Elliott Smith: ZB sports commentator on Scott Robertson's picks for the second test against the Springboks

All Blacks coach Scott Robertson has made a few changes ahead of Saturday’s Rugby Championship rematch against the Springboks.

Beauden Barrett and TJ Perenara have been benched, Sevu Reece and Cortez Ratima will be starting and Wallace Sititi will take the number 6 jersey.

ZB sports commentator Elliott Smith says Razor is focused on getting the last 20 minutes of the match right - an error that cost the All Blacks last week's game.

"Very much about getting the experience in the last 20-25 minutes of the test match to try and close it out - this is what the Springboks have done very well."

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Heather Duke les see Allen eighteen past five. Now the
All Blacks have made a few changes to the side
ahead of the second Test against the spring Box which
is happening in Cape Town this weekend. Body Barrett and TJ.
Perinara have been benched. Sevu Reese and Cortez Ratama will
start and then Wallace Attititi will be starting in the
number six journey Jersey Elliot Smith is in Cape Town
for us. Hey Elliott, Hey, Heather Okay. Body Barrett's obviously

(00:21):
being brought in as a bomb squad a later, right.

Speaker 2 (00:24):
One hundred percent. Yeah, this is all about trying to
get that last twenty minutes right, which the All Blacks
simply didn't do last week at Alice Park. They looked
a little lost in last twenty minutes. So Boden Barrett
the Rollie started in or came off the bench rather
in the last two at the first two tests of
the year against England, goes back to the bench, Will
Jordan at fullback. TJ. Petinara the other decision so very

(00:46):
much about getting that experience in the last twenty twenty
five minutes of the Test match to try and close
it out. This is what the spring Box have done
very very well. As you mentioned the head of the
Bomb Squad. This is the All Blacks in some part
trying to replicate it on Sunday morning time.

Speaker 1 (01:00):
Okay, And why has TJ being pinar TJ being bench
does that also a bomb squad mover or are we
not happy with his performance?

Speaker 2 (01:07):
My understanding is that it's still a similar it's a
similar decision to Boden Barrett trying to get some experience
in the last twenty minutes. You look at the players
they brought on last week. Cortez Ratama, who's going to
start this week, was only in his fifth Test. So
the any experience in the last half hour or so
of the Test match, and it's becoming vitally clear. I
think in Test match rugby that the last thirty minutes

(01:28):
are just as important as the first sort of fifty
or so, and it's all about that experience. And TJ
Peinara as well. Remember was behind Aaron Smith for the
majority of his Test career. It's really only this year
that he's had a real run of start. So he
knows that bench roll really really well, and that's what
the All Blacks want to get out of him this
weekend in Cape Town.

Speaker 1 (01:46):
What's the vibe that you're packing up. Are they feeling
confident that they can actually nail the spring box or
are they a bit rattled.

Speaker 2 (01:52):
No, well, it's a lot of confidence that, hey, if
you get that last twenty minutes right, then they should
have won. Last week. They've accepted that they should have
won and should be you know with the you know
rid in that mix with the rugby championship, but they
blew that last twenty minutes. So the vibe very much
out of the team is if they can get that
last twenty minutes right, they trust their game plan for
the first hour and they can get the win this

(02:13):
weekend and some of those changes that we've talked about
very much around that, you just hope that some of
the changes that don't mean they fall away in the
first hour and the game's gone at the hour March.
So that's got to be intriguing come Sunday morning as well.

Speaker 1 (02:25):
Elliott, thank you as always, look after yourself, Stay safe.
That's Elliott Smith News Talks. There'd be rugby commentator in
cap Chain for the test and by the way, gues
Ethan Blackadder is injured.

Speaker 2 (02:33):
For more from Heather Duplassy Allen Drive, listen live to
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