Elliott Smith: Newstalk ZB Rugby Editor ahead of the All Blacks v France series

There are new faces across the board for the first All Blacks test of the season. 

Four uncapped All Blacks will be unleashed in Dunedin, with number 8 Christian Lio-Willie and lock Fabian Holland starting, while prop Ollie Norris and flanker Du'Plessis Kirifi will storm off the bench. 

On the French side of things, with five debutants featuring in the run-on side and three in the reserves. 

Newstalk ZB’s Voice of Rugby Elliott Smith told Ryan Bridge this feels like more of a team Scott Robertson wants to pick and unleash on the world, as opposed to trying specifically to win. 

He says it feels a sea change in the All Blacks selection philosophy.  

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Right, we've got the first All Blacks test of the year.
Tomorrow night they will be taking on the French at
Forsyth Bar Stadium. And to Needing, what a game it's
going to be. What a place to be, but a
very cold one. By the sounds of it. News talks,
they'd be Voice of Rugby Elliot Smith is there for
us this morning? Hey Elliott, Elliott? Can you hear me?

Speaker 2 (00:16):
Mate? I've got your right on?

Speaker 1 (00:18):
How cold is it? Exactly?

Speaker 2 (00:20):
Bit Shelly? Look it was two degrees the other morning.
It's a bit warmer this morning, but it is raining.
But the fortunate thing about Toneden, of course, is that
they've got the probably the country's best stadium as it
stands in terms of having a roof, So once we
get to tomorrow night, conditions no barrier to what we
might expect from from both of these two teams. They
both love it. I mean the All Blacks certainly love
it when they come to town knowing that they can
just play whatever rugby they want, or try to play

(00:42):
whatever rugby they want, given the roof at Fullsyth bar Stadium.

Speaker 1 (00:47):
And how important, how big of a deal is this
first one?

Speaker 2 (00:51):
I think it's a chance of the All Blacks to
sort of draw a line in the sands. The season
last year was a few ups and downs, the first
year under Scott Robinson regime. Putting things into place this year,
you know, Scott Robinson's made plenty of changes to the
all Black side. He's blooding four debutantes tomorrow night two,
starting two coming off the bench. He admitted that perhaps

(01:12):
he was a little bit too conservative with some of
his selections last year. This time he swung the pendul
in the other way and is rolling the dice on
some inexperience and changing some combinations around not only those
four debutants, but changes elsewhere, moving to po Via to
to the blindside, Rico Yoani back to the left wing,
bringing a couple of flankers off the bench, which is

(01:33):
unusual as well. So this feels like more of an
All Blacks team that Scott Robertson, you know, wants to
perk and and and wants to sort of unleash on
the world rather than trying to win. And it feels
like a little bit of it, as I say, a
little bit of a sea change to this all Black
selection philosophy, which can only be a good thing depicting

(01:54):
on of course how it goes Tomorrow Night.

Speaker 1 (01:55):
It's going to stay as long as it works.

Speaker 2 (01:58):
Hey, that's exactly right.

Speaker 1 (01:59):
Fabia Holland making his debut a lot. This is going
to be quite the story to watch, doesn't it. I
mean he's obviously from Holland originally but has been playing
for the Highlanders down there and now he's going to
debut it lot for the All Blacks.

Speaker 2 (02:11):
Yeah, real especial night Tomorrow Nights of Sabian Holland two
hundred and four centimeters tool. He is a big unit
and he's a kind of player All Blacks have been
looking for for for a few years now. That's that
big body that they can produce tall players, but that
big frame they just haven't had for it for a
number of years. Remarkable story. Come over from the Netherlands
at sixteen on a school scholarship and christ Church and

(02:31):
then comes down to the need and toils away at
the NPC, gets to Highland his contract and now a
couple of years later is in the All Blacks. That
is quite remarkable the sort of six years that Fabian
Holland has had and debuting Tomorrow Night on has adopted
home soil of Forsyth bar Stadium. And there's a couple
other players, you know, Christian Leo, Willie du CANEFI have
gone the other way about it. They're been toiling away

(02:52):
in club rugby or Super rugby for a number of
years and didn't know that they necessarily get their chance
and there sort of towards the end of their twenties
and get their opportunity tonight. So a couple of different
paths that some of these debutants are taken to the
All Blacks tomorrow night and fascinated to see how they go.

Speaker 1 (03:07):
Absolutely, Eli, finally, what's your points pick?

Speaker 2 (03:10):
Oh look, I my colleague lean Navi went by all
Blacks by twenty. I went all Blacks by twelve yesterday
when we were doing some predictions. Always a little bit
rusty as they start the season, but I think they'll
win and win by twelve.

Speaker 1 (03:21):
All right, we will hold you to that. On Monday, Elliott,
thank you, Allen Smith and News Talks, he'd be Voice
of Rugby Endneed.

Speaker 2 (03:29):
For More from early edition with Ryan Bridge. Listen live
to News Talks. It'd be from five am weekdays, or
follow the podcast on iHeartRadio.