September 23, 2025 • 6 mins
Another Eden Park test has come around, with the All Blacks facing another challenger to the 31-year undefeated streak - this time it's the Wallabies who look to take the fortress.
They're looking a much-improved side this year, having shared wins with both the Springboks in South Africa and Argentina at home.
D'Arcy spoke with ZB's own Elliot Smith, who speculated ahead of the big match.
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Speaker 1 (00:06):
You're listening to the Sports Talk podcast with Dancy Waldergrave
from News Talk zedb.
Speaker 2 (00:13):
Eden Park Test. It's on his way again. That's right.
We're all freaking out about the South African Should we
be freaking out about the Australians? The Wallabies to try
and unlock that thirty one year undefeated fortress improved side
this year? Are the Wallabies without a doubt? Wins? I
(00:33):
suppose over the box and So Africa argent they know
what they're doing. Elliot Smith joins us Deputy sport editor,
rugby editor, rugby commentator at News Talk ZB. We'll talk
about what he saw today in training. But they all
went on a week and a half ago. Are they
still have they worked that out yet? And then we
had to finish games and not fall apart. I don't
(00:55):
know what's causing this And Elliott, what selections could be
made come Thursday? Team name? And there's so many questions. Elliot,
welcome to the show. There'll be a lot of players
coaching staff standing around in Albany are today thinking what
the hell happened a week and a half ago? Yeah?
Speaker 3 (01:13):
Absolutely, And you could feel today there was a real
sense around training that there were places on the line
this week, but also just that extra was being given
that players wanted to respond and wanted to show they
were responding to that. You know, the defeat in Wellington,
and I think you talk to some of the players
and I have over the last couple of days, and
(01:35):
obviously they accept that it was a defeat, but I
think there's still shell shocked as to the nature of
that defeat and how it unraveled so quickly. So today
it felt like and we were only allowed in for
ten to fifteen minutes, the warm downs at the end,
but very much putting that best foot forward from the
All Blacks as well, Where was that two weeks ago?
Speaker 1 (01:52):
Right?
Speaker 2 (01:52):
Very well and good, isn't it? They left up and
go yeah, we've got to do this and do it again.
Why did they do it in the first place, because
I know there were there was thoughts around and the
media going, well they kind of gave up. And for
someone to attach that to an All Black side, I mean,
that is devastating.
Speaker 3 (02:07):
I watch, I knew Darcy, I mean, and I think
that's the problem is that we can pinpoint all sorts
of things. Obviously that the line out was poor, the
scrum was going backwards and being penalized. There were poor
at tackles. I mean, it wasn't just like one thing
you can pinpoint to go we can fix that in
time for the Blederslow Cup game. There were so many
issues out of that performance that it should have shook
(02:28):
I think the All Blacks to All Blacks Rugby and
New Zealand Rugby to their core going was this what
the side is capable. Surely they're capable of better. And
I think we've heard from the All Blacks about an
honest review they had on Sunday when they got into camp.
It was a fairly lengthy one as my understanding, so
they've tried to make sure that no stone has been
left unturned in aso figuring out what went wrong. But
(02:50):
to me, the loss is now done. It's more a
matter of trying to find some consistency in the side.
And well they have got consistency. They win, they lose,
They consistently consistent. But to me, the you know that
their loss was was very very poor. But I think
there there are wider issues at play that rather than
just one night in Wellington. And that's where I sort
of sit with this All Blacks team at the moment,
(03:11):
and as you point out, they are inconsistent or consistently
inconsistent in the way that they're performing.
Speaker 2 (03:17):
And the last twenty minutes, well there you go. It's
still going. This is not a new thing. This is
not something that's just landed in the last flight. This
has been like this for a long long time now.
The All Blacks, when I was growing up, maybe when
you were growing up, maybe not too recent, you came
to the crunch in the last twenty that's when there's
superior fitness, the superio game plan, the superior attitude. This
(03:40):
is an important thing here. They're calm, blue head. This
is where it came to the fore and they would
beat those teams. It was almost a given that they
would or come very very close. And this still hasn't
been addressed.
Speaker 3 (03:53):
I don't think the fitness thing works anymore. I think
the number of teams around the world that employs so
many health coaches, fitness coaches, you know, it's going to
be negligible really around the rugby globe as to who's
the fittest team. So I don't think that's a thing anymore.
