Harry Ngata: former All White on Spain beating out France in their World Cup semi-final

This morning, Spain pulled off a big upset at the FIFA World Cup as they eliminated the pre-tournament favourites France 2-0 in the first of two semi-finals.

Tomorrow morning is going to be a blockbuster, as the defending champions Argentina take on England to decide who will meet Spain in New Jersey on Monday morning.

Harry Ngata is a former All White, he joined D'Arcy to discuss.

LISTEN ABOVE

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:06):
You're listening to the Sports Talk podcast with Darcy Wildegrave
from News Talk ZEDB.

Speaker 2 (00:12):
This morning, the Spanish burg upset you could call it
that I suppose to be for World Cup. They eliminated
the pre tournament favorites France. It was to zip tomorrow
morning another blockbuster. The defending champions have got in their
crosshairs England. Who's going to win? Well, we'll find out.
We'll get more on out. Harry Nata now form All
White and I preview the class with him. Good evening

(00:35):
ahead of my I trust your will.

Speaker 3 (00:37):
Oh very well, Darcy, very well.

Speaker 2 (00:39):
Let's look at styles, the clash of styles. What are
we seeing here? What predominantly do both teams bring to
the pitch.

Speaker 3 (00:47):
Well, we know with Argentina, you know, the game revolves
around one man, you know, and you don't need to
be a rocket siders to work that way out right.
They get the ball in the attacking third and they're
always looking for messy in between the lions to get
the ball on the half turn, to get the ball
running at goal, either as a slipper pass or to

(01:09):
shoot himself. And he's been outstanding, as you know, as
any thirty nine year old would be playing at this
little level, right so, but but they'll be looking he's
the he's the guy, there's no doubt about it. He's
the guy. But he's definitely got an engine room around him,
you know, Inzo Fernandez, McAllister, Rodrigo de Paul. I think
they're Romero at the back, Martinez at the back. They

(01:31):
just don't take any prisoners. They work so hard for
each other. And we saw I guess with the game
this morning with Spain. Actually let's say that they're they're superstars,
don't keep me wrong, but other than Lami Lamal, they
haven't got the I guess that superstar status. And then
Bape or a Messi within their squad, right, rodri is

(01:52):
ballin d'Or winner absolutely, but when you look at the
likes of Caine, Bellingham Messy, they're the players to look for.
And Spain just you know, good team. But they're a team,
you know, let.

Speaker 2 (02:07):
Us go tomorrow. Though, when when you look at what
the English had to deal with in the form of
the massive monster that Norway. Have they knew he was
going to get feed on as one goal he should
have been He's probably still dirty about that, but they
managed to stop him. So it's a real saying, hey,
Missy is the man of the hour. But they he'll

(02:29):
be very targeted and I don't think maybe if they
target him too much to open up other opportunities. But
England know what they have to do. And I'd suggest
they're a workman like bunch that get really scrappy and.

Speaker 3 (02:42):
They're probably that's the way they play is an Argentina.
They are a dogged team. They actually get their claws
and they don't let go. You know, they are like
a dog with a bone at times part of the pun.
But you'll note with with Harlan, with those key players
sometimes and Harlan's displayed this I guess throughout the last

(03:05):
few years. Right, he's unplayable at times, there's just no matter.
You know, he's big and strong and fast. So as
you know John Stones, Mark gahe their their they're big
units as well, physical units. But it only takes one
or two and I think there was a there was
a clup of in the Brazil game against Norway when
Harlan lead up to his goal as header. You know
it was it was just walking around for again for

(03:29):
five or ten seconds and then when he needs to
be in a place at a certain time. His timing
is unreal, you know, and that's the that's what It's
a split second, two or three seconds, and it's a goal.
You can't see him. Winton Rufer was like that at times, right.
It would be out of ninety eighty nine minutes you
don't see him, and then in the ninety ninety first
minute you'll score two goals. So that's the top of play.

(03:51):
But I guess my point being, you don't actually play Harland,
we don't actually play messy. You actually play the team
around him. If you stop the ball, if you stop
the service into those sort of players. Spain did it
this morning with him. Buppet and Ballet are upfront. I
mean they stopped, they stopped the ball into those sort
of attacking players. So there is a way to get

(04:12):
around around in England. Will be they will be focused
on me, so he don't keep you wrong, but they'll
also be focused on, you know what, those players that
are around him to get messy the ball as well.

Speaker 2 (04:22):
Talk yesterday about the stary sale and suggestion here that
battle hardened the English side because they've managed to get
through some pretty tight situations in this world Cup so far,
will that bring an advantage to the class tomorrow morning
or what's past means nothing?

Speaker 3 (04:38):
Yeah. Again, in tournament football, it's you and it's a
you just play what's in front of you, you know,
and as long as you can get through, as long
as you come out the other side with one more
goal than the other team, you're happy. Now listening to
the end of view. Thomas Tukel did a few days
ago post that post that Norway game, extremely unhappy with

(04:58):
the way they play. Their performance was he did not
like the performance. He actually complemented their their attitude, their
willingness to win, commitment to run, their work rate, et cetera,
et cetera, but that the game itself from a technical
and technical aspect, he was not happy, you know, so
in that kind of and then there was an interview
with Jude Bellinger and the question was raised the Jude,

(05:19):
how your coach wasn't happy, and so, you know, Jude
sort of kind of brushed it off and made another comment,
you know, a couple other comments, and the media gets
into it, right, So it's a us versus their mentality
within the coach versus player inside the camp. And that's
the kind of narrative, right, so, but it's all noise
does it's all outside noise. As players have done it before,

(05:41):
they'll do it again tomorrow. They just have to, you know,
block out all that external noise and just worry about
playing on the park, playing for each other. And they're
both very good teams, don't get me wrong. You look
across both sets of squads, superstars, unbelievable players, top top players.
But who's got what it takes just to go that
extra two or three percent to get things across the line.

(06:03):
That'll be the game tomorrow. It'll be tight. I think
there'll be one or two goals in it and that's it.
But it will be a dogfight. It really will be.
And that's the way Argentine wanted to be as well.

Speaker 2 (06:14):
I found five bucks down the back of the couch.
I'm going to give it to you to put on
the nose of the team. Who was it?

Speaker 3 (06:21):
I picked Argentina. Yeah, I think Argentina have have just
got something, whether it's whether it's team spirit, whether it's
you know, but again, you look at the way England
played on England were all I'm saying, I'm picking Argentina.
But when you look at the lead up to the

(06:43):
English game in Norway again in the as I guess
sorry against Mexico. Sorry it was in the Azteca. It
was altitude, hard game. They're not playing well yet they
turned Mexico over, you know, so they have got the
ability to do it at the right time when it counts.
But my pickers, my pickers, Argentina. But it will be
a close game.

Speaker 2 (07:03):
And on that note, we'll let you go to bed
kind of now because you kind of need to. You
can't help in time. Hit am i naza al. It's
a pleasure I'll make.

Speaker 3 (07:13):
Thanks so much for your time. Enjoy the game, pleasure,
no problem.

Speaker 1 (07:16):
For more from sports Talk, listen live to News Talks
it'd be from seven pm weekdays, or follow the podcast
on iHeartRadio.