Wallace Sititi: All Blacks loose forward previews the All Blacks v Wales clash

A revamped All Blacks side have been tasked with ending the year on a high. 

After a disappointing showing at Twickenham, they’re looking to maintain an almost 72-year unbeaten legacy against Wales on Sunday morning in Cardiff. 

Elliott Smith caught up with All Blacks loose forward Wallace Sititi to recap the previous clashes and look ahead to the final clash of the season. 

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:06):
You're listening to the All Sport Breakfast podcast with Darcy
Waldgrave from US Talk SEDB.

Speaker 2 (00:12):
Well, it's the TV final Test week of the year.
How quickly is the team? Have you had to move
on from what happened to twickt them and refocus knowing
you've got this challenge to come against.

Speaker 3 (00:21):
The Welsh pretty quickly. Had a bigger review Monday. Obviously
disappointing loss and was what we were going for. At
the same time a credit to England and I think
you were just a bit aside on the day and
like all other games, you've got to review it and
go on her a little bit more than others. But

(00:41):
at the same time we've got a lot to look
forward to and in terms of this weekend against the
strong Welsh team, So yep, I had to move on
get ready for this week.

Speaker 2 (00:51):
What do you take out of that game against England?
Obviously a change team this week, but what do you
take out of that if you look to finish the
year on a high.

Speaker 3 (00:57):
Yep, Probably that middle bit of the Test match, sort
of five to ten minutestraight after before and after halftime
is probably area that we've struggled with. So we'll look
to improve on down and there's probably one of our
main talking points here.

Speaker 2 (01:12):
You put a finger on why, because it's been a
few test matches now where that straight after halftime. There's
been a few wihs. I saw it last week. You
guys came out, all the starters, came out early after halftime,
trying little things to figure it out. But obviously if
you you you'd probably be able to implement them. As
a team.

Speaker 3 (01:30):
I guess we're just not so strong as we're supposed
to be, and I figure showed especially the Scottish game.
It's an eighty minute game and we just won't prepared
for it. And we've addressed we've tried a few things obviously,
like you've said, but I guess you just haven't sorted
out just yet.

Speaker 2 (01:48):
How excited are you for the starting challenge this week
at the back of the scrump, Oh.

Speaker 3 (01:52):
Very excited. Just can't play some footy, go out there
and enjoy ourselves. You know we're hurting from that performance
last week, so I think we're ready to prove a
point playing for a bit of pride against the strong
Welsh team in front of the in front of some
passionate people, so it'll be a tough game, be a

(02:12):
good game. And I'm just kenning play some funny.

Speaker 2 (02:14):
You've oftenated, obviously between starting and bench in the last
few weeks. Do you prefer one because which would sound
like an odd question, because most players prefer to start,
but some do prefer coming off the bench, playing thirty
minutes and adding impact at the end.

Speaker 3 (02:27):
Prefer to start. I think everyone's here to start, especially
at this level, wheveryone deserves to start. So yep, lucky
enough to get the starting spot this weekend. So we'll
make the most of it and enjoy and like I said,
just ken of play some funny.

Speaker 2 (02:41):
Second season for you as an All Black? Have you
found the City's been obviously a bit of a stop
start with the injuries, have you found you two?

Speaker 3 (02:48):
Yeah, been a tough year, obviously, stop style off the injuries.
Learned a lot though, I guess a lot more people
know who you are, and a lot more I guess
you're on the radar a bit more. So you don't
get there as much space as you did for a year,
and I've learned to deal with that both on and
off the field. Learn from other players as well. And yep,

(03:11):
just it's been a tough year, but a lot of years,
a lot of learnings this.

Speaker 2 (03:15):
Year because about here ago, maybe just over you probably
could have walked down the street and none would have
probably known who you are, and now you know, go
on the field and people may not know who are now.
It's that's changed and you've had to adapt to that
and you know, playing a different way.

Speaker 3 (03:30):
Like I said, you don't really have that much time
on the board anymore. You know, it's a tough game,
especially it's his footy, international footy, and I guess coming
from a big year last year, it's it's just heightened
it and I've had to learn to get involved in
different ways, had to learn to buy some more time
for myself and just impact the impact the game in

(03:53):
different ways.

Speaker 2 (03:54):
Yeah, let's talk about Whales. What do you expect from Wales?
At a pretty low eb in terms of their history,
but they could be dangerous because they've got a little
bit of confidence having that one on the weekend. So
what do you expect from Wales?

Speaker 3 (04:05):
Uh? I think anything that plays all backs will bring
their best. So I'm expecting the best on the from
the worst team. It's a big ball carriers there, big
big players there. They love to love to carry. They
also love they also love them all as well, So
you know we'll focus on their try and put some
pressure there playing in front of passionate crowd, so we

(04:26):
can expect their best and I'm sure they'll be at
their best too. If you need.

Speaker 2 (04:28):
The boys talk to you about playing it. When you
say it's a unique experience, the crowd starts saying it's
under the roof. If you talked about that as the
other boys, Yep.

Speaker 3 (04:35):
They say it's one of the best. At him to
play it. Even my dad says it's one of the best.
So speaking a big crowd, expecting a loud crowd, boys
say that, you know it's going to feel hostile and
it's gonna, I guess, play into her head. But the
same time, you've got to enjoy it. And there's some
that's the reasons why we play rugby.

Speaker 2 (04:56):
Your dad abuts to play there just as it first
open up. You're seeing in the late nineties. Yep, that's
what he said. Sometimes sometime back then, could be lying,
but no, that's he said. And yeah, he said it's
one of the great stadiums in We just go Fiel Circle. Yeah,
for the All Blacks to end this year on a high.
You know what would it mean to hint into summer
with a good one under the belt if everything goes

(05:18):
to plan on Saturday.

Speaker 3 (05:20):
First of all, we've got to win. Then we've got
to win. Well, we've got to show connect to signe,
got to show that we're one unit and one team
that's going to play for each other, play for the country.
One team that's proud to be out there, a team
that's having fun, a team that's playing backyard for the
All Black, for a team that loves being here and
loves playing together.

Speaker 1 (05:41):
For more from the All Sport Breakfast with Darcy Watergrave,
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