Scrums woes costly for Fiji

Fijian coach Samuela Domoni says his side's inexperience was the main reason behind their scrum woes against an imposing New Zealand pack on Friday night.

The scrum was by far the Fijians' Achilles heel in their 14-60 loss to New Zealand as they gave away countless penalties and a penalty try near the end of the game.

All Blacks captain Richie McCaw says their dominance came down to their mental approach of the scrums.

"I actually thought we were reasonably smart. We just want some good ball to attack off. I thought it was quite pleasing and as the game went on we got the rewards for it, so you've just got to be smart."

With standout prop Tony Woodcock injured alongside key duo Keven Mealamu and Owen Franks being rested, the All Blacks' front row had a new look about it.

They still managed, however, to win four scrums against the feed. Combining that with the seven they had won from their own feed, it made for a very dominant night for the forwards in the scrum department for the rookie front row combination.

Fijian captain Deacon Manu says while they had to form a makeshift pack to counter a strong All Black pack, they had no excuses for being outplayed in that facet of the game.

"There are a few key aspects we need to work on really. We knew it was going to be a battle. We need to just keep working hard.

"We need to manage the penalty rate. Obviously we got a few penalties during the game, especially the first half and toward the end when they brought their reserves on they got a penalty try which was disappointing.

"But it's something we're looking to identify as a weakness in past years. We've got enough experience there, I think, to advance our scrum this time."

Domoni agreed, saying their new combinations certainly didn't help their case.

"We're going to go back and see where our weaknesses are and concentrate on our body shape individually, so that we can hold that side up. Hopefully it'll get better before we play the two Tonga tests."

Fiji's two matches against Tonga next week are their final matches before they announce their final squad for the Rugby World Cup in September.