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Transcript

Rugby Direct - Episode 194 · Rugby Direct

0:09
Speaker 1: You're listening to a podcast from Newstalks EDB. Follow this
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Speaker 1: Down the Middle, Try Scot, Try Jacket, Inside the Game
0:30
Speaker 1: from Every Angle. It's Rugby Direct with Elliott Smith and
0:34
Speaker 1: Liam Napiers powered by News Talks EDB.
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Speaker 2: Welcome into Rugby Direct powered by Excess Solutions, celebrating twenty
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Speaker 2: five years in business. The final Rugby Directs on tour
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Speaker 2: of season twenty twenty five, coming of course from Cardiff.
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Speaker 2: As we count down to the All Blacks final match
0:52
Speaker 2: of season twenty twenty five, they play well Sunday morning,
0:57
Speaker 2: of course, and as we discussed earlier in the week
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Speaker 2: on the podcast, this game takes on a different complexion,
1:03
Speaker 2: doesn't it lim As we build into this game, the
1:06
Speaker 2: All Blacks could have been playing for a grand ultimately
1:09
Speaker 2: weren't good enough, but now they've got to try and
1:11
Speaker 2: finish the year on a high as best they can.
1:14
Speaker 2: And as we have seen and I'm sure our listeners
1:16
Speaker 2: have seen as well, much change lineup for the All
1:19
Speaker 2: Blacks for this test. Was that ultimately what you were expecting.
1:22
Speaker 3: I think this week, regardless of the result last week,
1:27
Speaker 3: there were going to be mass changes went there, But
1:29
Speaker 3: you're right, the complexion of those changes of the All
1:33
Speaker 3: Black season of this week has completely altered. But I
1:38
Speaker 3: don't know if the team has altered that score ups
1:42
Speaker 3: and water put out drastically.
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Speaker 4: Not too sure. But as it stands thirteen.
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Speaker 3: Starting changes, Simon Parker and Scott Barrett are the only
1:51
Speaker 3: two players in the same positions.
1:53
Speaker 4: Will Jordan switches to the right wing.
1:54
Speaker 3: So a number of fringe players getting opportunities, and in
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Speaker 3: the most cases they're much needed, aren't they. You look
2:02
Speaker 3: at guys like Rubin Love in particular. I was looking back.
2:06
Speaker 3: I think he's played twenty three minutes for the All
2:09
Speaker 3: Blacks with two brief bench appearances in four months, and
2:16
Speaker 3: you just need exposure at that age twenty four. So
2:18
Speaker 3: he's one guy that springs out and then Rikowani's back
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Speaker 3: to the back to the future recall at Censor is
2:25
Speaker 3: quite curious.
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Speaker 4: Another big talking point.
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Speaker 2: It is, Yeah, let's get into the Ruben Love selection
2:30
Speaker 2: first and foremost. You know, personally, I would have liked
2:33
Speaker 2: to see him actually at ten this week. I don't
2:35
Speaker 2: think there's a lot to lose for the All Blacks.
2:38
Speaker 2: I mean, they could lose the match, I suppose, but
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Speaker 2: I think there's a lot more to gain by putting
2:42
Speaker 2: Ruben Love at ten versus Damien McKinsey. We know we're
2:45
Speaker 2: doing McKenzie and play ten to a very high level man.
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Speaker 2: He's played a number of Test matches this year, but
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Speaker 2: what his performance against Wales is not going to do
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Speaker 2: is convinced Scott Robertson to put him at ten in
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Speaker 2: twenty twenty six. Ruben Love, on the other hand, might
2:59
Speaker 2: be able to do that or at least prove that
3:02
Speaker 2: he can play ten at Test level. So I would
3:05
Speaker 2: have flipped them around. I would have played Rubin Love
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Speaker 2: at ten Damian McKay fifteen. Scott Robinson's talked a lot
3:10
Speaker 2: about this four four four project. Well, basically the all
3:14
Speaker 2: Blacks are in the same position as they were at
3:15
Speaker 2: the end of twenty twenty three, with the first five's
3:17
Speaker 2: that have developed. Boden Barrett's saw there, Damien mackenzie still there, obviously,
3:21
Speaker 2: Richid Moonger is coming back a middle of next year. Well,
3:24
Speaker 2: they still don't have a fourth and we haven't seen
3:26
Speaker 2: Rubin Love get any game time at ten. To me,
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Speaker 2: this felt like an opportunity to put him at ten
3:31
Speaker 2: for this Test match and learned a little bit more
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Speaker 2: about him, and you could have the insurance policy of
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Speaker 2: McKenzie at fifteen if needed, in a bit of a
3:38
Speaker 2: guiding hand. So to be honest, I think that is
3:41
Speaker 2: a missed opportunity for the All Blacks.
