2001 Tri-Nations
'The Wallabies knew our calls'
September 4, 2001

New Zealand coach Wayne Smith believes the Wallabies had worked out the All Blacks' lineout calls in Saturday's Tri-Nations Test at Stadium Australia in Sydney.

"I think they'd worked out our calls which gave them a huge advantage," he said after arriving home at Christchurch Airport on Tuesday. "We tried to change things at halftime, but it wasn't a good night in the lineout for us. We just lost composure under pressure.

"The throwing was no good, the lifting was no good and the options were no good."

Smith said he was not surprised to see John Eales at No 2 in the lineout marking newcomer Chris Jack. "You expect them to try different things to counter you," he said.

Smith said the loss was more than disappointing. "It was devastating. We put so much work into the game and to get so close ... really the game was over and a couple of little errors cost us dearly."

Asked what could be done to right the lineout disorder, Smith said: "It's not really my area. But it is a concern. We've put a lot of work into the lineouts in the last two years and it's still an area we're struggling with.

"We've got the best people in the positions and I guess it's an experience they've got to learn from and put it right in the future."

The devastation of Saturday's loss was still etched in the faces of the All Blacks and coaching staff when they arrived. Smith was reluctant to talk to the media. "I'm on a day off people. I've done the media thing."

The All Blacks spent Monday in Manly having a debrief of their performance over the season. "It was an opportunity to sit down with players and look at the expectations we had of them, to review them and to give them something to go away and work on," Smith said.

Captain Anton Oliver agreed with Smith, saying Australia had the All Blacks lineout calls decoded during the Test. "Yeah, I think they did. They definitely knew our lineout."

Asked how they knew, Oliver said: "I don't know. They knew them, for sure. It was sort of uncanny how they kept finding out where we were going." - Sapa

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