Mitchell admits to immaturity

While maintaining a spirited defence of his team's style in 2003 and his own credentials as coach, the All Blacks' coach John Mitchell last night conceded there was a lack of maturity in their semi-final defeat to the Wallabies last Saturday.

In conceding that there was "one key area" in which the All Blacks came up short against the Wallabies, Mitchell admitted: "We lacked maturity during last Saturday night's game. In some ways I underestimated this particular area but this is a young group and when it matures we will be able to handle these games.

"It's a process you have to go through," he added. "Not everyone gets the chance to play in a World Cup semi-final. The Tri-Nations and the Super 12 are fantastic competitions but for some reason sometimes you have to go through experiences like that (the semi-final).

"If this team stays together and, given the age profile of the team, I have no doubt it will, this experience will hold them in great stead in the future. England had a similar experience in the quarter-finals in 1999 and have bounced back. They have learned from that experience."

Some of the New Zealand media and public have called for Mitchell's removal and linked former Wales, Lions and prodigal Auckland Blues coach Graham Henry with the position.

But despite a rigorous line of questioning from the Kiwi media, Mitchell remained his typically expressionless, stoney-faced self, saying he would "go through the proper procedures" in his efforts to stay on as All Blacks' coach.

Mitchell also defended his team's expansive approach to the game this year.

"We've had a very big year. We've played 14 matches in 2003. Yes, we have come short of our vision. It's been a great year in terms of the team's development. Some of the rugby we've played has been absolutely outstanding. Look back at the statistics and you can see that."

And he reaffirmed his belief in the way this All Blacks team has played. "Yes I do, because we have scored 81 tries this year and 40 of them have been by wingers. I wouldn't change the way we've played this year. I think it's a wonderful framework and I know the players have enjoyed playing in it."

However, Mitchell concurred with the view of his assistant Robbie Deans that perhaps Super 12 and Tri-Nations rugby was not necessarily ideal preparation for the World Cup, that they discovered last Saturday "a huge gap" exists between those competitions and the latter stages of the World Cup, and that they would seek more Test matches against the leading nations over the next four years.

Meanwhile, Bernard Laporte pointed to the All Blacks having more settled combinations than his makeshift side.

"Before the tournament, Australia, New Zealand and England were rated above France and that is still the case," he said. "That does not mean I am going to hide from the hard questions, such as why other countries are producing more young players with talent.

"One mustn't hide from the truth," Laporte added. "We have five or six players who make the difference and we can win the Six Nations but we cannot dominate world rugby with that."