Sports
Kirwan Backs Carter Despite Costly Defensive Lapses in All Blacks' Loss to Springboks
Former All Blacks winger Sir John Kirwan has offered support to Leroy Carter following defensive errors that contributed to New Zealand's 29-24 loss to South Africa. Kirwan said he understood the pressure Carter faced, recalling similar situations from his own playing days where mistakes out wide directly led to opposition tries.
Carter was implicated in two of South Africa's scores. He missed a tackle on Damian de Allende that set up Kurt-Lee Arendse's try, and later made an unsuccessful tackle attempt on Jesse Kriel, allowing the outside centre to score.
Those errors overshadowed Carter's strong performance in attack. The 27-year-old played a significant role in Ardie Savea's second try and set up Will Jordan for a score, with Jordan now the All Blacks' all-time leading try-scorer.
Speaking on the Rivals podcast, Kirwan explained the difficulty of Carter's position. "I really like Leroy and I've been in a similar situation before where if you miss a tackle and you're a lock, no one really notices because you're in the middle of the field," he said. "When you miss a couple of tackles like that, you feel like digging a hole. Leroy will learn from that."
Kirwan attributed Carter's mistakes to rushing his defensive reads. "What he did was rush, so when you're in a situation like that and your opposition is coming at you, and you go too fast at him, he's got all the options," he said. He noted that Kriel's technique with the ball, particularly his fend, makes him a especially difficult opponent to tackle. "If Leroy slowed a wee bit and then let him do his stuff, it might have been a bit better. I just think he rushed."
Kirwan credited Carter's contribution to Jordan's try, adding, "Leroy's a quality player but he made a couple of defensive errors that really cost us."
The defeat leaves the All Blacks trailing 2-1 in the four-match Rugby's Greatest Rivalry series against the Springboks. New Zealand had taken a 1-0 series lead with a win at Ellis Park before dropping the following two matches. The series will conclude in Baltimore, on neutral ground that could theoretically favor New Zealand.
Kirwan stressed that head coach Dave Rennie's side must address broader issues beyond Carter's individual errors. "When you look at the game, two missed tackles, a couple of scrums and that amazing maul, we've just got to get way better in those tight situations," he said. "He [Carter] will learn from it. I feel sorry for him, I know how hard it is. He's a quality player."