September 12, 2025 • 9 mins
The All Blacks and South Africa head to Wellington's Sky Stadium following a thriller at Eden Park, where the hosts prevailed 24-17.
Newstalk ZB match commentator Elliott Smith joined Adam Cooper to describe the main talking points from both team camps through the week.
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Our rugby editor and match day commentator, Elliot Smith's been
in town all week for the game. He's been talking
to both teams over the last few days, getting a
sense of where their heads sit ahead of this Test
number two, seven days on from a stunning match at
Eden Park that lived up to nearly all expectations. Morning
to you, Elliott, hope you've had a good week. Careen
(00:23):
willing to mate had a great.
Speaker 2 (00:24):
Week in Wellington, always do and ye is obviously a
real expectation, a real atmosphere building towards tonight's Test match
and whether the All Blacks can regain the Freedom Cup
and take a big leak towards winning the Rugby Championship.
Speaker 1 (00:39):
A lot of narratives heading into last week, of course,
and I guess there might have been a little bit
more interest locally here maybe if the All Blacks had
lost last week or got tested a bit more. What
is the main narrative idea heading into this second matchup
of the series.
Speaker 2 (00:53):
I think the All Blacks it has to be back
it up. They won last week, they beat South Africa
to beat the world champions. With all the edge that
had been building prior to that game, that Eden Park record,
the World champions coming to town, Ardie Saviga's one hundredth
There were so many storylines going into the week this week,
not as many. I want to say, it's just another
(01:15):
rugby game. I mean that with all due respect to
both teams in the occasion that we're going to have tonight,
but there aren't as many of those extra factors going
in this week. It's just purely an All Black Springbox tests,
which on its own is still a big game. So
for the All Blacks, they need to build and find
a way to replicate what they built into last week
and the performance that they were able to deliver and
(01:36):
build on that because it wasn't perfect and it could
have well been a draw by the end of proceedings
if the game had panned out slightly different than those
closing moments. So I think they need to do things
differently from when they went from Quardaba and won that
game and earlier on the Rugby Championship then lost in
Buenos aidre Is and put those lessons into play tonight
at Skyte Stadium.
Speaker 1 (01:56):
How much has been asked of the team during the week,
especially I guess the coaching stuf on that you know,
last twenty minutes. It's not just this game. It's a
regular feature of this All Blacks and a theme, isn't
it falling by the wayside? Almost in last twenty minutes
of games?
Speaker 2 (02:09):
Absolutely, and Scott Robinson's been trying to figure that our
He thought the answer was bolstering the bench. They've gone
and done that, but they're still having some issues. Remember
last year it was minutes sixty or forty to sixty
tho are having trouble scoring points and now it's the
back end of games that they just can't get right.
So it's whatever quarter it is. The All Blacks need
(02:30):
to switch on and be ready. And that's been a
factor this week is that it could have panned out
really differently, and maybe they didn't kick on last week.
You look at the opportunities last week, they probably had
three and took them all. It's been a big factor
from the All Blacks not taking their opportunities last week.
They probably didn't create as many as they would liked,
but they took all the ones they had on the
park and they just weren't able to build Perhaps some
(02:50):
scoreboard pressure when you get to fourteen points, you'd love
it to be seventeen, you get to another penalty goal
or drop well whatever it might be in twenty and
that it's harder and harder for the opposition to come
back into the game. There weren't many of those opportunities
last week, and for the All Blacks, if those opportunities
present themselves tonight to really kick away and drive the
spring box into the ground at Sky Stadium, you'd love
(03:10):
to see them take it.
Speaker 1 (03:11):
How mooted was the dropping of Rico Yowani. How expected
was that? Yeah?
Speaker 2 (03:17):
A little bit expected. It had been pointed out by
Scott Robertson, who's fairly clipped in his remarks prior to
the Eden Park test around what he wanted to see
from Rico Yuwani the opportunity that was in front of him.
Ricco Yuwani made a trice saving hold up play during
the game, but that was probably the most prominent he
was throughout the eighty minutes that he had on the park.
