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"Sir John Kirwan REACTS: Dave Rennie's FIRST All Blacks Team Named! | Rivals Special" · Rugby Rivals - Sir John Kirwan & Victor Matfield

• 0:01
  Right, welcome to a Rugby Rivals special. We've got the All Black team out and Dave Rennie's first team in charge.
• 0:08
  And JK, what are your thoughts? And I haven't invited Victor to this little meeting, so you can talk to him separately about his Springbok side so we can start this rivalry straight away, mate, please. That's all good. Yeah, look, I think it's well balanced and I think there is some risk taken, some respect to what they said. They're going to pick players on form.
• 0:32
  And so, you know, I think the start with the locks, which Victor will probably be able to comment on, I think we've got a couple of big tour locks. Josh Lord really sort of matured last year on that Northern Tour. I thought he did well. Obviously, Sam Darry, you know, has had a good season and he's been working really hard on his physicality. So I think line out there, that's really interesting. Obviously, the front row, I don't need to comment to about. They're very good. Can I just pick you up on the locks? I just pick you up on the locks. So, yeah, Sam Darry, Josh Lord, but you've got –
• 1:01
  Patrick Topolotto on the bench, do you think there would have been a temptation to pick him to start just for his experience?
• 1:09
  I think you need some experience coming off the bench as well, Ricardo, in that position. You know, if you're coming down to the wire, you need to win those line outs. Patrick has become an incredibly good impact player as well. So what you're going to get late in the game is you're going to get leadership from Patrick. He'll be also part of the line out calling. Now I don't know who's calling the line outs, where the locks are, where some of the loose forwards are, but I presume one of the locks will take that responsibility.
• 1:34
  You know, with Tupovai being injured, he's also an amazing line-out caller. So that would have been something to take into consideration. So I think Patrick coming on late is really wise. You're gonna have a wise head coming on. He'll sort out some of the problems, but also carry hard, which is important.
• 1:50
  So the big talking point at 10, you picked it. Ruben loves this stuff. No, no, Ricardo, you can't jump straight to 10. There's another very important point to talk about. That's the loose forwards and the balance of the loose forwards. I understand the Luke Jacobson selection, because if you're going to play Peter Lakai and obviously Ardy, you've got two really great ball carriers and quite loose, but you're going to need a Sam Cain type player. And I think that's where Jacobson really comes into his own. You know, he works hard.
• 2:18
  although they've named it at seven, don't expect him to be playing the traditional seven. He'll get in there, you know, make his tackles, do the dirty work, son, do the dirty work so we can loosen the other two up. So Dave Rennie said, don't get confused by the numbers on their backs. Those days are gone, mate.
• 2:37
  Yeah. Those days are gone, you know? So it'll be about who works in the tight, who's carrying a bit wider. You know, hopefully with those two guys, Peter Larkai probably needs to do the balance. And then we need to free Artie up to be really making those impactful runs that he can. Right. Can we get to the backs now? Yeah, go for it. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.
• 3:01
  Yeah, I'm happy. I think that Ruben has deserved it on form, and Dave Rennie said he was going to pick on form. So I think he's done a majority of that, and I understand why he hasn't done it in some of the positions. So, yeah, I think Ruben needs to get his opportunity. You also start building your depth there. Yeah.
• 3:20
  Dave Rennes said in the press conference he was happy with the way he ran the team because a lot of us look at the ability of the man, and he's got the ability, but it's actually the ability to run the game plan, order people around, be confident. You know, he needs to be however old, he's 25 going on 50. Interesting, you know, when you talk to Foxy, Ruben had been identified four or five years ago as someone who they were looking at to dominate at 10.
• 3:46
  and he had a few injuries and stuff. So, yeah, I think we've got to do that. I probably would have put Bowden on the bench to cover that, but what he's probably saying is if I get injury at 15, I've got Jordan to cover fullback. McGinsey can go to 10, so he's got a few options, but I do think we're a little bit light on the bench as far as, yeah, I probably would have put Bowden, but.
