Latest / Early Edition with Ryan Bridge / Tony Johnson: Rugby Commentator ahead of the final All Blacks v France match

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Tony Johnson: Rugby Commentator ahead of the final All Blacks v France match · Early Edition with Ryan Bridge

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: The final All Blacks Test against the French, said FMG
• 0:04
  Speaker 1: Razors made some major changes to the starting side. The
• 0:06
  Speaker 1: Barrett brothers are outvoted and Scott are off with injuries.
• 0:08
  Speaker 1: Geordie's being rested. Damian mackenzie will start at the number
• 0:11
  Speaker 1: ten Jersey Riven Love will play at fallback in his
• 0:14
  Speaker 1: second test. Meanwhile, the French are bringing out all their
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  Speaker 1: spares that they had spare. Rubby commentator Toney Johnson joins me, Now,
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  Speaker 1: good morning to you, Tony morning Andrew. So who's going
• 0:24
  Speaker 1: to win Takapuna or nor Sure?
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  Speaker 2: Well, I'm a North Cote man, so it doesn't really
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  Speaker 2: matter to me quite so much as it does to you.
• 0:32
  Speaker 1: Well, Norshaw's going for the three piece, so there we go.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, and they'll be tough to beat them, of course.
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  Speaker 1: Of course wholesale changes on both sides. Is this Test
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  Speaker 1: going to be a bit loose?
• 0:41
  Speaker 2: Well? The All Black selectors or Scott Robertson certainly promised
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  Speaker 2: to be more bold this year and they've been bold
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  Speaker 2: with their selection. But with that comes I think a
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  Speaker 2: considerable risk against the France team that still feel that
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  Speaker 2: they can take something out of this series. They've come
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  Speaker 2: here with a depleted squad, and if they can go
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  Speaker 2: home winning one of the three Tests, I think they'll
• 1:01
  Speaker 2: have something to go back and say, hey, look we've
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  Speaker 2: achieved something here, so they will be the toughest to bowl.
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  Speaker 2: I think of the three Test matches New Zealand, with
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  Speaker 2: the risks they've taken. As you mentioned the first time,
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  Speaker 2: I think it's only the third time in the last
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  Speaker 2: one hundred and one tests that there are no barretts
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  Speaker 2: in the All Black teams. There's a bunch of leadership
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  Speaker 2: gone and they don't have any specialist cover at lock
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  Speaker 2: when you're going in against a giant, giant French team.
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  Speaker 2: I think that the All Blacks have taken some risks here,
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  Speaker 2: but they're honoring the commitment to give everyone a go
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  Speaker 2: and to be bold.
• 1:35
  Speaker 1: Who the hell's going to be our backup first five?
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  Speaker 1: I'm sorry, I can't keep up.
• 1:40
  Speaker 2: Well, it'll be Ruben Love. Damien McKenzie's obviously, they'll hope
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  Speaker 2: he'll be there to run the cutter for the whole game.
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  Speaker 2: Ruben Love at fullback. And that's the way they've been
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  Speaker 2: selecting the team. They've been naming cover within the starting fifteen.
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  Speaker 2: They're looking for flexibility, for versatility, and so it's going
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  Speaker 2: to be a big night for Ruben Love. But he's
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  Speaker 2: a talent to play. He's a very brave player. I've
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  Speaker 2: got no doubts about it, mackenzie. This is an opportunity
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  Speaker 2: for him again to prove that he is the guy
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  Speaker 2: that can run the show and be reliable as well
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  Speaker 2: as his normal brilliant self in a test match. He's
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  Speaker 2: got the ideal place to do it, at home, in
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  Speaker 2: front of a packed out stadium, and he's got a
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  Speaker 2: lot of his Chiefs teammates around him. I think that
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  Speaker 2: there's six of them and seven of them in the squad,
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  Speaker 2: which is a record for White Cottle, certainly White Cottle players.
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  Speaker 2: So that's a key area of the game as well.
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  Speaker 2: But look, I think people are excited about Reuben Love
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  Speaker 2: getting the opportunity because he is such a talent.
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  Speaker 1: I excited about the game I think is going to
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  Speaker 1: be entertaining.
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  Speaker 2: But how well that era that element of I suppose
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  Speaker 2: slight mystery or uncertainty about it, although I think a
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  Speaker 2: lot of the old stages would rather say why aren't
• 2:53
  Speaker 2: we putting our number one team out there to complete
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  Speaker 2: a clean sweep? Because they expect the Orbles to win
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  Speaker 2: every single game. He's honoring a commitment.
• 3:01
  Speaker 1: Yeah, and how important is this game really on the
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  Speaker 1: large scale of things or is it just sort of
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  Speaker 1: like a science experiment.
• 3:08
  Speaker 2: Oh, you hush your mouth. Every test match is important,
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  Speaker 2: isn't it in New Zealand? Yeah, look, are.
• 3:15
  Speaker 1: You going to remember there's a World Cup coming up
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  Speaker 1: and you need some depth.
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  Speaker 2: Well, there's also a massive rugby Championship coming up where
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  Speaker 2: they've got two tests against the spring Box in New Zealand,
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  Speaker 2: so they want to make sure that their players have
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  Speaker 2: all had a taste of it so far and bringing
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  Speaker 2: you know, they've bought successfully some new players and I
• 3:34
  Speaker 2: think Fabian Holland to me has probably been the most
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  Speaker 2: exciting or encouraging development that we've seen so far in
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  Speaker 2: this season because he's just taken the test rugby like
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  Speaker 2: a duck to water. Just got to hope he let
• 3:46
  Speaker 2: goes the eighty minutes. But every test match is considered important.
• 3:52
  Speaker 2: Maybe not so much to France the way they've treated
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  Speaker 2: this tour, but don't worry, they will be. They will
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  Speaker 2: see this as an opportunity to take something from the
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  Speaker 2: series to end on a positive note. Go back with
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  Speaker 2: something to show for it, and so that makes it
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  Speaker 2: me quite a compelling match.
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  Speaker 1: Got to go, you know the game, and I thank
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  Speaker 1: you so much, Tony Johnson from Sky.
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  Speaker 2: For more from earlier edition with Ryan Bridge, Listen live
• 4:15
  Speaker 2: to News Talks it Be from five am weekdays, or
• 4:18
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