Ioane confident All Blacks will sharpen execution

Centre Rieko Ioane is confident the All Blacks can overcome their execution issues and play their attacking brand of rugby more consistently starting from Saturday's second Bledisloe Cup Lipovitan D Rugby Championship Test in Wellington.

After the 31-28 win over Australia in Sydney at the weekend, Ioane said that the All Blacks got points early in both halves for pleasing starts, but their discipline let them down. They would own that and were happy to come away with the win.

"They are a quality attacking side. They attack a lot more than the teams we've played so far.

"They're similar to us in ways. They want to get some air on the ball and they exploited us in some areas, but we'll touch that up. It is nothing big. A lot of it was our poor discipline and execution."

Ending his try-scoring drought [he hadn't scored since the World Cup game against Namibia last year] was pleasing, but he was happy with the way the All Blacks showed how they wanted to play at times.

"Apart from the execution, we played the way we wanted to play. We kicked well and attacked when we usually would have kicked in the last couple of weeks.

"We've got the best outsides in the world, and the more we can get it wide and get our loosies ranging in those wide channels, the better off we're going to be. We did that well, but again, it's just those little one-percenters, and it almost cost us."

Dealing with the issues created by pressure were easy fixes, he said.

"You want to be the ones to get the steal, or get the big tackle and it comes down to what pressure does to us in those moments. They are easy fixes. It's either mental or working smart, or just being in the right place."

Halfback Cortez Ratima said it was a childhood dream to drink a winner's beer from the Bledisloe Cup.

The game was typical of Test rugby.

"The margins are so fine. If you miss a tackle or make a mistake, it tends to punish us. We need to own that last moment and sort out our errors there. 

"We've got to be better, and we want to be better."

Ratima said he looked to build on each performance and was happy to nail his roles and do his bit for the team. He was gutted to have what would have been a superb length-of-the-field try disallowed due to a forward pass.

Continuing frustrations with execution breaking down, especially in the game's later stages, did not result from a lack of effort.

"The boys are always trying their best. The pressure might come on, and we've got to get ourselves into that and own it.

"We're creating a fair bit, and it's on us to finish it so, hopefully, we can do that over the next week."

Ratima hasn't been surprised by how Wallace Sititi has played since being selected.

"He's one of a kind. When he came into the Chiefs environment he was so mature, well above his age. He's got a good hit on him and a very humble man. His footy speaks for itself."

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