Will Jordan: All Blacks fullback previews the Rugby Championship opener against Argentina

The All Blacks have named a predictable side for their Rugby Championship opener against Argentina in Cordoba. 

Captain Scott Barrett is returning to the side, with Beauden Barrett returning to No. 10 and Cortez Ratima starting at halfback. 

There are no new faces on the team for the first time in 2025. 

Will Jordan is playing at No. 15, and told Mike Hosking that Argentina seems to be primed and ready to go for a couple of big tests, particularly since they’re defending their home patch. 

He says the key for the All Blacks is to come out and try get on top in the first twenty minutes of the match. 

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Back to the international rugby this weekend, having dispense with
the French. It is the Rugby Championship, our first crack
on foreign soil. The Australians will face South Africa and Jayburg.
The All Blacks, of course, are with the Argies. Will
Jordan is with us. Good morning to you, to you, Mike, now,
given it's been a while since we caught up a
couple of things, the season for you so far, the French,
the vibe around the side, how are you feeling.

Speaker 2 (00:21):
Yeah, if we built into the French series, well we're
able to kind of give everyone to go chucking in
that last game. So I think for last it was
just sen of a good scene set around fortune, a
bit of an identity around how I wanted to play.
Didn't always put the execute way I wanted to, but
nice to get the three noll result. And now in
Rugby Championship which promises to be a bit of a
step up and pretty challenging. So you hope we can

(00:43):
start to do it on that momentum.

Speaker 1 (00:44):
Good, So fast forward now to Argentina. The trip you're away,
You've got jet leg, your training house, all that gone.

Speaker 2 (00:51):
Yeah, it's been good. It was lucky. We got here
on Friday last week, so we sort of had the
weekend just to click ourselves, get ready, committed, experience a
bit of the cultured here and get our feet on
the ground and don't mean me to kind of hit
Monday running. We've had a couple of good training sitionis
over here nicely, bit of fun on the back the
time here than what it was in Chigh Street to

(01:11):
our left, so now the good send familiar Agina. I
think we're a good spot hidden in the weekend to
be all go good.

Speaker 1 (01:18):
How hot is it?

Speaker 2 (01:20):
That's just mid teens. It's a cool one for every year,
but yeah, slightly more more tropical than what we had
back at home. So I think the forecast was pretty
good for the weekend and a slightly earlier took off
at six, so spending some money conditions which will be
nice to lutch myself at the back.

Speaker 1 (01:36):
Are you aware of the buzz? Is there a buzz
or are you sort of in a bubble?

Speaker 2 (01:42):
You feel like a little bit like yeah, yeah, yeah,
But it's obviously they come to Argentina once a couple
of years, so there's been a few locals tening around
and We've been to a through ugby clubs and been
a bubick site in the there, but yeah, the general
where we kind of them in the hotel and you're
pretty locked into what each other's up to and not
going too much of the extreme noise. I guess you

(02:02):
feel when you're at home in the media and it's
a little bit breathing around you. I guess the time
difference plays that have bit as well a night when
we're day here and vice versas. So yeah, it is
nice on four you can get a little bit tighter
and spend the bolts in that sense.

Speaker 1 (02:17):
How do you because you're away for two so that's
you know, that's a decent period away from home. Does
that affect you any differently as opposed to just having
one game away?

Speaker 2 (02:27):
Yeah. I think the good thing that they be championship
visit is that two weeks on, one week off, so
you kind of know, hiding the way for a bit
of a sprints, get stuck into this first test and
then makes few adjustments and really give everything you've got
for that seeking test. Then it's nice to get home
for a week, see the family, see the dog, all
that sort of stuff. Then into two weeks again another

(02:47):
week off, So I personally quite like the flow of
the two weeks on one week. It close to a
India tour ro this year, five weeks straight on the road,
so yeah, it does give you a chance to experience.
But about what turns about being away for too long?

Speaker 1 (03:01):
What's your view on Argentina is? Are they the unpredictability
factor of Argentina? One day they're brilliant, the next day
they're not. Are we over that? Is there a trajectory
for them or not?

Speaker 2 (03:13):
I think so? Yeah, I think I think that up
to around for from the world now, so they're suddenly yeah,
been checking in a bit victory the last three or
four years, and they've obviously took us up a few
times as well. So first and foremost CHEF to respect that.
And it particularly seems to be these first games of
the two we've heard trouble against them, so I know
they gave a few guys a rests in the July series,

(03:34):
come off with back to big frink season, so it
feels like that priming and ready to go for to
be a couple of big tests, particularly defending their hot packs.
So yeah, I think the key for US has been
able to come out and feel that intensity and really
brilliant that first twenty minutes to try and sign the
crowd a little bit and get on top.

Speaker 1 (03:52):
And what about the other sides. Do you pay a
great deal of attention to Australia South Africa this weekend?
Therefore what they're doing or do you deal with that
another when you face them?

Speaker 2 (04:01):
I think, yeah, in the background, yere just towere of
what's going on. You're obviously going to play them around
the corner. But that's more just I think a family
game is opposed to anything to analytical or starting to
think about plans and that sort of thing, and then
yet really front the focus of the two. I think
that's been a trap in the sense of thinking about
what's just here. And yeah, there's obviously a few big

(04:23):
tests coming up when we get back home, but yeah,
for us, just really on Argentina and sopefuly the first
test of making sure we do a job in in
game one.

Speaker 1 (04:31):
Well, you've been away. The announcement has been made that
Super Rugby is going to have a whole round at
the new christ Jurich Stadium. Next year. That's I mean,
for a for a local That's got to be a thrill,
doesn't it.

Speaker 2 (04:40):
Yeah, it's awesome. It's been pretty cool driving past that
stadium over the last year or so as it's starting
to come to fruition and seeing it all come together
and why it will connects, I guess the whole city
and the bars and restaurants and all that being so close.
It's going to be a great thing for us and
to everyone coming down down to christ Church. Sure that's
the it is coming in. It'll be great and a

(05:01):
great way to sentily check off the stadium or to
be in a jelly days anyway, So a great way
to I just show the nation and show the world
what it'll be all.

Speaker 1 (05:09):
About right from behind the scenes. Insight, Please will how
much steak and mel Beck have you consumed so far?

Speaker 2 (05:16):
I've got through a plenty of steak metsa shore and
I say it was good to the year over the
weekends and the likes of Body had made a pretty
good wine Connoissanur, so we had a couple of those
to indulge in it. So it was good. Yeah, we
had We started Argentina and barbecue and our day off
you today after golf, So now it's been good to
enjoy a bit of the local pleasures.

Speaker 1 (05:37):
Good on you, Will you go well this weekend. We're
all watching, of course, and listening with Piney's commentary, Is
it Pineyer? Won't be Piney? Will it? It'll be Elliott
Will Jordan out of Argentina this morning. For more from
the mic Asking Breakfast, listen live to news Talks it'd
Be from six am weekdays, or follow the podcast on iHeartRadio.