3:43
Speaker 3: Well, what it does do is shape the public messaging
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Speaker 3: around Rubin Love as largely lip service, because the All
3:51
Speaker 3: Blacks have said consistently throughout this year that they see
3:53
Speaker 3: him as ten, that they were going to give him
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Speaker 3: game time there and that hasn't happened, not once.
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Speaker 4: So do they actually believe that?
4:03
Speaker 3: And I agree with you in the sense that this
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Speaker 3: feels more like a selection to appeased Damien McKenzie to
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Speaker 3: a degree, you know, reassert the pecking in order and
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Speaker 3: give him some time at ten that he hasn't had
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Speaker 3: this year, rather than really grasp the development opportunity that
4:20
Speaker 3: it could have been for Love. Now, Rubin Love can
4:23
Speaker 3: play ten and fifteen, and I think he's one of
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Speaker 3: the better aerial exponents that the All Blacks do have
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Speaker 3: in that backfield. He has real conviction under the highball
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Speaker 3: when he goes up, a lot of confidence in that
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Speaker 3: and with time and space in the backfield, he can
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Speaker 3: be brilliant. He's good in both positions. But next year,
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Speaker 3: by all accounts, all signs appointing to him going back
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Speaker 3: and playing ten for the Hurricanes, and I believe that's
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Speaker 3: where it's long term futureize. I believe that's where he
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Speaker 3: should be playing. And I agree that this was a
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Speaker 3: great opportunity against a team that's really struggling twelve in
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Speaker 3: the world, so the All Blacks should beat them comfortably.
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Speaker 3: There's not a lot of risk, really, is there And
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Speaker 3: putting rub Belove at ten.
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Speaker 2: No, there's not.
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Speaker 4: And you know, I still got the insurance policy of
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Speaker 4: McKenzie agains.
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Speaker 2: He's there at fifteen, and you know, if he were
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Speaker 2: overly confident, you could have still played Bote and Barret
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Speaker 2: off the bench as well. As it happens they're taking
5:13
Speaker 2: lestifying a Nuku and Sevi Reese onto the bench. We'll
5:16
Speaker 2: get that to the other starting side shortly. But I
5:18
Speaker 2: don't get that from a bench perspective for the All Blacks.
5:22
Speaker 2: List can obviously cover midfield very well. He can also
5:25
Speaker 2: cover the wing. Severest can only cover wing. I just
5:28
Speaker 2: think I'm not sure what sever reesaids from being in
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Speaker 2: Jersey twenty three or twenty two. What everyone he's been
5:34
Speaker 2: put in for this match. I don't get that selection,
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Speaker 2: especially when you've already got wing cover on the bench.
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Speaker 3: Yeah, I think Sevu Finlay Christie, those who guys in
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Speaker 3: particular are not going to be part of the Alburks
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Speaker 3: long term plans and so they feel like wasted opportunities, stagnation,
5:54
Speaker 3: a lack of progression, insurance policies that perhaps don't need
5:58
Speaker 3: to be there. We saw Seevo go back and play
6:00
Speaker 3: one game for the All Blacks. Fifteen calib Tonguey Towel
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Speaker 3: came in and played. Sorry trained with the All Blacks.
6:07
Speaker 3: You've got guys like Shaffi Hackey and Ammonia at an
6:13
Speaker 3: Hour who will come back into the frame in a
6:15
Speaker 3: big way next year. On the right wing. Those guys
6:17
Speaker 3: to me are the future, not Sevi rees. So yeah,
6:21
Speaker 3: it's giving a guy game time to appease him because
6:23
Speaker 3: he's been on tour and hasn't appeared yet.