• 4:08
  I get that accommodation and I think it's a safe bet to put Ruben in when you've got Cam on his inside and Geordie on his outside and they've played the last 25 games together and won a championship so yep, that's pretty cool Can I be with the midfield? Yeah, midfield I think, you know
• 4:29
  Quinn's been playing incredibly well. Geordie's come back and played in some form. You've got guys can cover both positions. That's when you start thinking about, OK, what about the mix on the bench? Because I think Feher on the bench...
• 4:45
  does he cover any other positions? Very rarely now that you get a winger specialist. So obviously you've got Proctor who can cover both those positions and then if Fehe can only cover wing, that's interesting. I don't know enough about Fehe and his background, so he might be able to cover centre as well and he might be able to cover both wings. So...
• 5:05
  I don't think, I mean, we haven't seen him really at centre and, you know, to not have that game time and then expect to go into a test match, I don't really, I can't see him being an option there. No, exactly, which is when you look at the bench, you look at nervousness, right? You think, where am I nervous?
• 5:22
  And when you've got Ratama, obviously only covers that, Proctor and Fehe, Finangahfu, Nafu. I need to make sure I pronounce that properly. Sorry, Fehe, if I got that wrong. Next time I see you, you can tell me Finangahfu. Tell me if I'm right or wrong. No, Fehe can tell me if I'm right or wrong. So I want to get that right. But he's had an amazing season. And if the game goes well, we can bring him on pretty early and just free him up.
• 5:48
  So I think the only thing people will say, well, okay, you're going to pick on form, so what about Will Jordan? And Will Jordan deserves his spot as an All Black because of what he's performed in the past. This guy is a world-class player, X-Factor player, can cut the game open at any moment.
• 6:05
  And I think one of the things that Graham Henry and Steve Hansen did, they said, if you've proved yourself as an All Black and you're coming back from injury, we will take that into account. So I'm expecting Will to have a big one. And I think the same goes for Damien McKenzie. People on the street are sort of saying, well, was he in form? Well, he probably didn't have the best final he wanted to have, but he's a world-class fullback. And he's proved that for the All Blacks.
• 6:35
  We do that. And you've got to find the balance. Put Caleb Clark out there. As you know, he's had a really good couple of seasons. So I'm okay with it. And then finish that off with, you know, the Numia having his debut as well. I think if we can get through the game, win it well, and get those guys on, then we're in good shape. We've got a whole Hurricanes front row to come on. You know, so, you know, they've got that combination.
• 7:02
  Yeah, exactly. And I think those things are important. And look, what you've got to realize is that when you have a selection committee, so there'll be three of them, and you'll have someone like, you know, the senior night, Ted, he will sit in a meeting and it'll be a real meeting.
• 7:20
  you know, so I wouldn't say there'd be compromise in the selection meeting, but they will be, you know, looking after their own turf and putting their own proposals first. And Dave Rennie has to make that decision, but they're not bloody easy meetings with those two men. So you got Barnsey and Sir Ted in a room with you as head selector, and they're not going to take a step back, and that's what Dave Rennie will want.
• 7:45
  So it's Dave's final decision, but he will be listening to those men because that's why they're by his side. So that's what I'm trying to say. You've had Ted in a similar sort of role, and he is not someone that sits quietly in the corner. No way, and you don't want him for that. And you've got to have...
• 8:02
  You've got to have, like, he won't give up either. You might win the first battle, but if he really believes in it, he's going to stay awake all night and then turn up with some video the next morning to prove his point. But that's what you want, and that's the beauty of the man. And you just need to be strong, which Dave Rennie is. So I think first test match, like I said, you know, I'm a super Bowdoin Barrett fan because I just think he's got X factor. But we know what he can deliver, and it's going to be a long season. So I think...
• 8:29
  Yeah, I'm really happy with this team. And now they've got to get out and perform, which I think is the next step.
• 8:35
  It's an interesting situation because you've got a coach. Obviously, he's been coaching overseas for a long time. You know, Dave really coached at the Chiefs, so he knows a couple of them. He's coached Artie and Anton at Kobe. But he's just getting to know a lot of these guys. He knows them as players on what he's seen on live and what he's seen on film and stuff. But actually getting to know them as people, I mean, that's an unusual situation, isn't it?