(03:39):
He had a we break down the left hand touch line,
but there weren't too many other opportunities where Rico Yuwani,
you know, put his stamp on the game. So I
think they're probably always going to make a change this week.
My understanding is that Rico Yuani's grandmother has passed away
this week as well, But whether they were always going
to make the change and look at something different this week?
Leroy car you really exciting prospect. Tore it up for
(04:03):
the Chiefs last year, been a really impressive player for
the All Black sevens prior to that point. Has big
game experience played at the Paris Olympics last year which
didn't go overly well for the New Zealand seven side,
but has that experience, So I think that's what the
All blacksiting missing, is a little bit of out and
outpace and that pointed difference. So he gets his opportunity
tonight at Sky Stadium to show what he can do,
(04:24):
you know, coming up against chessling Colby and you know,
a really fascinating matchup there on that touch line.
Speaker 1 (04:29):
Damie McKenzie fifteen versus an impact player off the bench.
How's that debate kind of played out this week? Ye?
Speaker 2 (04:35):
Yeah, I think if the All Blacks had a right
wing though confident in, they might have gone with that
player this week. We know what Will Jordan can do
on the right wing though, so it's an easy switch
with them putting Damien McKenzie back at fullback, and the
domino effect of that means we also get to see
Rubin Love at some point in the game tonight at
a big chance of him on his super Rugby home
turf of Sky Stadium to make an impact there. But
(04:58):
I think you look at the options they had, they
could have moved Rika Yuani, who as I mentioned before,
hasn't always been in camp this week due to other factors.
Caleb Clark has more of a left wing option. Lester
fying Nuku probably could play in the right wing, but
he's only just come into camp and has buy and
large been playing center for the last eighteen months to
two years into lorn so Sevu Reese put him back
(05:18):
to NPC and given him some game time there. So
I think it was more case of what options do
we have as well as wanting to roll out some
of those similar combinations they had last week, remembering that
was the combination they did have for around seventy three
seventy four minutes on the Park and South Africa.
Speaker 1 (05:35):
I know you've spent a lot of time in their
camp during the week as well building up to this.
Have they sort of you know, washed away the disappointment
of last week. Do you feel what's the sort of
energy been?
Speaker 2 (05:44):
Like? Yeah, I think it's been. It's been an interesting
energy from South Africa. Because Russia Rasmus named this team
on Monday night a whole lot of changes. So in
terms of just bring a new energy, he instantly did
that by less than forty eight hours after full time
in Auckland. Going right, here's the team for the weekend.
We're going to make a number of changes. And that
has more dominated the question lines the storylines this week
(06:04):
rather than how do you fix what went wrong at
eden Park? All that intrigue around the number of changes
he's made so smart in terms of, you know, a
media perspective from Russi Erasthmus. Tactically wise, I guess there
are a few more questions around it. Looking at the
back line they've picked, you probably expect that they'll spend
a little bit more time with ball in hand rather
than kick first mentality which we saw last week at
(06:26):
eden Park. I'm not saying they're going to run it
all day at the All Blacks, but certainly with Sasha
Feinberg and Gonzulu at ten rather than Andre Pollard. He's
got a great running game and we'll probably see a
little bit more of that tonight. We'll see maybe a
little bit more of Tony Brown's influence on the way
the spring box attack rather than that aerial contest which
dominated at Eden Park.
Speaker 1 (06:44):
A couple of Wellington based questions for our listeners. Kyle
Preston did he do enough last week to be considered
an option barring injuries?
Speaker 2 (06:52):
Like?
Speaker 1 (06:52):
Could he be a contender of the other half backs
that are fit to be part of the squad.
Speaker 2 (06:55):
I think it's hard to see at this point in time,
just with the number of half backs that are around
New Zealand Rugby. No. I hope I'm starting tonight at
half back. He is the third choice in the squad.
This is his first test start. He's been the camp,
feels like, for quite some time since the middle of
last year, but he's getting his first test start tonight,
so I think, unfortunately for Coyle Preston, he's on the
(07:17):
way up and just needs more game time to impress.