6:25
Speaker 2: Well, I just don't see Sevris getting to the twenty
6:27
Speaker 2: twenty seven World Cup. Now I get his on tour.
6:29
Speaker 2: I don't think he should have be sicked in the
6:30
Speaker 2: first place, and I think we had this discussion way
6:33
Speaker 2: back when the squad was selected. You know, I wouldn't
6:37
Speaker 2: be surprised if and I've got nothing to back this up,
6:38
Speaker 2: by the way, but I would be surprised if sev
6:40
Speaker 2: Rees plays one last season for the Crusaders then heads
6:43
Speaker 2: off to an overseas deal.
6:45
Speaker 4: I think that would probably be in his best entry.
6:47
Speaker 2: He's fallen way down the picking order. We started a
6:48
Speaker 2: number of games this year for the All Blacks and
6:51
Speaker 2: then was not wanted. I just don't see him, so
6:54
Speaker 2: I don't get the point of that on the bench.
6:56
Speaker 2: In fact, I would have probably gone with a six
6:58
Speaker 2: to two, experimented a little bit. I think this was
7:00
Speaker 2: the game to try and do it. You could have
7:02
Speaker 2: loaded up with another loose forward. I know they've got
7:04
Speaker 2: an end a few injuries there with Peter Luckey out
7:06
Speaker 2: with carf Eshue, so they've got crushed Leo William there.
7:09
Speaker 2: But maybe look at a Sex two and how you know,
7:11
Speaker 2: we saw a bit of Leroy Carter there that are training,
7:13
Speaker 2: actually taking a few reps at half back. It appeared,
7:17
Speaker 2: you know, he's played their NPC level Sex two. Little
7:21
Speaker 2: bit risky, yes, but I would like to see this
7:23
Speaker 2: All Blacks team take a few more risks when it
7:26
Speaker 2: comes to worth, the game plan and their selections.
7:29
Speaker 4: Yeah, this was the game to do it right.
7:31
Speaker 3: Not no disrespect to Wales, but no, but just given
7:35
Speaker 3: where they're at. They beat Japan by one point last
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Speaker 3: week and so when the All Blacks played Japan, they'd
7:42
Speaker 3: roll out a similar team. So you should be viewing
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Speaker 3: Wales in a similar light. What about Rico at center
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Speaker 3: Because the start of this year, Scott Robertson made the
7:54
Speaker 3: call to break up that long established partnership that of
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Speaker 3: Jeordie Barrett and ricco one that had been the first
8:00
Speaker 3: choice midfield basically for the best part of three years
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Speaker 3: for the All Blacks. He puts Rico on the wing,
8:06
Speaker 3: he plays I think it's five tests on the wing,
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Speaker 3: then falls out of favor. Reco at the end of
8:12
Speaker 3: this year, of course, is going for six months to
8:15
Speaker 3: Irish club Leinster, following Jordi Barrett's footsteps, but having played
8:18
Speaker 3: them all year on the wing a couple of matches
8:21
Speaker 3: off the bench, he's now starting at center alongside another
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Speaker 3: veteran midfielder, Anton Lena Brown. It just feels like a
8:30
Speaker 3: real state of flux, doesn't it that center position in particular.
8:33
Speaker 2: Well, again, the you know, could have gone with a
8:38
Speaker 2: bit more adventure when they selected the squad. To me though,
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Speaker 2: it probably signals that they haven't found what they're looking
8:46
Speaker 2: for at center this year. For the All Blacks, they
8:49
Speaker 2: had Billy Proctor there for a number of test matches,
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Speaker 2: including who's returned there last week. It's not working with
8:55
Speaker 2: Billy Proctor. He's got time and space at a test
8:59
Speaker 2: level that he does not being afforded. Sorry, it's not
9:02
Speaker 2: being for the team time and space. He gets a
9:04
Speaker 2: super agulay level at test level. Would like to see
9:07
Speaker 2: more from Jordi Barrat and quins a pie where you
9:09
Speaker 2: only saw that in the one game. Really with Jordi
9:13
Speaker 2: Baric going off early against Ireland the next test, it
9:15
Speaker 2: was tried firing an Nooku into Pier and jury's out
9:18
Speaker 2: For me, so feels like they've just gone a full
9:21
Speaker 2: circle and ended up where they started or ended last
9:24
Speaker 2: year and gone Actually, Rico, you might not be so
9:26
Speaker 2: bad a center after all.
