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The Muster- Elliot Smith: Bledisloe Cup Preview · The Muster on Hokonui

• 0:05
  Speaker 1: Welcome back to The Muster. Elliot Smith joins us next.
• 0:09
  Speaker 1: Lead rugby caller on Newstalk ZB. He'll be doing the
• 0:12
  Speaker 1: commentary for the All Blacks Wallabies out of Eden Park
• 0:15
  Speaker 1: tomorrow night. Elliot, good afternoon. The Wallabies are in town.
• 0:18
  Speaker 1: They haven't won at Eden Park since 1986. The All
• 0:21
  Speaker 1: Blacks haven't lost there since 1994. Does this play on
• 0:25
  Speaker 1: the mind of Les Kiz and his team?
• 0:27
  Speaker 2: Well, I think so, but also they've got nothing to lose, really,
• 0:31
  Speaker 2: because other Wallabies teams have come here and failed, and
• 0:35
  Speaker 2: so there's really nothing to lose mentality, I suppose, with
• 0:39
  Speaker 2: the Wallabies. You come over here and you're not expected
• 0:42
  Speaker 2: to win, so anything you do, you know, closing in
• 0:45
  Speaker 2: on a victory or even getting a victory is seen
• 0:48
  Speaker 2: as a positive. You know, I was watching a game
• 0:50
  Speaker 2: last night that was on Sky from 2006, and You know,
• 0:53
  Speaker 2: that team was stacked with Gregan, Larkin, Takiri, Phil Waugh,
• 0:58
  Speaker 2: a host of other players, and they didn't win at
• 1:01
  Speaker 2: Eden Park. So, you know, others have tried and failed
• 1:03
  Speaker 2: before over the last 40 years for the Wallabies. So
• 1:06
  Speaker 2: I think there's a mentality in their team of, you know,
• 1:09
  Speaker 2: why not us? It doesn't have to be a team
• 1:11
  Speaker 2: of all-stars to do it. And we saw them beat
• 1:14
  Speaker 2: the Springboks a couple of weeks ago. So I don't
• 1:16
  Speaker 2: think it weighs on their mind too heavily. They certainly
• 1:18
  Speaker 2: get asked about it plenty often. through the course of
• 1:21
  Speaker 2: the week, and the same with the All Blacks and
• 1:23
  Speaker 2: their Eden Park record. But I think for the All Blacks,
• 1:27
  Speaker 2: they grow an extra league at Eden Park, and that
• 1:30
  Speaker 2: record just grows and grows. At some point, it's going
• 1:33
  Speaker 2: to have to fall. And look, I don't know whether
• 1:35
  Speaker 2: it'll be tomorrow night or not, but certainly for the Wallabies,
• 1:37
  Speaker 2: they come across the Tasman with no fear.
• 1:40
  Speaker 1: As far as the Wallabies and where they're at at
• 1:43
  Speaker 1: the moment, yes, they beat the Springboks. It was very
• 1:46
  Speaker 1: much a changed line-up. What can we read into that?
• 1:50
  Speaker 2: I don't know if you can read it a huge amount.
• 1:52
  Speaker 2: We're still very early in Leskis' reign. He had a
• 1:54
  Speaker 2: couple of games against Argentina, a win and a draw
• 1:57
  Speaker 2: over there, and then that win over the Springboks. So
• 1:59
  Speaker 2: he started about as well as you could hope for
• 2:04
  Speaker 2: a new coach starting their tenure. But I think these
• 2:07
  Speaker 2: two tests will be a real acid test for this
• 2:10
  Speaker 2: Wallabies team. The All Blacks are not at full strength
• 2:14
  Speaker 2: with those injuries that they've got, but this is the
• 2:17
  Speaker 2: barometer for the Wallabies. This is where they really do
• 2:20
  Speaker 2: test themselves and look for where they're at in the
• 2:25
  Speaker 2: rugby world. So early in Leskis' run, I think it's
• 2:27
  Speaker 2: a good sign of where they're at. We've seen some
• 2:31
  Speaker 2: changes already, I think, for the Wallabies in the way
• 2:33
  Speaker 2: that they're playing. They tend to use the passing game
• 2:37
  Speaker 2: a little bit more perhaps than Joe Schmidt did and
• 2:39
  Speaker 2: a lot of short passing to try and exploit gaps
• 2:42
  Speaker 2: around the park. We saw them have a lot of
• 2:44
  Speaker 2: success with the aerial assault against the Springboks a couple
• 2:46
  Speaker 2: of weeks ago, so I'm sure they'll try that again
• 2:49
  Speaker 2: tomorrow night. So I think this is a really good
• 2:52
  Speaker 2: early test for Les Kiss and Co. as to where
• 2:54
  Speaker 2: they sit before they go on the end-of-year tour. You know,
• 2:57
  Speaker 2: just a year out from the Rugby World Cup on
• 3:00
  Speaker 2: home swirl, they need to answer some questions. They've got
• 3:03
  Speaker 2: injuries as well. Carter Gordon obviously out for them at
• 3:07
  Speaker 2: the moment, and no Hunter Paisami, but So both teams
• 3:10
  Speaker 2: go in with a few walking wounded into the game,
• 3:13
  Speaker 2: but that's the way that rugby goes.
