Elliott Smith: Sportstalk host on Beauden Barrett being ruled out of this weekend's test against France

Concern in the All Blacks camp over a hand injury to first five Beauden Barrett.

While Barrett was unlikely to start in the third and final test against France in Hamilton on Saturday, he's been ruled out entirely after suffering the damage in training.

Sportstalk host Elliott Smith explains further.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Bryan Bridge, Elliot Smith sports Elliot Smith, I should say
sports talk host here with us seven o'clock tonight on
News Talks in b and is here now, Hey Elliott, Hey, Ryan, Hey.
All Blacks have named their team and no Barretts.

Speaker 2 (00:12):
No Parrots, no very rare in the last sort of
dickad that would be an all Blacks team with no Barretts.
There are Boden Barrett ruled out with a hand injury.
It sounds like he might have been on the bench,
but he has been ruled out with a hand injury.
And Scott Roberson actually a little bit concerned earlier in
the day when we spoke to him about it and
suguesting that he's going to go for scans. It was

(00:32):
looking quote a little bit puffy. So we'll wait and
see on that. Scott Barrett's already out with injury, and
Jordi Barrett not selected this week. He's been left out
of the twenty three entirely, so no Barrett's ten changes
to the run on team and all all from the side.
That's one in Wellington last week. There is seven Chiefs
in the run on side for this game here in

(00:54):
Hamilton as well, so I'm sure the local crowd will
be happy with that seeing a number of chiefs there,
but probably more changes than we expected in this All
Blacks team for this weekend. Scott Robinson clearly wanting to
build some depth as the All Blacks head to the
twenty twenty seven Rugby World Cup and last year probably
didn't take the opportunities that were there to build depths

(01:14):
and it feels like he's probably learned his lesson a
little bit from that and trying to build depth and
trying to build in different positions for deep around some
of those key positions for the World Cup.

Speaker 1 (01:26):
Yeah, I suppose you don't want to underplay your hand
too much with the French at the same time, right.

Speaker 2 (01:31):
That's right. Yeah, has given them an opportunity though they've
wrapped up the series, and I guess it's a risk
and reward thing for the All Blacks, the confident that
these players that they are putting out still capable of
going out there and winning. But you do learn a
little bit more about the likes of Reuben Love at fullback,
who's only played twenty minutes of All Blacks rugby to
this point. Some of the other combinations that we haven't

(01:51):
necessarily seen so if not now when so, Scott Robinson's
taken that approach.

Speaker 1 (01:56):
Ok, give it a go. Roger two of us a check.
He's in talks with Saudi breakaway Rugby League franchise. What's
this about?

Speaker 2 (02:04):
Yeah, R three sixty. So this has been in the
we works for a wee while I was muted earlier
in the year. Mike Tindall's involved. A member of the
Royal family of course, won a Rugby World Cup with England.
And it's sort of like a Formula one twelve franchises
around the globe going to different poite parts of the
globe and playing games the kind of like sevens do

(02:24):
Bit in fifteens but at Saudi backs. So kind of
like the lib circuit combined with save Formula one and
throwing all in the mix. But the roomors have been
abound for a while. They're targeting some key players and
Roger to ty varsas Shek is the first name from
this part of the world to be attached to it
and his agent Bruce Errick, and for me that they
have had some approaches and looking to that. Although Roger

(02:45):
toy Varsa Sheck is still contracted until twenty twenty six,
so wouldn't be for next year. But it sounds like
he's got an offer on the table and has to
weigh up whether it's worth it. Whether this competition will
even starts another question entirely, but they're beginning to make
moves in the sort of development phase of R three sixty,
So very much a case of watch the space all right.

Speaker 1 (03:05):
Interesting, Thanks so much, since Elliott Smith. News Talk SEB.
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