9:28
Speaker 3: Well, what happens if Rico comes out this weekend plays
9:30
Speaker 3: out of his skin. It doesn't necessarily need to score tries,
9:34
Speaker 3: but he sets up a couple, makes a lot of
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Speaker 3: line breaks defense brilliantly. Is that a statement performance.
9:41
Speaker 2: It's hard to know because, again, with all due respect
9:44
Speaker 2: to Wales, the All Blacks are in a no win
9:46
Speaker 2: situation this weekend. If they don't win well, you know
9:50
Speaker 2: the the hounds will be circling. If they do win well,
9:54
Speaker 2: they are expected to So it's no win and for
9:57
Speaker 2: a lot of these players trying to make statements. Again,
10:00
Speaker 2: you'll have the asterisk that Jarro SAT's only against the
10:03
Speaker 2: twelfth best team in the world. But look, it could
10:06
Speaker 2: be an opportunity for Rico. You won, his distribution always
10:08
Speaker 2: been the question out of center. Defensively, he is very
10:11
Speaker 2: very good if he is setting up his outsides, if
10:15
Speaker 2: he's pulling the strings in that midfield position, then he
10:19
Speaker 2: just does change a little bit and then he's going
10:21
Speaker 2: obviously as you mentioned to Leinster, where potentially he gets
10:26
Speaker 2: some more opportunities in midfield maybe or maybe he's on
10:28
Speaker 2: the wing, but regardless, it probably leaves the year on
10:31
Speaker 2: a pretty good note for Rico Yuani. So I think
10:34
Speaker 2: he's got a bit to game this weekend potentially if things.
10:36
Speaker 3: Go well, So it's an opportunity that he's been craving,
10:39
Speaker 3: isn't it, and he needs to take it because lenks
10:44
Speaker 3: there will be a different experience to be out of
10:46
Speaker 3: his comfort zone. But he has been on the answer
10:49
Speaker 3: and that's an interesting place for an eighty seven test
10:53
Speaker 3: veteran to be. It's not normal. So yeah, he needs
11:00
Speaker 3: a statement performance to say to Scott Robinson, I need
11:03
Speaker 3: to remain in your thinking.
11:04
Speaker 2: Well, let's go move in one spot in Antonine Brown
11:07
Speaker 2: because he is at second five this week. He's had
11:12
Speaker 2: the odd injury here and there. He's also going on
11:15
Speaker 2: sabbatical to Japan, so we won't see him in Super
11:18
Speaker 2: Rugby next year.
11:19
Speaker 3: But there's a few of them. They aren't there because
11:21
Speaker 3: Ardie Severe goes to Japan. Scott Barrett's gonna miss the
11:23
Speaker 3: majority of Super Rugby actual sabbatical.
11:26
Speaker 2: Yeah, yeah, so he's got a chance this weekend. Antony
11:30
Speaker 2: let Brown, who's that personally, I think is an interesting
11:33
Speaker 2: point in his career because I think the time to
11:37
Speaker 2: nail a starting spot regularly for anton Lea Brown might
11:41
Speaker 2: have passed him by now. So what does he still
11:43
Speaker 2: bring to this all blacks environment? So I think it's
11:45
Speaker 2: a big test for him this week too.
11:47
Speaker 3: It is because he's third choice second five, and who knows,
11:54
Speaker 3: you've got so many different options at center, and the
11:59
Speaker 3: vast majority of his tests, certainly in my memory, have
12:03
Speaker 3: been off the bench in recent times because he can
12:05
Speaker 3: cover second in center and not everyone can do that.
12:08
Speaker 3: So look, I think if you cast their head to
12:11
Speaker 3: next year, I think we probably will see. If you
12:14
Speaker 3: think a first choice All Black midfield right now, you
12:16
Speaker 3: would say Jordi Barrett at twelve and either Quintipyre or
12:20
Speaker 3: Estifying a looker at thirteen, and one of those guys
12:22
Speaker 3: probably sits on the bench. So as it stands, Lennard,
12:25
Speaker 3: Brown and Awani aren't in that first choice twenty three picture.
