Jason Holland: All Blacks assistant coach on the team changes for the team's final game against France

The All Blacks selectors have rung 10 changes to the starting XV for Saturday's third and final test against France in Hamilton.

Ethan de Groot, Fabian Holland, Patrick Tuipulotu, Ardie Savea and Rieko Ioane are the only players remaining from the last run-on side.

Samisoni Taukei’aho, Tyrel Lomax, Samipeni Finau and Luke Jacobson come into the starting pack.

The backline changes includes promotions for Cortez Ratima, Damian McKenzie, Quinn Tupaea, Anton Lienert-Brown, Sevu Reece and Ruben Love.

All Blacks assistant coach Jason Holland says it's important to make changes - and he's expecting the squad to deliver a solid performance against the French.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Right now. Saturday, the final test the AB's v France.
Ten changes to the lineup to the starting fifteen ahead
of that game. Boden Barrett is out with a hand injury.
Damien McKenzie is in at number ten. Pressures off somewhat
because we've already won games one and two. Jason Holland
is the assistant coach of the AB's with me now, Hi, Jason.

Speaker 2 (00:19):
Hey you right here? You go? Yeah?

Speaker 1 (00:21):
Good, thank you? Few changes for you guys.

Speaker 2 (00:24):
Yeah, yeah, it's exciting. Been quite a few boys who
have been getting all over our game and training with
us for four or five weeks now and nag get
the opportunity to put it out on the park. So
you know, it is exciting, and I know a lot
of them are a chumping at the bit to get
into it.

Speaker 1 (00:39):
What's the strategy do you weigh up giving people game
time versus you know, not underplaying your hand against the French.

Speaker 2 (00:48):
Look, I suppose we don't. There's been some unreal competition
over the last four or five weeks and makes our boys.
You know, you look at some of the guys who
are coming in and some are returning from injury. You know,
some seasons eyes like an Anton, Lenut Brown and Quinta
Pye and those sorts of boys. We've got lots of experience,
so look at the matter of guys getting an opportunity
and we see this pretty good competition. Not much between

(01:10):
a lot of our players as they shouldn't been in
an all black side. So you expecting the performance to keep
the keep on it up for trajectory.

Speaker 1 (01:18):
How bad is Bowden's injury?

Speaker 2 (01:22):
Yeah? Lit a little bit nigglly really my thing.

Speaker 3 (01:24):
It's just a we're always sort of it's swallowing up
a little bit and it's probably something that we're just
going to make sure that it's he's right for a
couple of weeks time in Argentina, So it wasn't worth
a risk this.

Speaker 1 (01:35):
Week, So he'll be back, Like it's not that it's
not serious toious. He'll be back in time for Argentina.

Speaker 2 (01:40):
Yeah, we're expecting him to be on the plane and
available for the test one in Argentina.

Speaker 1 (01:44):
Yuse, is you breaking all your barretts, Jason?

Speaker 2 (01:48):
It takes to break a barrett too, right, We're just
better put Jordia in gotton rule.

Speaker 1 (01:54):
A lot of chefs in the side too. Is this
tactical reasons or is this for the Hamilton crowd.

Speaker 3 (02:01):
Oh, it was a little bit.

Speaker 2 (02:02):
Of a little bit of getting the boys games on
their home ground. But it's a little bit the way
it's panned out, as I said with Albe with Antoninnett
Brown and guys like that coming back, but make it
added added often to what we're doing. And you know,
all those boys don'tant to let the Hamilton crowd down,
but the other boys are excited to get a performance

(02:22):
here for the rest of us.

Speaker 1 (02:25):
And what about Fabian Holland. This is his third start
for the All Blacks against the French. He must be
pretty happy with that. But you're obviously seeing good things.

Speaker 2 (02:35):
Yeah, look, we're he's doing everything we've sort of expected
him to do after watching him through the last couple
of years of super and he's just sladderling nicely and
we'd just encourage him to do his job and be
here he is, and maybe he's done everything we've asked
of him and more so, Yeah, he deserves a spot.
And yeah, three starts straight up, straight up against the

(02:56):
French is a great way to start a career.

Speaker 1 (02:58):
Zooming out for a second and you must be feeling
quite happy with how things are going this season, with
how the team's performing. With that development, you know, everyone's
getting a chance to have a to have a run
on the field, to have a bite of the cherry.
You must be happy with where things are going.

Speaker 2 (03:16):
Yeah, Look, as coaches, you're obviously you worry about performance
and that will bring the outcome. And we feel like
we're improving from Test one to Test two. Still, you know,
there's a lot of things when we reviewed last week
where we definitely need to be better and keep getting better.
So yeah, I suppose the answers we're happy with our
improvement from a week one to two, but really sure

(03:37):
that you know, there's a lot more at a lot
of areas we can find tune and me better. So
that's the focus going forward for this week and going forward.

Speaker 1 (03:45):
What's the main thing you're wanting to fix.

Speaker 2 (03:50):
There's a couple of things around our around our kick game.
We want to be better in the air. We want
to get more more ball back. You know, we know
the French kick a lot. That's what they base of
either attack around as giving balls back off kicks, and
we want to kick that away from them. And also
if we're going to keep contestable kicks. We want to
give them back, so that's been a big focus, and
in just our finish, really making sure if we create

(04:12):
opportunities that we're pretty ruthless around putting things away and
scoring tries from our line breaks. So there are a
couple of things that have been bigger than in our.

Speaker 1 (04:21):
Chats this week, kicking, catching and finishing. I look forward
to the game on the weekend. Jason, thank you beautiful,
thanks for your time. It's Jason Holland, All Black assistant
coach with us tonight twenty three minutes after five here
on News Talks. He'd be coming up next this fascinating
world first trial, which basically means there have been eight.

Speaker 2 (04:43):
For more from Hither Duplessy Allen Drive.

Speaker 1 (04:45):
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