RWC Week 1: France v All Blacks
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@Duluth said in RWC: France v All Blacks:
Yeah it was the loss to Ireland in Dublin 2021
Nothing to worry about then....
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@MN5 said in RWC: France v All Blacks:
I’m really excited. I’ve been pretty blasé about rugby for quite some time but this cup is so open and exciting. TWO of the top four not making it beyond the quarters ? Sign me up for that controversy and griping.
Was having a similar conversation with my neighbour today. There's no clear favourite and plenty of pitfalls with the likes of Scotland, Samoa & Fiji capable of causing upsets. Should be really entertaining from that angle
We both noticed the lack of media coverage compared to other RWC's - it's been strangely quiet.
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Gatland opines:
Do not be fooled – the All Blacks are coming for the World Cup
Ian Foster’s team have quietly gone about their business – we shall see how far they have come at the Stade de France
"If I know anything about New Zealand rugby, it is that the All Blacks will see the opening game of the Rugby World Cup against France as a golden opportunity to deliver a statement of intent.
Forget the performance against the Springboks at Twickenham recently, this is the game Ian Foster’s side have been targeting since the draw was made. And I expect them to go really hard at Les Bleus.
This is the one pool where there is little doubt that both teams will qualify for the quarter-finals, whatever the result at the Stade de France on Friday night. And at the 2019 World Cup in Japan, South Africa lost 23-13 to New Zealand in their opening pool game and went on to lift the Webb Ellis trophy.
Theoretically that makes the result of the game less important than other opening fixtures, despite the glitz and glamour of what should be a fantastic occasion.
But do not be fooled. The All Blacks will see the fixture as the moment to ramp up the pressure on the hosts, who are strong favourites to win their first World Cup. New Zealand know they can still win the tournament even if they lose, but this is a fixture that provides the opportunity to lay down a psychological marker.
There has been so much hype around Fabien Galthié’s side – and deservedly so by how they have developed a magnificent side over the course of the four-year World Cup cycle. Yet the All Blacks will want to look them in the eye and see if they can handle the pressure.
The French nation is already engaged with the team, there are flags and bunting up across the country, but with that all comes enormous expectation.
Antoine Dupont passes the ball during the France captain's run ahead of their Rugby World Cup France 2023 match against New Zealand at Stade de France on September 07, 2023 in Paris, France
There is probably no team in the world that faces the same kind of pressure of expectation than the All Blacks. Their supporters expect their team to win every game. The bar could not be higher. And when they turn, they turn hard.
When New Zealand lost in the semi-finals of the 1999 World Cup, John Hart, the head coach, was hounded out of his job. The same too for John Mitchell after losing to Australia in the semi-final of the 2003 World Cup.
Ian Foster came under immense pressure last year when the All Blacks lost to Argentina on home soil for the first time and also lost the three-Test series 2-1 to Ireland and their Rugby Championship opener in South Africa.
It was a watershed moment. The semi-final defeat by England in the 2019 World Cup in Japan was seen as a one-off defeat, the defeats last year forced a major rethink.
One of the great strengths of New Zealand rugby has always been their self-belief and confidence to back their own systems and structures. It has been brilliantly successful for them; it is why their all-time win ratio in Test rugby stands at 76 per cent. They back themselves and back what they do.
But I believe last year was the first time they started to consider having a look outside and move beyond the insularity that had worked so successfully to that point.
I noticed it from a coaching perspective when I first went back to New Zealand in 2020 with Waikato Chiefs. A lot of what they were doing was really good, but there is also some fantastic stuff that is happening in the northern hemisphere – innovation and different ideas.
Trying to expose the New Zealand players to that was a bit of a challenge at times because every team had almost become a clone of each other. Every nine defended like Aaron Smith, they all defended at the base of the ruck, they followed the ball and do a lot of the organising.
But the downside to that is that sometimes they can be short on numbers in defence. If you look at Antoine Dupont, he sometimes defends on the short side from a line-out and then stays there and he can end up being four or five out in the defensive line, not defending rucks.
I am not saying one is right or wrong, but it is a different way and is probably one of the things that has made the All Blacks sit up a little bit. Line speed is another, as well as looking at how other teams have beaten the teams the All Blacks have struggled against. I don’t think they have ever gone to that depth before, looking at what works for other teams. It has always been about trusting their own structures before.
Look at how they played against England in 2019. Why on earth would they give England 30 set-piece starter plays from line-out and scrums? That is where their platform is from. But the All Blacks had been doing it to other teams and winning.
But one of the great strengths of New Zealand rugby is that when there is a crisis such as last year, they are very good at getting everyone together and changing quickly. They would have said: “We need to make some tough decisions now and move on.”
The rest of the world tends to procrastinate a little bit and debate things and then they get left behind. The best example of this is when World Rugby or the old International Rugby Board used to introduce new laws in the southern hemisphere for a six-month trial.
We would say ‘thanks very much’ because we had six months to embrace it and take it on and by the time it was introduced into the northern hemisphere they were behind the curve.
Foster’s team, with the addition of former Ireland head coach Joe Schmidt last summer, have quietly gone about their business to get in front of the curve again. We shall see how far they have come at the Stade de France."
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All set...
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Prediction:
ABs win by 10+
Intercept try to ABs (probably by Beauden)
Best Back: Richie (closely followed by Aaron)
Best Forward: Dalton
Man of the Match: Richie -
Righto here at the stadium. Atmosphere iis crazy, all in good spirits. They are setting up for the opening ceremony. It is stupidly hot and humid, phone says 34 degrees, man it is gonna be hellishigly hot and ball will be like soap. Stadium filling up nicely, waiting on beer!
GO BLACK!! -
@Victor-Meldrew Just the one?
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@Jailbreak7 That avatar is brilliant just quietly.
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@sparky said in RWC: France v All Blacks:
@Victor-Meldrew Just the one?
It's 5 litres.... will get me thru the weekend.
EDIT: we're having a mini heatwave and it's currently 26c. TV might move so I can watch while sitting on the balcony.
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https://x.com/elliottnz/status/1700209749214499215?s=46&t=MF_Hhq4rJR6MUmMXU_L3iQ
“Tupou Vaa’i will start at 6 tonight for the All Blacks > Dalton Papalii to open side with Sam Cane ruled out.
Brodie Retallick a late inclusion on the bench.”
Good grief
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@Steven-Harris lol we now don't have enough forward cover on the bebch. The moron's decision to take 5 wingers is looking so inspired...
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@Wurzel said in RWC: France v All Blacks:
https://x.com/elliottnz/status/1700209749214499215?s=46&t=MF_Hhq4rJR6MUmMXU_L3iQ
“Tupou Vaa’i will start at 6 tonight for the All Blacks > Dalton Papalii to open side with Sam Cane ruled out.
Brodie Retallick a late inclusion on the bench.”
Good grief
Vaai leapfrogs Jacobsen into the starting team...Jacobsens versatility counting against him?
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Though I will say, using this as a chance to criticise squad selection is a shade harsh. I think it is undeniable we are at least one short in the loose/lock department, but tough to budget for three going down injured.
Sure, we took Retallick and Narawa injured, but of the original 33, we have had four others go down injured, making for a total of six.
I don't care what anyone says, that is unlucky.