12:31
Speaker 3: How much of a stock can you put in a
12:34
Speaker 3: performance against Wales? Not too sure, but you take your
12:38
Speaker 3: chances where they are. I do really like that the
12:41
Speaker 3: back three for the All Blacks Caleb Clark returns Love
12:44
Speaker 3: at fullback and Jordan on the right wing. I think
12:48
Speaker 3: Jordan on the right wing is still a very viable option.
12:51
Speaker 3: He plays exceptionally well there for the All Blacks, always scores, try,
12:54
Speaker 3: is always highly involved gets The roaming Commission hasn't been
12:57
Speaker 3: great under the high ball. Maybe that takes a little
13:00
Speaker 3: bit of pressure off him being on the wing as
13:02
Speaker 3: opposed to fullback. So I do like that complexion. You've
13:05
Speaker 3: got a one power wing. I like that element of
13:09
Speaker 3: this team. It does feel like it should be a
13:12
Speaker 3: viable option.
13:13
Speaker 2: Good Bobby, absolutely, and you know it's going to be
13:16
Speaker 2: interesting to see how Ruben Love adapts to that fullback
13:20
Speaker 2: role because as you said, probably more of a ten
13:23
Speaker 2: release will get game time at ten. So with a
13:25
Speaker 2: down the track, he can still drop back to fifteen.
13:27
Speaker 2: But that tends to be what New Zealanders in recent
13:30
Speaker 2: times anyway, have that multiple skilled, multily faceted a ten
13:34
Speaker 2: to fifteen ability to drop back we needed in team selections.
13:38
Speaker 2: So yeah, I think it's a big opportunity for Ruben Love.
13:41
Speaker 2: That have been few and far between for him this year.
13:45
Speaker 4: This is fourth appearance for the All Blacks basically in
13:47
Speaker 4: two years.
13:48
Speaker 2: Yeah, he got what came off the bench in Wellington
13:52
Speaker 2: earlier in the year against South Africa in a game
13:53
Speaker 2: that was dead and it's.
13:55
Speaker 4: Not going to get any easier for him when Richie
13:57
Speaker 4: Moarner comes.
13:58
Speaker 2: No, but what may happen is he may get a
13:59
Speaker 2: lot of game time when we were casting him quite
14:02
Speaker 2: significantly now But and the tour matches, the tour matches
14:04
Speaker 2: next year, and that could be a chance for him
14:06
Speaker 2: to really play some ten. But again what he you're
14:09
Speaker 2: struggling to put your test claims forward when you're playing
14:11
Speaker 2: against the balls of Stormers, et cetera.
14:13
Speaker 3: Yeah, they are opportunities though, like you say, two other
14:16
Speaker 3: guys you spoke to Wallace the tit today I spoke
14:20
Speaker 3: to Mighty Williams, two guys that haven't had the best
14:25
Speaker 3: years compared to their their last seasons. Last year Wallace
14:29
Speaker 3: was well breakthrough player of the Year last year All
14:31
Speaker 3: Blacks Player of the Year to Mighty Williams finished the
14:34
Speaker 3: year as the first choice lucid prop and as this year,
14:38
Speaker 3: slipped back into a bench roll. So again in the
14:41
Speaker 3: context of Wales, but important for those guys in a
14:45
Speaker 3: starting role.
14:46
Speaker 2: Yeah, I think with Wallace speaking to him today, I
14:48
Speaker 2: think it's a realization, you know, an acceptance from him
14:52
Speaker 2: that he hasn't been at the same level he was
14:54
Speaker 2: at last year, but also feels that, you know, maybe
14:57
Speaker 2: there's a bit of a target on his back, you know,
14:59
Speaker 2: compared to you can't go under the radar like he
15:01
Speaker 2: probably did last year, and you boost onto the scene
15:03
Speaker 2: and it's you know, the defenses know what you're going
15:06
Speaker 2: to bring and can prepare for the more accordingly. So yeah,
15:10
Speaker 2: I think he's still getting his head around that, but
15:12
Speaker 2: I think it's a big chance for him. He's sort
15:13
Speaker 2: of flitted between bench rolls this year and blind side
15:17
Speaker 2: and number eight, so big opportunity for him and obviously
15:21
Speaker 2: to Mighty Williams as well. You know, it felt like that,
15:24
Speaker 2: you know these Lucy Propp was at his will, was
15:28
Speaker 2: at his feet into last year. We thinking of the
15:31
Speaker 2: group taking a back seat. Well, feels like even De
15:34
Speaker 2: Groot's got one back on him this year. So big
15:36
Speaker 2: test for them. And also I just want to put
15:38
Speaker 2: out Simon Parker, big test for him this week. He
15:41
Speaker 2: hasn't really nailed that blind side role. He's played some
15:45
Speaker 2: big Test matches and what I mean by that is
15:48
Speaker 2: he hasn't had a soft landing when it comes to
15:50
Speaker 2: Test matches. He started against Argentina and Buenos Aires, he
15:54
Speaker 2: played South Africa, He's played right through this tour, so
15:59
Speaker 2: he has had not Test matches where you can build
16:03
Speaker 2: into it and get some soft landings against some lesser opponents.