But you're right, the All Blacks used to be able
to trust on their rugby instincts that they'll be able
to close out a game and find ways to better
(04:16):
the opposition, that get a kick out of their bench
and be able to storm home in the last twenty minutes. Well, really,
they're starting well and then completely collapsing is what we've
seen in recent games. You look at the way they
started in Wellington. Obviously the early try to lever a
Carter Megan's thrown a play, yes, but they got the
points on the board at Eden Park in one. Another
(04:36):
was scores early. They also scored another try. They're up
fourteen nil early. They've started well and then haven't been
able to go home with it, and it feels like
halftime has often come at a bad time for the
All Blacks and they've lost some of the momentum in
the game. So these are all issues that didn't just
happen and appear at Sky Stadium. As you point out,
there've been issues that have been around the All Blacks,
not just Scott Robertson's zero, not just Egan Foster zero,
(04:59):
but probably all the way back to the back end
of Steve Hanson's Eero.
Speaker 2 (05:02):
I'm interested in the blue Head philosophy about the ability
to stay calm underpression. And there's been many a famous
All Black victories where it's looked gone for all money,
but there's no panic, there's no stress within the team.
They look like they know what they're doing. They look calm,
they don't look lost. Again, that's lost is the strength
of the players. Will be relying on some great players
(05:25):
in the past. Is that the coaching staff. I don't
know where that comes from.
Speaker 3 (05:29):
That I think that that's symptomatic of just not knowing
where the issue lies. And you know, it's hard to
accept that. You know, you may have been out thought
by South Africa, you may have been outplayed by South Africa.
South Africa may have better players in the or books,
because it's very hard for us to subscribe to that
because for so long the All Blacks have had the
better players, they've had the better coaching. Well, that may
no longer be the case, and they've got to find
(05:52):
ways to perhaps be a little bit smarter about the
way they play on a rugby field. If they don't
have the power players to match it, be a little
bit more crafty. And that comes down to the coaches
having the strategy to undo Teams that may be physically superior,
may have those skill sets because often, you know, the
all blacks have been undone, you know, through the years
by teams that were able to get to their core
(06:14):
and use different coaching strategies to undo them. Maybe it's
time to put it on its head and flip it
around the other way.
Speaker 1 (06:21):
For more from sports Talk, listen live to News Talks
It'd be from seven pm weekdays, or follow the podcast
on iHeartRadio.
You're listening to the Sports Talk podcast with Dancy Waldergrave
from News Talk zedb.
Speaker 2 (00:13):
Eden Park Test. It's on his way again. That's right.
We're all freaking out about the South African Should we
be freaking out about the Australians? The Wallabies to try
and unlock that thirty one year undefeated fortress improved side
this year? Are the Wallabies without a doubt? Wins? I
(00:33):
suppose over the box and So Africa argent they know
what they're doing. Elliot Smith joins us Deputy sport editor,
rugby editor, rugby commentator at News Talk ZB. We'll talk
about what he saw today in training. But they all
went on a week and a half ago. Are they
still have they worked that out yet? And then we
had to finish games and not fall apart. I don't
(00:55):
know what's causing this And Elliott, what selections could be
made come Thursday? Team name? And there's so many questions. Elliot,
welcome to the show. There'll be a lot of players
coaching staff standing around in Albany are today thinking what
the hell happened a week and a half ago? Yeah?
Speaker 3 (01:13):
Absolutely, And you could feel today there was a real
sense around training that there were places on the line
this week, but also just that extra was being given
that players wanted to respond and wanted to show they
were responding to that. You know, the defeat in Wellington,
and I think you talk to some of the players
and I have over the last couple of days, and
(01:35):
obviously they accept that it was a defeat, but I
think there's still shell shocked as to the nature of
that defeat and how it unraveled so quickly. So today
it felt like and we were only allowed in for
ten to fifteen minutes, the warm downs at the end,
but very much putting that best foot forward from the
All Blacks as well, Where was that two weeks ago?
Speaker 1 (01:52):
Right?
Speaker 2 (01:52):
Very well and good, isn't it? They left up and
go yeah, we've got to do this and do it again.
Why did they do it in the first place, because
I know there were there was thoughts around and the
media going, well they kind of gave up. And for
someone to attach that to an All Black side, I mean,
that is devastating.
