It's probably the closest the All Blacks will come to conceding Fiji was a tougher proposition than they expected in the first test in Dunedin.
All Blacks assistant coach John Plumtree. Photo: Photosport
While the All Blacks ran out 57- 23 winners there were areas of the game where Fiji matched or bettered the All Blacks and assistant coach John Plumtree comment that "the Fiji side has certainly got our attention now," is telling.
An indication, possibly, the Flying Fijians possibly didn't have the All Blacks "full attention" heading into Dunedin and that these tests, against Tonga and Fiji, are more about building game time and combinations within the squad ahead of the Bledisloe Cup and the Rugby Championship.
"Their forwards worked really hard in that match. You could see a lot of them come from European clubs where they are well coached and well drilled and there was some stuff going on around the breakdown that we have to be a bit smarter with but the Fijian side has certainly got our attention now so we are expecting a pretty tough test," Plumtree said.
Plumtree conceded there were areas of play they had not prepared well enough for and while he would not elaborate on those, it was plain to see the breakdown and mauling were areas that need work.
"We've got to give them (Fiji) some credit and they have got some pretty big boys and they tested us ... there's a lot to work on when you bring a team in like the All Blacks and all the coaches want their time in different areas of the game or we want more time but some things we just have to drip feed in as we go.
"We don't want to put a whole lot of information into their heads and spend hours on the park because we won't get the right results, so yes there were some things that we got tested in and some things we hadn't covered properly but those things we have addressed and we are expecting more out of the boys."
Fiji often outplayed the All Blacks at the breakdown. Photo: Photosport
Plumtree conceded they were still some way off deciding just what their top starting 15 was as they looked ahead to the first Bledisloe Cup test against Wallabies in Auckland next month - and that was where the one-off test against Tonga and the two against Fiji could provide some clarity for Plumtree and head coach Ian Foster.
"Some guys need more time than others, some had bigger Super Rugby seasons, some are carrying little niggles so we put all those factors in the mix when we select the team. It's just making sure we keep well-being at the back of our minds so that by the time we come to 'Bled 1' we've got a full squad that is fit and ready to play."
"There's some positions we are not settled on and there are some combinations we would like to get going ... so we are still unsure about some selections and that fantastic for us (as coaches) because we know we have got some quality right through the team ... and the selection meeting go on until the wee hours."
-RNZ