16:07
Speaker 2: Has been balls to the wall for Simon Parker, so
16:10
Speaker 2: big Test match for him too.
16:11
Speaker 3: Yeah, and I think it is important for the All
16:12
Speaker 3: black Ford pack to really stamp their authority this weekend.
16:16
Speaker 3: We had dinner last night with a BBC colleagues didn't
16:19
Speaker 3: when and their view was this is one of the
16:21
Speaker 3: weakest Welsh back rows in history and when you think
16:25
Speaker 3: of previous iterations the Sam Warburton, Toby Foalatao Lydiot. Yeah,
16:30
Speaker 3: they've had some great loose Fords in their time. So
16:34
Speaker 3: for a guy like Simon Parker really is important that
16:36
Speaker 3: he is physical on both sides of the ball and
16:40
Speaker 3: really stamps as Mark christianly.
16:41
Speaker 2: I will he gets chunks on the bench as well.
16:43
Speaker 2: With Peter Luckye out with the carf injury as well,
16:45
Speaker 2: I think we might have seen Peter Baby come off
16:47
Speaker 2: the bench potentially if it wasn't for Christian Leo Willy
16:51
Speaker 2: being ruled out. As you mentioned on Wales, what do
16:54
Speaker 2: we expect from them, It's really hard to know whether
16:59
Speaker 2: that went against Japan will boost their confidence. But they've
17:02
Speaker 2: got New Zealand this week, they've got South Africa next week.
17:04
Speaker 2: Could be a tough couple of weeks. And also they
17:07
Speaker 2: don't have their foreign players will foreign bass players next
17:10
Speaker 2: week because it's outside the international windows. So for some
17:15
Speaker 2: Steve Tndy and co. It's a big test match.
17:18
Speaker 3: Huge, that's a brutal tests scheduled to end the year.
17:23
Speaker 3: The All Blacks are still ranked number two, so the
17:26
Speaker 3: top two ranked teams in the world to finish the
17:28
Speaker 3: year for a team that's really starting to starting at
17:33
Speaker 3: the start line of their rebuild. New coach trying to
17:39
Speaker 3: bring a team together. Look, I think Whales will be spirited,
17:42
Speaker 3: They'll be competitive to a point, but any other result
17:48
Speaker 3: but the All Blacks by twenty plus points would probably
17:52
Speaker 3: be disappointed. Yeah, I think it would be Argentina put
17:54
Speaker 3: fifty on them a couple of weeks ago.
17:56
Speaker 2: Yeah, and that's gonna be about benchmark and the comparison,
17:59
Speaker 2: isn't it for this All Blacks performance this weekend? So
18:02
Speaker 2: you can catch a live commentary course on News talk
18:04
Speaker 2: Zbig Gold Sport and iHeartRadio of that game on four
18:08
Speaker 2: am Sunday morning. You can also catch all the analysis
18:11
Speaker 2: the metroports, et cetera from the New Zealand Herald website.
18:14
Speaker 2: So before we wrap up Player of the Year nominee
18:17
Speaker 2: World Rugby announced earlier in the week and almost in
18:22
Speaker 2: all South African benefit Ox and chair their prop Malcolm
18:26
Speaker 2: Marx and Peter sift Toy so three spring Box forwards
18:30
Speaker 2: alongside the French winger Louis blbre So three out of
18:35
Speaker 2: four am band for South Africa. Are you surprised be
18:38
Speaker 2: any of those nominations them?
