All Blacks: Irish aim to put brakes on NZ running game

No 8 Kieran Read meets fans after an All Blacks training session in Dublin yesterday. Photo / Getty Images

If Ireland's defence coach Les Kiss has his way there will be little of the flowing, end-to-end action that illuminated the All Blacks' victory over Scotland.

The Australian whose job it is to deny the New Zealanders time and space made it clear that if Ireland were to staunch the point-scoring potential of the All Blacks, they would have to slow the pace.

"As much as you would like to be entertaining and expansive, there's an adaptiveness and pragmatism that needs to come into play," Kiss said.

"You need to play the game at a pace that doesn't suit them. If you kick long and give them quick throw-ins, you invite a new set of issues. If you turn over the ball easily, you present them with the platforms that they like to launch from.

"They love a loose game. They can play from set piece for sure, but it's around 72 per cent that they scored from quick taps, quick throws and unstructured play. That part of their play is unbelievable."

All Black No 8 Kieran Read acknowledged that the team fed off pace, but at the same time he felt a negative approach from Ireland would ultimately prove counter-productive.

"We want to play with tempo as much as we can. We have to adapt though," he said.

"We've probably seen in the past that when teams [slow the game down], they're not attacking and that puts them on the wrong footing from the beginning.

"Teams have to come out with an attacking mindset to play us."

Although the All Blacks fed off Scotland mistakes, most of their tries were scored not just through individual brilliance - though there was no shortage of that - but after attacking building blocks were put into place.

In other words, they created tries through pressure and patience, something they felt they had failed to do against England at Twickenham.

"It was really pleasing that we were able to string some phases together, show a lot more patience on attack and get over the line," Read said. "We want to continue to improve and I think we can be better than what we showed last week."