reason had to be attributed to Samoa's upset 32-23 win over the Wallabies, it would have been their dominance of the breakdown and collision area.

Against Fiji, the All Blacks pack always looked by and large on top of proceedings, but again the increased focus the Pacific Islands have put on the forward exchanges was obvious.

The visitors may have lack the clinical organisation that their black clad opposites showed at times, with the Fijians powerless to stop co-ordinated drives or breakdown flooding that is a constant feature of the All Blacks game, but they did manage to successfully disrupt the All Blacks at first phase.

Subsequently their second phase play, in shifting the ball to forward pods in the tight, or trying to create space out wide, was compromised by a purposeful attitude by Fiji at the ruck.

All Blacks captain Richie McCaw said that the team "let themselves down" at this area, agreeing that at times the All Blacks didn't "get clean ball".

This was encapsulated by a fair amount of disruption at the base of the ruck, with Jimmy Cowan and Piri Weepu struggled for clean possession at times, even if the later (described by Graham Henry as a special player) was able to up the tempo both in clearance of the ball and organisation of the forwards.

But with the forward challenge lifting next week in the form of the Springboks, Henry warned his troops to improve in this area.

"Playing the Springboks will heighten the intensity, and we're going to have to be, because if we don't increase our intensity and accuracy, especially at the breakdown, we'll be in trouble," he said.

While the All Blacks forward pack won the key contest at the scrum, forward's coach Steve Hansen said that his charges were rusty in the tight exchanges.

He pinpointed that he wanted to see the team be more clinical at "at removing the threats from the breakdown", with Fiji able to often disrupt the All Blacks ruck with bodies coming over the top.

There were no injury concerns for the All Blacks, although debutant Jarrad Hoeata was replaced by Sam Whitelock after 52 minutes.

A minor 'tweak' involving his ankle and knee will be assessed this week, although Crusaders Whitelock and Brad Thorn will be available for selection against the Springboks in the All Blacks opening to their Investec Tri Nations defence.