18:39
Speaker 4: Do you like them? But underwhelmed?
18:41
Speaker 3: To be honest, I think the spring Box fully deserving
18:44
Speaker 3: of having three in there. But I think Peter stef
18:49
Speaker 3: to Toy and Malcolm Marx have had better years in
18:51
Speaker 3: recent years. I can't remember them necessarily having massive standout
18:55
Speaker 3: performances consistently. I'm happy to see a prop on there
19:00
Speaker 3: that they've been shafted over the years. Ox Niche is
19:05
Speaker 3: the world's best scrummager, so I think it's nice to
19:08
Speaker 3: see that recognition. But and I know that some of
19:10
Speaker 3: these guys didn't necessarily play as much. But I think
19:15
Speaker 3: Sasha Feinberg, he's been very influential for the spring Box.
19:21
Speaker 3: I think Artie Severe has been very good when he's
19:23
Speaker 3: captains the All Blacks cam Royguards. Even guys like Will
19:27
Speaker 3: Skelton to a degree hasn't played enough, but those guys
19:31
Speaker 3: rarely stand out in my mind in terms of having
19:35
Speaker 3: huge influential impact.
19:38
Speaker 4: What about you, Yeah.
19:39
Speaker 2: I think you're right. It feels like sometimes the World
19:43
Speaker 2: Rugby Awards are sort of suspended six to twelve months
19:47
Speaker 2: late from some of the selections that they make. I
19:52
Speaker 2: mean Ox and Jip absolutely, but I agree. I mean
19:55
Speaker 2: Malcolm Marx sort of faded a little bit in the
19:58
Speaker 2: middle of the year and then came back strongly on
20:01
Speaker 2: the end of year tour. Peter Steff magnificent throughout his career,
20:06
Speaker 2: but I'm not sure this has been his special or
20:09
Speaker 2: he's really stood up. I agree about Sasha. If I'm
20:11
Speaker 2: being Gonezula, I would have had him on the short
20:13
Speaker 2: list for sure. I think there's other players, you know.
20:16
Speaker 2: You look at a Jci Creole, for example, who his
20:19
Speaker 2: career looked cooked a couple of years ago, come back
20:22
Speaker 2: really strongly and playing some really good rugby. Tom Curry,
20:26
Speaker 2: I thought he had a really good line series would
20:29
Speaker 2: be in the mix for me. George Ford even Yeah,
20:33
Speaker 2: so I think it's I think quite subscribe to. I mean,
20:40
Speaker 2: I think three bocks well deserving of dominating the shortlist,
20:43
Speaker 2: but I'm not sure that actually the right players in there,
20:45
Speaker 2: but yeah, it's it is good to see the props rewarded.
20:49
Speaker 2: Tiger Furlong probably had a claims a few years ago
20:52
Speaker 2: to being in there.
20:52
Speaker 4: It was overlooked.
20:55
Speaker 2: And so this is the thing for me with will
20:56
Speaker 2: the Raby Awards is that, yeah, they've obviously looked overlook
20:59
Speaker 2: props for twenty five years.
21:01
Speaker 4: It's a year two late or too.
21:02
Speaker 2: Yeah. And then the breakthrough player of the year is
21:05
Speaker 2: often only from sort of Tier one nations And I
21:08
Speaker 2: get why to an extent, because you know, you break through,
21:11
Speaker 2: you're going to get more attention, et cetera. But I'm
21:14
Speaker 2: not sure he's entirely eligible. But the Japanese fallbacker is
21:17
Speaker 2: not yet playing professional rugby, is still at university. I
21:20
Speaker 2: think it's hisaki, very very good player. He is looks
21:24
Speaker 2: like the goods at test level and one of the
21:28
Speaker 2: better players in this current proper players. He would have
21:30
Speaker 2: been worthy of inclusion for me, but not to be
21:34
Speaker 2: skimmission to see where there will go. It is Fabian Holan's
21:37
Speaker 2: up for it. Henry Pollock as well, Joseph Kauso so
21:40
Speaker 2: elite in the mix, so it's gonna be fascinating to
21:44
Speaker 2: see whereabouts it all lands alongside Ethan Hooker of South Africa.
