Nathan Limm: ZB Sports Reporter on the All Blacks selection for the All Blacks v Argentina rematch

The All Blacks have responded to last week’s 38-30 defeat to Argentina at Sky Stadium by making major changes to their squad for the rematch at Eden Park. 

Four changes in the starting XV see Tamaiti Williams start in the front row with Ethan de Groot (neck) out injured, Rieko Ioane returns at centre and a new wing combination sees Caleb Clarke and Will Jordan move into the starting roles. 

Former captain Sam Cane is in line to make his return to test rugby from the bench, with Anton Lienert-Brown and Mark Tele’a both moving back to the reserves after starting last weekend. 

“We’ve reflected deeply on our performance and our preparation individually and collectively is something we have all owned,” All Blacks coach Scott Robertson said. 

“Our intent and focus has shifted solely to Eden Park.” 

Newstalk ZB Sport Reporter Nathan Limm told Francesca Rudkin he’s excited to see how Sam Cane goes, since he’ll be going straight from club rugby into a test match, having missed Super Rugby due to being in Japan, and then being off with a back injury. 

He said that Cane’s got more than enough experience to pull it off, but it’ll be interesting to see his impact when he does come onto the field. 

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:06):
You're listening to the Kerry Wood of Mornings podcast from
News Talk SEDB.

Speaker 2 (00:11):
But we'll also just received news looking forward to the
All Blacks game this weekend. Scott Robinson has announced his
All Blacks squad and you may not remember because last
weekend we were just so excited about the fact that
we won twenty medals at the Paris Olympics and that
was just such a highlight and so positive. We kind
of almost just ignored that the All Blacks lost a

(00:35):
Test against Argentina and Wellington, but they did and joining
me now as news talks, he'd be sport for Nathan Limb.
So obviously the All Blacks are very focused on this weekend.
Yes they are, they are, and so Scott Robinson has
made some major changes.

Speaker 3 (00:50):
Yeah. Well the biggest one out of this new team
list for the rematch at Eden Park after that sort
of upset thirty eight to thirty loss in Wellington. Sam
Kine is going to play his first game since the
Rugby World Cup Final, so he's been named in the
number twenty jersey on the bench. There's only one changed
to the starting pack. Ethan de Groot's out with a
neck injury, so to Mighty Williams comes in to start

(01:12):
in the front row and in the back line. Ruko
Yuwani is back at center after Antony Lenet Brown played
in Wellington, so he's back into the number thirteen. Jersey,
Caleb Clark and Will Jordan replaced the starting wings. Mark
t Led dropped to the bench and sever Reese messing
out on the twenty three. Probably haven't seen the best
of sever Reeese so far this year, and we haven't
seen a hell of a lot of Caleb Clark, who

(01:33):
played really really well through Super Rugby, so I think
that change was coming based off that really underwhelming, messy
performance that we saw in Wellington. It'll be great to
see how these changes impact things. And I'm really excited
to see how Sam Kine goes because obviously we haven't
seen him in Super Rugby. He was in Japan and
he missed so much rugby because of his back injury.
He had surgery, so he's just been playing club rugby

(01:56):
since then. To go from there straight into a Test match,
he's got more than enough experience to do it. But
it'll be really interesting to see. I guess his impact
when he does come on.

Speaker 2 (02:03):
So if he's coming off the bench. I can't imagine
it would be for a long period of time.

Speaker 3 (02:08):
Well, I think it'll just depend how the game goes.
I mean, in the starting loose forwards we've got Ethan
Blackadder on the blind side again, Dalton Papalitie at number seven,
Ardie Savia at number eight. So if I had to
predict what would happen, I'd guess that Dalton Papallyiti would
come off, Artie Savia would go to seven and oh sorry,
we'd see a set straight swap. Sorry Sam Kane for
Adulton Papaaliti. He's the only loose forward replacement. Josh Lord

(02:31):
is there to replace either to Bova or Sam Darry
who had a great performance on debut last week, or
at his first start rather. So, yeah, it'll be interesting
to see how they go.

Speaker 2 (02:41):
Did you anticipate these changes? I mean this is I mean,
this is what you guys do all the time. You're
constantly looking ahead and working out what you do if
you were you know, the All Blacks coach.

Speaker 3 (02:52):
That makes sense, Yeah, I think so. I think we
needed something just a little bit, I think, I think,
to be honest, I think they were missing size in
the in the game in Wellington, and this doesn't change
that hell of a lot, to be honest. The other
big thing that sort of stood out was the kicking game,
and there didn't seem to be a whole lot of
clarity between the players to what their exit strategy was

(03:13):
when they were in the twenty two. So we've still
got Damien McKenzie running things at number ten. Raizer confirmed
that he would, you know, keep faith in Damien and
with Antoninette Brown Cortez at Artima and Mark Tala on
the bench, he'll be running things for the whole game. Obviously,
Boden Barret at fullback, so I second playmaker option. But
we just need to see more clarity I suppose in
their game plan and threatening on attack.

Speaker 2 (03:34):
It's going to take time, doesn't it. Just Just to
be fair of the All Blacks, I mean, I tend
to think that some of the great All Black games,
or the great All Blacks teams are ones who have
been together for such a period of time whereby there
is a calmness to them. They are they can focus
and get right to the end of the game and

(03:56):
push right to that last minute to win, you know,
they can they kind of keep it together, composures of
the word I'm looking for. There's that incredible composure and
I'm sure when you're coming in you've got a new coach,
you've got new people involved, you've got some veterans in
here and a few new eas it must just take
time for that to settle, to get that composure.

Speaker 3 (04:13):
Yeah, you'd imagine that there would be a few teething issues.
I mean, I think we saw a lot of composer
from the All Blacks in those two games against England.
To be honest, a couple of guys could have gone
the other way and they could have lost those games.
So I suppose now they're really under the pump. They
are under pressure with that loss to Argentina and with
two Tests in South Africa coming up afterwards, they really
need some momentum. You can't go over to the South

(04:34):
Africa off the back of two Tests losses. But the
other thing is they're even park factor and the All
Blacks record there, so I'm sure you know, last time
the All Blacks lost to Argentina in New Zealand, they
put fifty on them the next game. So I'm not
expecting that, but I'm expecting it to be close, but
I do expect a much improved All Blacks performance and yeah,
hopefully with a bit more time they will start to

(04:56):
click a bit more.

Speaker 2 (04:57):
Notan thank you very much for joining us.

Speaker 1 (05:00):
For more from Kerry Wood and Mornings, listen live to
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