It's clearly something in the All Blacks camp they really
like about him, but probably didn't get enough game time
last week to make them sit up and take notice
and force his way into that top three. I don't
think Finlay Christie did last week in his starting role either.
It was an exemplary job from Finlay Christie, but it
wasn't the kind of performance that would make it go okay.
(07:38):
We've never got a conversation about the top three half
backs in the country on our hands.
Speaker 1 (07:42):
And Billy Proctor, I mean definitely not standing out at
Test level as he does in super rugby. I know, defensively,
probably stronger with his time in the All Blacks so
far this year as well, where as he sat for
you this year.
Speaker 2 (07:54):
I think he's a work in progress. And what I
admire about Scott Robertson and his assistant coaches is that
they're willing to continue with the work in progress because
you're right, he hasn't stood out in his games so
far this season. He's had flashes of brilliants and then
some flashes were go probably not what a Test level
player should be doing on some of the defensive reads,
(08:16):
on some of the plays that he made. There's a
crossfield kick last week that maybe in the twenty two
that probably shouldn't have been made. But they're patient. They
can see I think some signs there that he is developing.
And if you were considering the issues around the All Blacks,
and regardless of what happened last week, there are still
some issues that need to be sorted. I don't think
(08:37):
center is the major issue in the same moment, so
they can afford to give him a little bit more
time find his feet at test level. You know, I
wouldn't say time's running out necessarily, but he will need
at some point to repay the faith that the All
Black selectors have put in him.
Speaker 1 (08:50):
Brilliant. All right, kick off at seven oh five. When
can we hear your build up on newstalks there'd beat tonight.
Speaker 2 (08:54):
He's six o'clock on Newstalk, ZB Gold Sport and iHeartRadio.
We build up Jason Pine getting into things from six
o'clock at sky Stadium. You'll hear from some of the
key players in the game. We'll hear from Scott Robertson
as well in the build up there. We're enter it
from seven o five and never Forget as well, Jason
pinetaking your calls your reaction from full time as well
(09:15):
on eight hundred and eighty ten eighty.
Speaker 1 (09:17):
For more from News Talk sed B listen live on
air or online, and
Speaker 2 (09:21):
Keep our shows with you wherever you go with our
podcasts on iHeartRadio
Our rugby editor and match day commentator, Elliot Smith's been
in town all week for the game. He's been talking
to both teams over the last few days, getting a
sense of where their heads sit ahead of this Test
number two, seven days on from a stunning match at
Eden Park that lived up to nearly all expectations. Morning
to you, Elliott, hope you've had a good week. Careen
(00:23):
willing to mate had a great.
Speaker 2 (00:24):
Week in Wellington, always do and ye is obviously a
real expectation, a real atmosphere building towards tonight's Test match
and whether the All Blacks can regain the Freedom Cup
and take a big leak towards winning the Rugby Championship.
Speaker 1 (00:39):
A lot of narratives heading into last week, of course,
and I guess there might have been a little bit
more interest locally here maybe if the All Blacks had
lost last week or got tested a bit more. What
is the main narrative idea heading into this second matchup
of the series.
Speaker 2 (00:53):
I think the All Blacks it has to be back
it up. They won last week, they beat South Africa
to beat the world champions. With all the edge that
had been building prior to that game, that Eden Park record,
the World champions coming to town, Ardie Saviga's one hundredth
There were so many storylines going into the week this week,
not as many. I want to say, it's just another
(01:15):
rugby game. I mean that with all due respect to
both teams in the occasion that we're going to have tonight,
but there aren't as many of those extra factors going
in this week. It's just purely an All Black Springbox tests,
which on its own is still a big game. So
for the All Blacks, they need to build and find
a way to replicate what they built into last week
and the performance that they were able to deliver and
(01:36):
build on that because it wasn't perfect and it could
have well been a draw by the end of proceedings
if the game had panned out slightly different than those
closing moments. So I think they need to do things
differently from when they went from Quardaba and won that
game and earlier on the Rugby Championship then lost in
Buenos aidre Is and put those lessons into play tonight
at Skyte Stadium.