21:49
Speaker 3: Yeah, I think I like that collection of players. I
21:51
Speaker 3: think they're all fully deserving. So Lee has had a
21:54
Speaker 3: great year, but I think that wallaby Is have struggled
21:56
Speaker 3: at the back end of the season. They'd be a
21:58
Speaker 3: real ground swell around. Henry Pollock because of his character
22:01
Speaker 3: as much as anything else.
22:02
Speaker 2: But hasn't played a lot of Test rugby.
22:04
Speaker 3: Largely comes off the bench. So for me, Fabian ones
22:07
Speaker 3: that hands down. He has come and not on it.
22:10
Speaker 3: It's obviously his rookie year, but he's played eighty minutes
22:14
Speaker 3: so often and made it look reasonably easy at times,
22:18
Speaker 3: carried a heavy load for the All Blacks, and his
22:20
Speaker 3: backstory about where he's come from and you know, the
22:24
Speaker 3: posters on the wall and all those sorts of things.
22:26
Speaker 4: It's a great story.
22:27
Speaker 3: But he's taken a Test rugby like he belonged from
22:30
Speaker 3: the outset.
22:31
Speaker 4: So for me, he wons that award.
22:32
Speaker 2: Yeah, I tend to agree. I mean, he's looked outstanding
22:35
Speaker 2: in every match he played and it was interesting to
22:37
Speaker 2: hear Scott robertson Saturday that the probably missed him his
22:39
Speaker 2: body type everything last week and this will be his
22:43
Speaker 2: twelfth test of thirteen for the year. I only missed
22:45
Speaker 2: that test against the English had took in him. So
22:48
Speaker 2: he's had a big old workload, as have we on
22:52
Speaker 2: this tour. And that'll be the last Rugby Direct until
22:56
Speaker 2: we get back to New Zealand and probably until early December.
22:58
Speaker 2: We're backing your feeds to wrap up the years, so
23:00
Speaker 2: nothing specifically to wrap up this test match. We've got planes,
23:03
Speaker 2: trains and automobiles to catch and head back home and
23:07
Speaker 2: the little bit of downtime before we get back into
23:09
Speaker 2: the rug better X studio limb.
23:11
Speaker 3: It's been a great tour, always a pleasure with the
23:13
Speaker 3: earl it but getting a bit head off for home for.
23:17
Speaker 2: Home look it up Hurrah Welsh So where we learned
23:23
Speaker 2: last night over a couple of beverages and dinner from
23:27
Speaker 2: the Welsh.
23:28
Speaker 4: Colleagues, the great spot of Cardiff.
23:30
Speaker 2: Absolutely right, It's it's been a pleasure to bring you
23:33
Speaker 2: rug Director over the course of the tour. Thanks to
23:36
Speaker 2: last and Bars English for pulling it all together. As
23:37
Speaker 2: I said, we'll be back early December with a couple
23:39
Speaker 2: of pods or one, so to wrap up the year,
23:42
Speaker 2: by which point probably will know the all blacks pool
23:46
Speaker 2: for the twenty twenty seven Rugby World Cup that is
23:48
Speaker 2: on December the third, So maybe we convene after that
23:52
Speaker 2: cast ahead to twenty twenty seven.
23:54
Speaker 4: Tonga and Italy short odds.
23:56
Speaker 2: Yeah, who else? Well, I don't think I was going
23:59
Speaker 2: to Fiji in Australia all in their pool. They teend
24:01
Speaker 2: to get drawn together. England gets Argentina a fair bit,
24:04
Speaker 2: so we'll see what happens. I'm sure they'll How about
24:07
Speaker 2: this all blacks wallabes in pool.
24:10
Speaker 4: Play would be a better spice. Thing's nice.
24:13
Speaker 2: Mix the balls correctly, you know, they do it fee
24:15
Speaker 2: for you know, they you know, make sure that all
24:17
Speaker 2: the tolato. Yeah, you know there's a it's it's you know,
24:21
Speaker 2: not rigged, but it certainly you know, look their way.
24:24
Speaker 2: You know, imagine Rugby World Cup organizers would love that
24:28
Speaker 2: if they get that match up anyway. That'll do us
24:30
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24:38
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