Latest / Early Edition with Ryan Bridge / Tony Johnson: Rugby Commentator on the naming of Scott Robertson's All Blacks squad

Transcript

Tony Johnson: Rugby Commentator on the naming of Scott Robertson's All Blacks squad · Early Edition with Ryan Bridge

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: But so we've got the initial All Black squad of
• 0:01
  Speaker 1: twenty twenty four. The new Scott Robertson era has begun.
• 0:04
  Speaker 1: Your new captain, Scott Barrett, Adie Savia, Jordy Barrett. They
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  Speaker 1: share the vice captain's roles. Tony Johnson with us on
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  Speaker 1: this Tony, very good morning to you, hi am. I
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  Speaker 1: the bolts the things that surprised you Satu to anything else.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, well, just when you thought there wasn't room for
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  Speaker 2: Bolts and all Black selections anymore. There'd been a buzz
• 0:21
  Speaker 2: around for Satiti because he's obviously a player incredible potential,
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  Speaker 2: but I don't know that people anticipated that it would
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  Speaker 2: be at the expense of Hoskin Setutu. I don't know
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  Speaker 2: what else the player could do to be selected. He's
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  Speaker 2: been so good for the Blues, but obviously they decided
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  Speaker 2: this wasn't room for both of them. I think the
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  Speaker 2: one that no one saw coming was big plus of
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  Speaker 2: Lee or Tossi, and that when you look at it,
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  Speaker 2: if well, he's a huge man. He's very very powerful
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  Speaker 2: and great potential. Even George Bell you could say that too. So, yep,
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  Speaker 2: surprises which were the talking points, and I guess as always.
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  Speaker 2: You know the list of players led by Satutu who
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  Speaker 2: didn't make the team, you know, talking for there, and
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  Speaker 2: also the selection of Scott Barrett even though it was flagged.
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  Speaker 2: You know that Ardie Soviet would have been a very
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  Speaker 2: popular choice.
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  Speaker 1: Yes, indeed, what are you expecting from the Robertson era.
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  Speaker 2: Well, this selection to me says I don't think they're
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  Speaker 2: going to try and change things dramatically from the off.
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  Speaker 2: You know, so Tutu's a guy for example. I think
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  Speaker 2: if they were going to expand the game with his
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  Speaker 2: incredible range of skills, he might have been the player
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  Speaker 2: to base it around. But you know, I think they
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  Speaker 2: won't try and do anything radically different at first. You know,
• 1:35
  Speaker 2: you've got a tough series against England, and if you
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  Speaker 2: want to beat England you've got to take them on
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  Speaker 2: up front. Nothing changes there, and I think if they're
• 1:42
  Speaker 2: going to be changed, they'll be incremental in the way
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  Speaker 2: they sort of change the style as time goes on.
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  Speaker 2: They've got plenty of time to do that.
• 1:48
  Speaker 1: I suppose does he change you reckon under the pressure.
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  Speaker 1: You've seen so many people over the years. You start
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  Speaker 1: off with one character and then the pressure of the
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  Speaker 1: all black coaching job gets to them and they sort
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  Speaker 1: of buckle a bit. Is he the sort of person
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  Speaker 1: who might fall for that or not?
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  Speaker 2: No, I don't think so. He is who he is.
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  Speaker 2: He hasn't changed at all through a very long and
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  Speaker 2: successful career with the Crusaders, So no, I think he's
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  Speaker 2: going to be the same boat. And look, you know,
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  Speaker 2: I think it's exciting, you know, to think of it
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  Speaker 2: as a new era, just you know, going through the
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  Speaker 2: unlucky players. I mentioned hostinstitute is Sam Dowry. I think
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  Speaker 2: that's probably the one area where I'm not convinced they've
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  Speaker 2: totally got it right. They've only picked three locks. One
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  Speaker 2: of them, Patty Tweeplok, who was phenomenal in the final,
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  Speaker 2: has been carrying an injury. And I think, you know,
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  Speaker 2: along with the likes of you, Reuben Love, Ricky, Rickygelly,
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  Speaker 2: I think Sam Dowry to me, I'd have had him
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  Speaker 2: in there.
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  Speaker 1: Okay, what about England? I mean, do we know much
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  Speaker 1: about them? And is this the way to start the season.
• 2:55
  Speaker 2: Well, it's the way the Graham Henry era started. Back
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  Speaker 2: in two thousand and four. They had a couple of
• 3:00
  Speaker 2: tests against England. Did very well England. Of course, you
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  Speaker 2: know that they had a warm up game at the
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  Speaker 2: weekend they played against Japan, so they're going to be
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  Speaker 2: one step ahead in that they've had at least had
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  Speaker 2: a game together. So it's going to be straight out
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  Speaker 2: of the blocks into a tough series, and they will
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  Speaker 2: be tough. There is definitely a sense, just just reading
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  Speaker 2: what you do, that they think this is a great
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  Speaker 2: opportunity to catch the All Blacks, perhaps at a transitional
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  Speaker 2: stage or coming off a World Cup or starting a
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  Speaker 2: new era. They really see this as a chance to
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  Speaker 2: win a series.
• 3:36
  Speaker 1: And you Zeeland, just the Fiji thing in San Diego.
• 3:39
  Speaker 1: Is rugby in America going any place good or not?
• 3:45
  Speaker 2: Yeah? Yes and no. I mean they've got the Major
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  Speaker 2: League rugby over there, which has been going along. Okay,
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  Speaker 2: it's not going to displace or it's not going to
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  Speaker 2: join you know, the Big four that the hockey, the bar,
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  Speaker 2: all the football and baseball anytime soon. But it's great
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  Speaker 2: that they've got a professional league, although you know, teams
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  Speaker 2: are finding it hard to survive. Look, it's got its
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  Speaker 2: popularity and it certainly is growing in some areas. The
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  Speaker 2: Olympics help that as well. This won't hurt because the
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  Speaker 2: games that the All Blacks have played over there have
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  Speaker 2: proved to be very popular.
• 4:20
  Speaker 1: Good stuff might always good to catch up with Tony Johnson,
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  Speaker 1: rugby commentator This.
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• 4:27
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• 4:30
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