Elliott Smith: Newstalk ZB rugby commentator on the All Blacks beating out the Bulls 50-19 Pretoria

The All Blacks will take a three-from-three record into the opening test match of their tour of South Africa.

They've just wrapped up a 50 to 19 victory over the Bulls in Pretoria, backing up wins over the Sharks and Stormers.

The first test against the Springboks is in Johannesburg next Sunday.

Newstalk ZB rugby commentator Elliott Smith recapped the action, and explained what fans could expect next week.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:06):
You're listening to the Sunday Session podcast with Francesca Rudgin
from News Talks ab Okay.

Speaker 2 (00:13):
The All Blacks have wrapped up the club tour matches
of their greatest rivalry Tour with a fifteen to nineteen
win over the Bulls in Pretoria. They now begin preparations
for the first Test against the Springbok next Sunday morning.
Newstalk's Thered Bes Lead rugby commentator Elliott Smith is with me.

Speaker 3 (00:28):
Now, good morning, Good morning Francesca from Loftus Urstfield.

Speaker 2 (00:32):
Now, as I just mentioned in the introduction, that's the
last of the club games before the first Test against
South Africa. What have you made of the All Blacks
over these matches.

Speaker 3 (00:41):
Well, I think we've seen them builds and add a
bit to their game every time. There's obviously been a
lot of changes between the fifteens that have run on
and the twenty threes overall from the Stormers to the
Sharks and then change back to a hybrid sort of
last game here against the Bulls. But I think what
the All Blacks will be happy with is that they
haven't taken a backward step across those three games. They

(01:03):
have taken a step forward. I think in each of
those game games, tonight was supposed to be perhaps the
toughest opposition they would face out of the club sides. Well,
they put the balls to the sword with a pretty
good attacking performance and apart from the occasional laps of player,
I think they'll be pretty happy with what they've got
in the books out of tonight's game.

Speaker 2 (01:20):
Well, these games impact the team selection we see against
South Africa, Nick Sunday Or do you expect Renny to
select a similar side to what we saw in the
home tests.

Speaker 3 (01:32):
Yeah, I think it'd be relatively similar, but I think
there are spots up for grabs and Dave Rennie he's
sort of hinted that they've had a plan in place
for the first test because they've had to work backwards
and figure out where each player needs to play in
the three club games. But I think there are a
few players that have put their hands up, especially tonight,
for a test Jersey next week. Anton Signa was awarded

(01:55):
the Matter of the Match medal. He was exceptional tonight
and I think he has to be in the twenty three,
probably off the bench next week. Peter Lukey adds so
much with ball in hands, a great roaming player, so
he might have put a hand up for a bench
spot and the other one will be far be again Holland.
Now I'm not sure he's up to test rugby minutes
as yet, but he doesn't look far away coming back
from his shoulder injury. He had a very good game

(02:16):
tonight as well. So there are three players that I
think have put their name up for consideration for Dave
Rennie in that twenty three for next week. So while
he probably has most of the starting side, if not
all the starting side locked in, I think there are
certainly players that perform well tonight that will find themselves
on the bench.

Speaker 2 (02:33):
I mean, it does a step up next week, isn't it, Elliott?
I mean, what are you expecting from the spring Brook
and I mean a lot they haven't been playing a
lot of their players haven't been playing in these club games.
They'll be fresh and ready to go with whereby we
look a little bit fashed and beaten.

Speaker 3 (02:46):
Yeah. Absolutely, Well, the All Blacks, you know, have had
three games to warm up, and the Spring Blocks had
and a test against Argentina last week. But a lot
of those players also won't back up for next week.
They've got so much depth. South Africa at the moment,
best team in the world, world champions twice over over
the last few years, and Russy Erasmus has the kind
of depth that means he could probably put it different

(03:07):
sides week to week and still be you know, you know,
favorites for winning these games. So it'll be a major
step up for the All Blacks. You know, last year
we saw them belted in Wellington, a really poor performance,
probably than the deer of Scott Robertson's tenure. They were
woeful that night, so there's a bit of herd in
that All Blacks camp still, But coming to South Africa

(03:29):
and beating them here is one of the toughest tasks,
if not the toughest in world rugby for the All Blacks.
Only of it did win a series once here and
that was wrapped up here at Loftus Vizfeld in nineteen
ninety six, so that speaks to how tough it's going
to be. And the spring Box are playing some incredible rugby,
so the All Blacks will have to be better. But
we've seen some signs I think over the last few

(03:49):
weeks that's they can't put pressure on South Africa, but
they're going to have to be right on the top
of their game.

Speaker 2 (03:55):
Richie Manger has been called over his injury cover. What
role do you think he might play in the side
next week.

Speaker 3 (04:05):
I don't think he'll play any role in the All
Blacks test side next week at Johannesburg. I think he'll
be forced to wait. He'll probably play in that last
tour game they've got awkwardly between the first Test and
the second. They played the Lions at Alice Park and Johannesburg,
so he'll play that. Dave Ready has all but said that,
so he won't play next week. But what it does
do is bring him into camp. He was out here

(04:27):
about an hour ago doing the victory lap with the
All Blacks, so he's arrived in camp, he's got his gear,
he's ready to go, so he'll start putting some pressure
on and asking questions. But I think it'll be a
slow introduction, barring injury, for Richie Moolonga back into this
test side.

Speaker 2 (04:41):
How have you found this greatest drivery tour so far?
Is there an appetite for these extended like tours that
include the club matches.

Speaker 3 (04:49):
I think there is absolutely and I think the fact
that it's the first and thirty years has built the
scarcity and no one ever thought this would happen again.
You know, the crowds haven't been as good as they
would have liked it these fixtures, which is a shame,
but there are appropx a few price concerns and cost
of living things here in South Africa that have got

(05:11):
behind that. Amanta hasn't been the crowd success it might
have been, but there's a lot of sense that this
tour is happening, a lot of talk about the spring
Box in the streets and around town and various other things,
so it's been fully embraced, a lot of respect for
the all blacks over here in South Africa, and that's
reciprocal as well. So I think it's a fantastic idea.

(05:34):
You know, the scarcity will meet that. You know, South
Africa comes to New Zealand in twenty thirty and assuming
it's a success to all Blacks a we're back here
in twenty thirty four. This is the kind of thing
that most players will only be able to do once
in their career, tour properly the South Africa, so it's
a once in a Korea sort of thing for a
lot of players, and I think it's been embraced by
the public for sure.

Speaker 2 (05:54):
Thank you so much, Elliott. I'm sure that we will
talk to you next week.

Speaker 1 (05:59):
For more from the Sunday session with Francesca Rudkin. Listen
live to news Talks there'd be from nine am Sunday,
or follow the podcast on iHeartRadio.