All Blacks head coach Dave Rennie has said he has “no regret” over the side he picked to face Wales, insisting it was good enough to win despite a 35-28 defeat in Cardiff.
Rennie was asked about his selection at the All Blacks’ post-match press conference at the Principality Stadium on Saturday.
The defeat was New Zealand’s first against Wales since 1953 and ended a run of 34 straight wins. The All Blacks had 65 per cent of the ball and made nine line breaks to Wales’ five, but did not score in the last 27 minutes.
READ MORE: All Blacks Player Ratings vs Wales: An 8 For Wallace Sititi In Cardiff Defeat
‘No regret’
“No. We had a good enough side on the field tonight to win,” Rennie said. “And I think if you look at the stats, we had plenty of opportunity.
“So those guys created a lot of chances, we just weren’t clinical enough and they were very good defensively. So, no, I have no regret around the side that we picked.”
He added that “there’s really good competition for places” and “there’s not a lot between certain positions”.
“When you underperform, it’s not just about the players,” he continued. “We’ll have a look at everything we did.”
‘Wallace was going great guns’
Rennie was also asked about his replacements.
“Oh man, it’s always a guess,” he said. “You get a feel around things and, you know, you look at someone like we put Leicester on, but, you know, Wallace was going great guns. He’d had a big shift, so we decided to put Leicester on for him.”
No 8 Wallace Sititi scored New Zealand’s second try and made 13 tackles before Leicester Fainga’anuku came on in his place. Rennie said the coaches would review everything, adding: “When you lose, it’s not just on the players.”
Mo’unga under pressure
Asked how he assessed Richie Mo’unga‘s return, Rennie said: “I’ll have a decent look at it.”
He said Mo’unga “was forced to run a fair bit” with the side under pressure, before adding: “It’s a tough day for a lot of people today.”
Mo’unga played all 80 minutes, kicked all four of New Zealand’s conversions and made 78 metres, the most of any All Black. New Zealand go to Twickenham next weekend.
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