Speaker 1 (01:56):
How much has been asked of the team during the week,
especially I guess the coaching stuf on that you know,
last twenty minutes. It's not just this game. It's a
regular feature of this All Blacks and a theme, isn't
it falling by the wayside? Almost in last twenty minutes
of games?
Speaker 2 (02:09):
Absolutely, and Scott Robinson's been trying to figure that our
He thought the answer was bolstering the bench. They've gone
and done that, but they're still having some issues. Remember
last year it was minutes sixty or forty to sixty
tho are having trouble scoring points and now it's the
back end of games that they just can't get right.
So it's whatever quarter it is. The All Blacks need
(02:30):
to switch on and be ready. And that's been a
factor this week is that it could have panned out
really differently, and maybe they didn't kick on last week.
You look at the opportunities last week, they probably had
three and took them all. It's been a big factor
from the All Blacks not taking their opportunities last week.
They probably didn't create as many as they would liked,
but they took all the ones they had on the
park and they just weren't able to build Perhaps some
(02:50):
scoreboard pressure when you get to fourteen points, you'd love
it to be seventeen, you get to another penalty goal
or drop well whatever it might be in twenty and
that it's harder and harder for the opposition to come
back into the game. There weren't many of those opportunities
last week, and for the All Blacks, if those opportunities
present themselves tonight to really kick away and drive the
spring box into the ground at Sky Stadium, you'd love
(03:10):
to see them take it.
Speaker 1 (03:11):
How mooted was the dropping of Rico Yowani. How expected
was that? Yeah?
Speaker 2 (03:17):
A little bit expected. It had been pointed out by
Scott Robertson, who's fairly clipped in his remarks prior to
the Eden Park test around what he wanted to see
from Rico Yuwani the opportunity that was in front of him.
Ricco Yuwani made a trice saving hold up play during
the game, but that was probably the most prominent he
was throughout the eighty minutes that he had on the park.
(03:39):
He had a we break down the left hand touch line,
but there weren't too many other opportunities where Rico Yuwani,
you know, put his stamp on the game. So I
think they're probably always going to make a change this week.
My understanding is that Rico Yuani's grandmother has passed away
this week as well, But whether they were always going
to make the change and look at something different this week?
Leroy car you really exciting prospect. Tore it up for
(04:03):
the Chiefs last year, been a really impressive player for
the All Black sevens prior to that point. Has big
game experience played at the Paris Olympics last year which
didn't go overly well for the New Zealand seven side,
but has that experience, So I think that's what the
All blacksiting missing, is a little bit of out and
outpace and that pointed difference. So he gets his opportunity
tonight at Sky Stadium to show what he can do,
(04:24):
you know, coming up against chessling Colby and you know,
a really fascinating matchup there on that touch line.
Speaker 1 (04:29):
Damie McKenzie fifteen versus an impact player off the bench.
How's that debate kind of played out this week? Ye?
Speaker 2 (04:35):
Yeah, I think if the All Blacks had a right
wing though confident in, they might have gone with that
player this week. We know what Will Jordan can do
on the right wing though, so it's an easy switch
with them putting Damien McKenzie back at fullback, and the
domino effect of that means we also get to see
Rubin Love at some point in the game tonight at
a big chance of him on his super Rugby home
turf of Sky Stadium to make an impact there. But
(04:58):
I think you look at the options they had, they
could have moved Rika Yuani, who as I mentioned before,
hasn't always been in camp this week due to other factors.
Caleb Clark has more of a left wing option. Lester
fying Nuku probably could play in the right wing, but
he's only just come into camp and has buy and
large been playing center for the last eighteen months to
two years into lorn so Sevu Reese put him back
(05:18):
to NPC and given him some game time there. So
I think it was more case of what options do
we have as well as wanting to roll out some
of those similar combinations they had last week, remembering that
was the combination they did have for around seventy three
seventy four minutes on the Park and South Africa.
Speaker 1 (05:35):
I know you've spent a lot of time in their
camp during the week as well building up to this.
Have they sort of you know, washed away the disappointment
of last week. Do you feel what's the sort of
energy been?
