CSB - Gregor Paul - Rugby news of the week

Talking the big news of the week. 

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Whether it's gun boots or rugby boots. The Country Sport
briefast has you covered on gold Sport, your home of
live commentary Thursday morning.

Speaker 2 (00:08):
At this time means we catch up with greg Or Paul,
one of New Zealand's most respected rugby writers and columnists
for the New Zealand Herold. Gregor, good morning, Good morning,
looking at the fun facts the All Blacks losing the
South Africa eighteen twelve the fourth consected moss for New
Zealand against the Springbok. Not a good record, is it? No?

Speaker 1 (00:27):
I wonder so many keywis would consider that fun fact?

Speaker 2 (00:32):
Well effect, we'll cross, We'll put an eggs over fun yess.

Speaker 1 (00:36):
Not a fun fact is lack of fun fact? Hey
has spawn a roll? Yeah. Look, it's probably illustrative of
the two nations at the moment on a wider context
of where the rugby systems are, how much rugby intelligence
each has in it. And I think the South Africans
are showing that they have a system where they're allowed

(00:59):
to pick the players around the world. Everyone thought that
would be a problem for them, having to gather them
up from Japan, from Europe, from South Africa, put them
all into one team and then play them in a
really tough competition like the Rugby Championship. People said, too
much travel, you're going to break them. Well it hasn't,
you know. As actually as galvanized them, they found a
way to do. They've got a guy in Razzie Erasmus

(01:20):
as a coach who I know a lot of he's
kind of looking at them sideways. He's done a few
he's done a few things that aren't fantastic, that's fair,
but he's also done a lot that really is innovative
and clever. The way he set that team up. Some
of the rugby that they play, the blossoming awebit in
the style that they play. They're definitely trying to use
a wider skill set and look, they've got it right

(01:41):
and winning well Caps has helped them. And meanwhile in
New Zealand they've got a system that's not quite working
for them at the moment.

Speaker 2 (01:48):
Do you think that we're paying the price for probably
not playing South African teams more often? We're basically concentrating
on playing Australian teams and we only have to look
about what happened to Australia on the weekend as well.

Speaker 1 (02:01):
Yeah, all of that. It's definitely true that the decision
to blow up Super Rugby, which was New Zealand's and
it was a commercially driven idea to do that, they
didn't think it through that well. And I don't want
to bag Australia, but you know, there's clearly issues with
the strength of rugby in Australia. So New Zealand's players
are being conditioned. It's not their fault to play in
a competition that doesn't test them the way that they

(02:24):
should be. It doesn't put them up against you know,
really massive athletes like we see in South Africa, that
anaerobic type of rugby where they scrum play from set
piece to set piece, big man carrying the ball up
the middle of the field, the presence they have at
the breakdown, the emphasis they placed on kicking. All these
things are not happening in Super rugby and a lot

(02:44):
of the New Zealand's players aren't exposed to it. And
then there's a huge gap building between what is encountered
in Super rugby in every sense intensity, physicality, skill level
to what's happening over in Europe at the moment with
Ireland South Africa France that they're playing England even and
there's a problem. New Zeln are struggling to bridge that,
having to do it on the hearth as old Blacks.

(03:06):
And I think we'll see the old Blacks improved when
they go to the end of the year two. I think,
you know, they'll learned a lot outside Afriga, they'll change,
they'll adapt, but it shouldn't be happening like that. Super
Rugby should be pushing guys out. They're closer to being
international ready.

Speaker 2 (03:21):
And the other thing you wrote, and it was an
interesting article that play is sort of moving around in
different positions as well, instead of just playing that one
position and specializing.

Speaker 1 (03:31):
Yeah, some of that's inherent in the weakness from the
system because you know Super rugby is all about fast, aerobic,
you know, play on top of the grind type rugby.
So you look a look at New Zealand's Black rulers
and you know times they've been playing three open sides
but just stuck different jerseys on them. You know, Fab
is an open side. Really he's never been a number
eight and you know they've played him. Ethan Blackadder has

(03:54):
played at number seven and Sam Kine is a number seven.
So you look at that and you go, well, you
know they're playing guy in the wrong jerseys because we're
producing a generic type of loose forward that's built for
super rugby. And yeah, they're fantastic players, but if you
look at around the world, you'll see a real change
in body shape and size between the number six and
the number seven, or the number eight and the number seven.

(04:15):
They tend to be different types of athletes. And his
zone's not doing that at the moment, and hence it's
just it's looking at the best players and saying, right,
we'll give you a jersey. It might not be the
one that you want. Wallace Fatigua, here's a number six
for you because we want you on the field because
you're big and powerful. But really he should be playing
at number eight because that's that's where he plays.

Speaker 2 (04:36):
And Gregor, what did you make of the second half
of the Australian Argentina game. Australian we just played off
the pack.

Speaker 1 (04:43):
Yeah, look, that's rare to see an international team fall
apart like that. And can that many points in that
short space of the time. I know it's hot and
they've been on the road, but cheepers. That was a
capitulation that I know you will rarely see. Is it
reflective of a true reflect of the Wallabies? I hope not.
In Argentina are a good team. They've beat New zealandeer

(05:04):
in Wellington, so you have to respect that. But I
really wouldn't have thought that it's a true reflection of
the Wallerbees. Otherwise everyone's in trouble. I would suspect that
they'll galvanized, They'll they'll find a way to be competitive
and Saidney, I don't see them being the All Blacks
next week, but I certainly hope that we're not watching
a sixty eight to twenty two type game that's not
going to be thrilling.

Speaker 2 (05:25):
Oh no, absolutely not. Gregor are always good to chat mate,
have a great to have a great week you two.
Thank you, Gregor Paul joining us here on Gold Sport,
The Country Sport Breakfast. You look at Scotti. Robinson's record
is now on fifty seven percent of his test matches
as All black Head coach fifty seven