• 3:15
  Speaker 1: Who was unlucky selection-wise for this test for the ABs?
• 3:19
  Speaker 2: Well, I think Fabian Holland has to be considered very
• 3:21
  Speaker 2: unlucky from the fit and available players to not get
• 3:26
  Speaker 2: a look in this week. Scott Barrett and Josh Lord start,
• 3:30
  Speaker 2: Tupo Vai on the blind side, and he's a victim
• 3:33
  Speaker 2: of going with Tupo Vai on the blind side there.
• 3:35
  Speaker 2: There is no space for him in the 23. I
• 3:38
  Speaker 2: expect he'd probably play a role next week in Sydney,
• 3:42
  Speaker 2: depending on how tomorrow night pans out. But, yeah, I
• 3:47
  Speaker 2: think he can consider himself very unlucky because the way
• 3:50
  Speaker 2: he's come back from that shoulder injury has been nothing
• 3:52
  Speaker 2: short of remarkable. He was one of the All Blacks'
• 3:54
  Speaker 2: best on that tour of South Africa, but no room
• 3:57
  Speaker 2: for him this week. So I think he can consider
• 3:59
  Speaker 2: himself pretty unlucky. It would have been interesting to see
• 4:02
  Speaker 2: whether Fihifini Anganofu got a run before that injury, the
• 4:07
  Speaker 2: head knock and the hamstring injury that he suffered last
• 4:10
  Speaker 2: week playing for Bay of Plenty. That would have been
• 4:12
  Speaker 2: fascinating as well. And Ethan Blackett, I think, can consider
• 4:15
  Speaker 2: himself a little bit unlucky as well. I thought he
• 4:17
  Speaker 2: played really well in Baltimore last time out for the
• 4:20
  Speaker 2: All Blacks. And with Peter Lachai's selection of open side,
• 4:23
  Speaker 2: it kind of changes the way that they're looking to
• 4:27
  Speaker 2: use their open side when you consider that Jacobson had
• 4:29
  Speaker 2: held that for all the tests to before Baltimore, and
• 4:32
  Speaker 2: then a similar player in Blackadder had come through, an
• 4:36
  Speaker 2: industrious sort of workhorse player. Now they're going with Peter Larkin,
• 4:39
  Speaker 2: who's a bit more explosive. Certainly a change in the
• 4:41
  Speaker 2: balance of that loose forward trio that Dave Rennie selected.
• 4:44
  Speaker 1: Damian McKenzie at first five, Bowden Barrett at 15. I
• 4:49
  Speaker 1: suppose this is always going to occur with these injuries.
• 4:53
  Speaker 2: Yeah, I think so. Look, I would have liked to
• 4:55
  Speaker 2: see Josh Dakin get a go, but when you're steering
• 4:57
  Speaker 2: down the barrel of three straight losses in South Africa,
• 5:00
  Speaker 2: the Eden Park record, everything we've touched on there. I
• 5:03
  Speaker 2: think you need to go with the option that probably
• 5:06
  Speaker 2: is the one that you can back and is most reliable,
• 5:09
  Speaker 2: and that is Damian McKenzie, who's started plenty of test
• 5:12
  Speaker 2: matches at 10 before, although not since last year. Bowden
• 5:16
  Speaker 2: Barrett at fullback. There's a sense of reliability to those
• 5:19
  Speaker 2: two players. Josh Jacob might get a look and maybe
• 5:22
  Speaker 2: next week, depending on how tomorrow night goes, but I
• 5:25
  Speaker 2: think that was probably the best option for Dave Rennie
• 5:29
  Speaker 2: at his disposal. Mackenzie started, as I said, plenty of
• 5:33
  Speaker 2: test matches at 10. You know what you're getting there.