Speaker 2 (05:44):
Like? Yeah, I think it's been. It's been an interesting
energy from South Africa. Because Russia Rasmus named this team
on Monday night a whole lot of changes. So in
terms of just bring a new energy, he instantly did
that by less than forty eight hours after full time
in Auckland. Going right, here's the team for the weekend.
We're going to make a number of changes. And that
has more dominated the question lines the storylines this week
(06:04):
rather than how do you fix what went wrong at
eden Park? All that intrigue around the number of changes
he's made so smart in terms of, you know, a
media perspective from Russi Erasthmus. Tactically wise, I guess there
are a few more questions around it. Looking at the
back line they've picked, you probably expect that they'll spend
a little bit more time with ball in hand rather
than kick first mentality which we saw last week at
(06:26):
eden Park. I'm not saying they're going to run it
all day at the All Blacks, but certainly with Sasha
Feinberg and Gonzulu at ten rather than Andre Pollard. He's
got a great running game and we'll probably see a
little bit more of that tonight. We'll see maybe a
little bit more of Tony Brown's influence on the way
the spring box attack rather than that aerial contest which
dominated at Eden Park.
Speaker 1 (06:44):
A couple of Wellington based questions for our listeners. Kyle
Preston did he do enough last week to be considered
an option barring injuries?
Speaker 2 (06:52):
Like?
Speaker 1 (06:52):
Could he be a contender of the other half backs
that are fit to be part of the squad.
Speaker 2 (06:55):
I think it's hard to see at this point in time,
just with the number of half backs that are around
New Zealand Rugby. No. I hope I'm starting tonight at
half back. He is the third choice in the squad.
This is his first test start. He's been the camp,
feels like, for quite some time since the middle of
last year, but he's getting his first test start tonight,
so I think, unfortunately for Coyle Preston, he's on the
(07:17):
way up and just needs more game time to impress.
It's clearly something in the All Blacks camp they really
like about him, but probably didn't get enough game time
last week to make them sit up and take notice
and force his way into that top three. I don't
think Finlay Christie did last week in his starting role either.
It was an exemplary job from Finlay Christie, but it
wasn't the kind of performance that would make it go okay.
(07:38):
We've never got a conversation about the top three half
backs in the country on our hands.
Speaker 1 (07:42):
And Billy Proctor, I mean definitely not standing out at
Test level as he does in super rugby. I know, defensively,
probably stronger with his time in the All Blacks so
far this year as well, where as he sat for
you this year.
Speaker 2 (07:54):
I think he's a work in progress. And what I
admire about Scott Robertson and his assistant coaches is that
they're willing to continue with the work in progress because
you're right, he hasn't stood out in his games so
far this season. He's had flashes of brilliants and then
some flashes were go probably not what a Test level
player should be doing on some of the defensive reads,
(08:16):
on some of the plays that he made. There's a
crossfield kick last week that maybe in the twenty two
that probably shouldn't have been made. But they're patient. They
can see I think some signs there that he is developing.
And if you were considering the issues around the All Blacks,
and regardless of what happened last week, there are still
some issues that need to be sorted. I don't think
(08:37):
center is the major issue in the same moment, so
they can afford to give him a little bit more
time find his feet at test level. You know, I
wouldn't say time's running out necessarily, but he will need
at some point to repay the faith that the All
Black selectors have put in him.
Speaker 1 (08:50):
Brilliant. All right, kick off at seven oh five. When
can we hear your build up on newstalks there'd beat tonight.
Speaker 2 (08:54):
He's six o'clock on Newstalk, ZB Gold Sport and iHeartRadio.
We build up Jason Pine getting into things from six
o'clock at sky Stadium. You'll hear from some of the
key players in the game. We'll hear from Scott Robertson
as well in the build up there. We're enter it
from seven o five and never Forget as well, Jason
pinetaking your calls your reaction from full time as well
(09:15):
on eight hundred and eighty ten eighty.
Speaker 1 (09:17):
For more from News Talk sed B listen live on
air or online, and
Speaker 2 (09:21):
Keep our shows with you wherever you go with our
podcasts on iHeartRadio
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