• 9:03
  Yeah, and if I'm a player and you know that, you know that this is probably going to be one of the big test matches of your life. Sam Derry, you know, Josh Lord, he is going to be, he might know Josh a little bit from the Chiefs, but he's gonna be judging you character-wise, you know, he's gonna wanna see why he put faith in you,
• 9:24
  You know, he's going to have no issues with Will Jordan. He's going to have no issues with McKenzie because he knows they're front up. But some of the other guys are now, he'll want a certain character and a certain man out there. It's not going to depend totally on how good you are because, like you said, he's got 34 great players to pick from. But it'll be, man, I need you to deliver for me this weekend because it's my first Test match as well.
• 9:46
  And so he'll be looking at attitude. He'll be looking at preparation. He'll be looking at how tough you are when it gets, when it gets tough during the test match. He'll be looking for critical moments in the game. You know, when I talk about X factor and I talk about will Jordan McKenzie, when I talk about, especially boat and Barrett, cause I'll go back to that game when he came on again, South Africa, was it a few years ago? And,
• 10:07
  or was it England and changed the game? You know, when I talk about X Factor at that level, it's those guys that you know are going to set up. So he'll be looking for that in other players as well. Yeah, it's fascinating because, you know, I mean, France has got,
• 10:21
  You know, such an incredible competition in the top 14. And there's obviously the guys that are in the final playing. But, you know, I mean, the bulk of the side will probably be from Bordeaux, you know, which is, you know, champions of Europe, you know. So, you know, I mean, this is going to be a good French team. You know, we took them down every year. We got surprised last time, you know, so they're going to be a strong side.
• 10:45
  the french competition is probably the best competition in the world ricardo you know they've got they play too long and the french need to actually start coming to the world party rather than just the french party but um their combination of being privately owned having chairman that say my players are playing but they've actually created this amazing competition um
• 11:07
  with depth right through. They, for me, are one of the World Cup favourites again just because of their depth. I mean, they came down last year and what they so-called their second side was amazing. So this side will be of test match level with lots of combinations coming off a season and they'll be barred up, right? So yeah, don't take them lightly. Take them lightly at your peril.
• 11:32
  Did you just suggest that the French should actually start doing what everyone else is doing? What's the chance of that happening? No, no, I think their season is too long. I think they should carry on poking the finger at world rugby because they've actually proved that their system works. So their TV rights have gone up, their crowds are full, they play a style of game that is really positive at the moment.
• 11:55
  So I'm not saying that. I'm just saying that if we're going to create a world season, then having guys not coming down to the Southern Hemisphere and playing these games because now World Rugby want to create this, what's it called, Ricardo?
• 12:10
  the championship nation's cup right um they're trying to make they're trying to make november and july more important from an international point of view so that we can get more interest get more crowds blah blah blah so the french have to toe the line a wee bit we've got some big test matches you know you've got all blacks france you've got australia ireland you've got um south africa england like there's a real edge to the first weekend of the you know middle of the year
• 12:37
  I got quite excited about it. I'm really looking forward to it. Like my son's over... My son Nico gets married on Sunday. He's the footballer, so he's watching World Cup soccer. But Nico and I, who are probably the rugby guys in the family... Mate, Saturday morning here, 9 o'clock, we've got the Test match. Then at 12 o'clock, I think we've got to lead Japan. And then we've got South Africa, like England, at like 2 o'clock in the afternoon. So we're just going to...
• 13:04
  couch surf for the whole of sad day which is so good because nico gets married on the sunday so because actually we've got a great weekend coming up how good when you said that the people on the street are saying you're actually talking about luca was saying yeah on the street outside all right oh let's see if any of your predictions come true they never do but um let's let's just see and um just i know that you're interviewing victor um
• 13:31
  you know, before separately because we'll probably argue. But there's a bottle of Clipdrift Premium. I'm saying the All Blacks win by 15 points, right? So anything under, then I'll buy him a bottle of Coke to fill with his Clipdrift and he needs to buy for me. He needs to tell me what the Springbok's gonna win for because he's nervous, remember.
• 13:57
  You're nervous, aren't you, Victor? And you're not here to defend yourself. You do know that Clip Drift's our sponsor and we probably don't have to pay for it. That's why I said I'd buy him the Coke to go in it. Okay. You're so generous. Thank you. Thank you. All right. That's the special edition of Rugby Rivals, the John Cohen special.