Elliott Smith: Newstalk ZB Rugby Commentator ahead of the final All Blacks v France test

Scott Robertson can no longer be accused of being timid with his All Blacks team selections. 

Ten changes were made 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. 

Newstalk ZB’s voice of rugby Elliott Smith told Heather du Plessis-Allan that opportunities to test out different players and different combinations don’t come along too often. 

He says the All Blacks still want to win the final test, but Robertson has to take these opportunities to find out a little bit more about the likes of Damian McKenzie on 10, Samipeni Finau on blindside flank, among others. 

“You just won’t get them too often, and it certainly won’t come in the rugby championship.” 

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Boy, have we got changes in the All Black squad
for the final Test against France tomorrow night. Raza has
swapped out ten players and for the first time in forever,
there is no Barrett in the squad. Elliott Smith's News
Talk z be's lead rugby commentator and with us Morning
Elliott Morning Heather. Well, we can't accuse Razor of being
timid with the selections anymore.

Speaker 2 (00:17):
Can we? No, we can't, and I think there's a
lesson learned from last year, especially against Italy and Sheuran,
when he didn't change some of those players and ran
out his largely first choice team again. This time he's gone, Well,
the opportunity is there and they don't come along too
often in test rugby where you can have a look
at some different players, different combinations. Look, the All Blacks

(00:38):
still want to win obviously tomorrow night, but you've got
to take these opportunities to find out a little bit
more about the likes of Ruben Love, about Damien McKenzie
at ten now about seven penny female on the blind
side flank, among others, because you just won't get them
too often, and it certainly won't come in the Rugby
Championship you know, Argentina two tests away is going to
be tough, South Africa obviously Australia. If you want to

(01:00):
find out a bit more about these players and get
them into the All Blacks environment and playing some rugby
tomorrow night, it's the opportunity.

Speaker 1 (01:07):
When was the last time we had no Barretts in
the squad?

Speaker 2 (01:10):
It was against Japan and last year in Yokohama, so
no Barretts played in that game. But before then I
did have that note at the time, but it'd be
a long time since that point, so being fairly recent.
But look in the last ten to fifteen years, very
very rare that there's been no Barretts in the run
on side.

Speaker 1 (01:29):
What's wrong with Bodie's hand? I mean, if it's puffy
it sounds serious.

Speaker 2 (01:32):
Yeah, Puffy's never good is it for a hands? And
Scott Robertson says the going for scans and our course
his brothers. Scott is also in the injury wilderness at
the moment, waiting for more information on that calf injury
he had. This injury during Super Rugby. Robertson wasn't able
to clarify whether it was the same hands, but that

(01:52):
kept him out for about five or six weeks, remembering
in Super Rugby a possibility it does so again and
obviously with the championship bearing down on us, you wouldn't
want it to be too long, so look, we'll probably
get some scanned results. Would to speak to the next
couple of days and find out whether it's good news
or bad for Boden.

Speaker 1 (02:10):
Wonderful stuff. Thank you, Elliott Elliott Smith, News Talks DB's
Rugby editor.

Speaker 2 (02:14):
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