• 5:35
  Speaker 2: They're clearly not in the first couple of options that
• 5:37
  Speaker 2: the All Blacks are looking to utilize with Love and Malonga,
• 5:40
  Speaker 2: but it's, I think, a case of needs must. So
• 5:43
  Speaker 2: he gets a go. And look, I think there's a
• 5:44
  Speaker 2: chance for Damian Mackenzie, who's had a mixed season so far.
• 5:46
  Speaker 2: He's you know, being good at fullback without being overly spectacular.
• 5:51
  Speaker 2: Bowden Barrett's only played nine minutes of test rugby this year,
• 5:54
  Speaker 2: so I think it's a big chance for those two
• 5:56
  Speaker 2: players just to remind and perhaps assert themselves on the
• 6:00
  Speaker 2: test scene again this season.
• 6:01
  Speaker 1: Regarding the NZR taking the NRL to task with the
• 6:04
  Speaker 1: Papua New Guinea Chiefs, they're saying this name is breach
• 6:09
  Speaker 1: of trademark or copyright for what the Chiefs are for
• 6:11
  Speaker 1: Super Rugby. Is there much in this?
• 6:14
  Speaker 2: Yeah, I actually think there is. I think the NRL
• 6:19
  Speaker 2: have widely misjudged this one. Look, you can probably argue
• 6:23
  Speaker 2: the Blues and the New South Wales Blues, there are
• 6:25
  Speaker 2: a few issues there, potentially, but they've co-existed quite well.
• 6:29
  Speaker 2: But I think the issue is that the Chiefs are
• 6:31
  Speaker 2: going to be playing 26, 27 rounds of the NRL
• 6:35
  Speaker 2: each year. They're going to be in market in New Zealand.
• 6:38
  Speaker 2: I think there is the opportunity for contusion for the
• 6:40
  Speaker 2: casual fan, and NZR have the right to protect their
• 6:44
  Speaker 2: trademark which they've operated with for 30 years so um
• 6:49
  Speaker 2: i'm fascinated to see how it plays out the nrl
• 6:51
  Speaker 2: seem to insist it's a big nothing but i think
• 6:53
  Speaker 2: you know if you're in new zealand rugby if you
• 6:55
  Speaker 2: don't protect your trademarks and you leave yourself wide open
• 6:59
  Speaker 2: so they've got to really protect this vigorously i think
• 7:02
  Speaker 2: you know the for us you know sports heads and
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  Speaker 2: fans we we know the difference between the two but
• 7:08
  Speaker 2: there's a chance of reputational damage uh you know if
• 7:10
  Speaker 2: there's a Chiefs player in trouble with the law, and
• 7:13
  Speaker 2: there's a headline on a website saying Chiefs star arrested. Well,
• 7:15
  Speaker 2: is it a P & G Chiefs player? Is it
• 7:18
  Speaker 2: a Chiefs rugby player? Whatever it is. So there's a
• 7:20
  Speaker 2: chance of some reputational harm, I think, there for New
• 7:23
  Speaker 2: Zealand rugby. So they're determined to protect their asset, protect
• 7:27
  Speaker 2: their brand. And, you know, I'm not a lawyer, but
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  Speaker 2: it's going to be fascinating to see how it all
• 7:31
  Speaker 2: plays out.
• 7:32
  Speaker 1: Good on you, Elliot. Have a good call this weekend.
• 7:35
  Speaker 1: It's going to be an interesting test. Sure is.
• 7:37
  Speaker 2: Can't wait.
• 7:38
  Speaker 1: Thanks, Andy. Laugh out loud with Ag Proud, because life
• 7:45
  Speaker 1: on the land can be a laughing matter. Brought to
• 7:48
  Speaker 1: us by Shearwell Data, working to help the livestock farmer.
• 7:51
  Speaker 1: A steak pun is a rare medium. Well done. Short
• 7:59
  Speaker 1: and sharp for a Friday. That's us over in Dunworth
• 8:02
  Speaker 1: remembering the best of the must of 5am tomorrow, thanks
• 8:05
  Speaker 1: to the Gopher. And iHeartRadio is where you need to
• 8:08
  Speaker 1: go to for any interviews that have occurred on the show,
• 8:11
  Speaker 1: including today's, which is going up very shortly. I'm Andy Muir.
• 8:14
  Speaker 1: The muster, of course, is brought to you by Peter's Genetics.
• 8:17
  Speaker 1: Go the ABs. Enjoy the weekend. It's looking good weather-wise.