All Blacks rugby hooker Mark Hammett is sick of lineout talk. It has dominated his life so much this week that he can’t wait to bury the subject at Wellington’s WestpacTrust Stadium when his team host
the Springboks in the Tri-Nations match on Saturday.
Hammett has ”eaten, breathed and slept — so to speak” lineouts since the All Blacks lost six of their throw-ins in the 12-6 win over the Wallabies last week.
”Come on, let’s talk about my balls-up and get it over with,” he was heard telling a radio reporter who was preparing to interview him.
”It’s been nothing but lineouts in my life this week. I’m sick of it,” he said later.
Hammett didn’t shy away from the subject though.
”Three of those were my fault, the other three were due to various other reasons,” he said.
Hammett however understood why the lineout was a popular conversation topic for All Blacks fans.
A lack of control in that set piece by the All Blacks led to some recent heartbreaking losses, such as the last-minute defeats to the Wallabies in Wellington in 2000 and in Sydney last year.
Both times the winning points to Australia came directly after a poor All Blacks lineout.
The now-injured Anton Oliver copped much blame for the lineout woes in 2000 and 2001 and Hammett inherited both, Oliver’s position and the blame for lineout faults, this season.
”After Christchurch we have a better idea on what works. We mixed things up and I think that will help us this week,” Hammett said.
”We have been over it, we gave up six and they lost four. I think three out of my 21 or 22 throws were bad ones. Three were a combination of missed calls and lifting issues.”
The All Blacks were hot on attack close to the goal-line late in last week’s test against Australia when they were penalised for being too slow to execute the lineout.
Earlier in the game Hammett was in possession at midfield with a rare but significant overlap and he threw a dreadful pass.
”It was a shocker,” he chuckled.
”I tried to pass to the next man but the ball just went with the wet — no excuse, you can’t have any.”
His close Crusaders team-mates have given him a hard time about the pass all week.
But Hammett has been around top rugby, if not the test scene, long enough to move on quickly.
”Hopefully we’ll get a dry track for a change up here
(Wellington) and do some of the things we’ve always wanted to do but never got the chance to do them because of bad conditions,” he said.
Wellington basked in bright sunshine on Thursday and the weather forecast suggested a clear match day.
The All Blacks have played all their five home tests in wet weather this year, the worst conditions being at Jade Stadium last week when it was windy, icy-cold and wet. There were no tries in the match. – Sapa-NZPA