Speaker 3 (02:07):
I watch, I knew Darcy, I mean, and I think
that's the problem is that we can pinpoint all sorts
of things. Obviously that the line out was poor, the
scrum was going backwards and being penalized. There were poor
at tackles. I mean, it wasn't just like one thing
you can pinpoint to go we can fix that in
time for the Blederslow Cup game. There were so many
issues out of that performance that it should have shook
(02:28):
I think the All Blacks to All Blacks Rugby and
New Zealand Rugby to their core going was this what
the side is capable. Surely they're capable of better. And
I think we've heard from the All Blacks about an
honest review they had on Sunday when they got into camp.
It was a fairly lengthy one as my understanding, so
they've tried to make sure that no stone has been
left unturned in aso figuring out what went wrong. But
(02:50):
to me, the loss is now done. It's more a
matter of trying to find some consistency in the side.
And well they have got consistency. They win, they lose,
They consistently consistent. But to me, the you know that
their loss was was very very poor. But I think
there there are wider issues at play that rather than
just one night in Wellington. And that's where I sort
of sit with this All Blacks team at the moment,
(03:11):
and as you point out, they are inconsistent or consistently
inconsistent in the way that they're performing.
Speaker 2 (03:17):
And the last twenty minutes, well there you go. It's
still going. This is not a new thing. This is
not something that's just landed in the last flight. This
has been like this for a long long time now.
The All Blacks, when I was growing up, maybe when
you were growing up, maybe not too recent, you came
to the crunch in the last twenty that's when there's
superior fitness, the superio game plan, the superior attitude. This
(03:40):
is an important thing here. They're calm, blue head. This
is where it came to the fore and they would
beat those teams. It was almost a given that they
would or come very very close. And this still hasn't
been addressed.
Speaker 3 (03:53):
I don't think the fitness thing works anymore. I think
the number of teams around the world that employs so
many health coaches, fitness coaches, you know, it's going to
be negligible really around the rugby globe as to who's
the fittest team. So I don't think that's a thing anymore.
But you're right, the All Blacks used to be able
to trust on their rugby instincts that they'll be able
to close out a game and find ways to better
(04:16):
the opposition, that get a kick out of their bench
and be able to storm home in the last twenty minutes. Well, really,
they're starting well and then completely collapsing is what we've
seen in recent games. You look at the way they
started in Wellington. Obviously the early try to lever a
Carter Megan's thrown a play, yes, but they got the
points on the board at Eden Park in one. Another
(04:36):
was scores early. They also scored another try. They're up
fourteen nil early. They've started well and then haven't been
able to go home with it, and it feels like
halftime has often come at a bad time for the
All Blacks and they've lost some of the momentum in
the game. So these are all issues that didn't just
happen and appear at Sky Stadium. As you point out,
there've been issues that have been around the All Blacks,
not just Scott Robertson's zero, not just Egan Foster zero,
(04:59):
but probably all the way back to the back end
of Steve Hanson's Eero.
Speaker 2 (05:02):
I'm interested in the blue Head philosophy about the ability
to stay calm underpression. And there's been many a famous
All Black victories where it's looked gone for all money,
but there's no panic, there's no stress within the team.
They look like they know what they're doing. They look calm,
they don't look lost. Again, that's lost is the strength
of the players. Will be relying on some great players
(05:25):
in the past. Is that the coaching staff. I don't
know where that comes from.
Speaker 3 (05:29):
That I think that that's symptomatic of just not knowing
where the issue lies. And you know, it's hard to
accept that. You know, you may have been out thought
by South Africa, you may have been outplayed by South Africa.
South Africa may have better players in the or books,
because it's very hard for us to subscribe to that
because for so long the All Blacks have had the
better players, they've had the better coaching. Well, that may
no longer be the case, and they've got to find
(05:52):
ways to perhaps be a little bit smarter about the
way they play on a rugby field. If they don't
have the power players to match it, be a little
bit more crafty. And that comes down to the coaches
having the strategy to undo Teams that may be physically superior,
may have those skill sets because often, you know, the
all blacks have been undone, you know, through the years
by teams that were able to get to their core
(06:14):
and use different coaching strategies to undo them. Maybe it's
time to put it on its head and flip it
around the other way.
Speaker 1 (06:21):
For more from sports Talk, listen live to News Talks
It'd be from seven pm weekdays, or follow the podcast
on iHeartRadio.
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