Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
International rugby coverage on the country.
Speaker 2 (00:03):
Sport Breakfast is proudly brought to you by Access Solutions,
elevating you and your business to a higher level.
Speaker 1 (00:10):
Time to catch up with the Zerland Herald rugby writer
greg Or Paul and we can sort of take him
away from the coverage of the Olympic Games. The sevens
underway and you be excited about that, Gregor.
Speaker 2 (00:22):
Well, I've had whether seven should be in the Olympics
or not for a really while, but I've probably come
home to a way of thinking that it's a good
entry point for rugby to sell itself to the world. Yeah.
I love the story of Fiji winning the gold medal
in the first tournament in two sixteen, So yeah, I'll
(00:43):
keep away eye on that absolutely.
Speaker 1 (00:45):
All right, there's a bit to talk about this week,
and the first one, I guess the big story of
the week. It began at the beginning of the week
Artie Savia moving north from the Hurricanes to Mawana, PACIFICA.
What are your thoughts on that one?
Speaker 2 (00:57):
Oh, Gleamouth have a great move for Milana and a
great move for the Super Rugby competition, I feel, because
like Milana are here to stay. They are an integral
part of the competition. They've fixed up some of the
issues that they were having around their ownership, so they
(01:18):
now have stability around that. They've got a bit of
financial certainty now around because of that, and I think
everybody's got to get in behind them a lead bit
more and create a framework where it becomes easier for
them to get the hands of the good quality players.
And already, going to Milana could be a game changer,
(01:40):
as Michael Jones said, because it will hopefully encourage other
young PACIFICA players or even established PACIFICA players to look
at Molana as a career opportunity for them. And albeit,
the point here is that we're trying to get guys
ready to play for Sana more. And but if it
takes a few established don't black yeah to go in
(02:02):
there and to create a bit of profile and drive
and certainty for the club, then so be it. But
I think it's a great move all around.
Speaker 1 (02:11):
Talking about the o Blecks, what were your thoughts on
the on the San Diego experience for the or Blacks
against Fiji?
Speaker 2 (02:18):
Well, pretty well didn't they New Zealand. That is in
a Test match where could have gone wrong, I felt
when I saw the team that they'd picked to play
that game. As watching, there's a lot of new cats,
mostly on the bench, but a lot of the guys
that are starting are guys that wouldn't normally start either,
(02:39):
So that's it's a little bit of a risk because
Fiji are not a bad team, and in the heat
and on a hard ground that could open up and
you could find yourself playing against Fijian style THATGB which
once it gets going, could be very difficult to stop.
So I thought they handled the occasionally really well. The
young guys that came on and way they looked composed,
(03:01):
they look certain. Some of the rugby was pretty good.
I thought, not perfect by any means, but there's a
lot of changes. But I would have thought the reason
we would have come home rather Robotson matters would to
come home pretty happy with you know this sense now
that he's got a wider squad of players, and certainly
(03:21):
a few of them all made a few more test
matches before, you know, before we can really be talking
about them as all blacks. But there was certainly a
promising start from quite a lot of them.
Speaker 1 (03:31):
There's definitely some work ons and a piece that you
wrote for the New Zealand Hit this week in New
Zealand Herald talks about the kicking game and the All
Blacks need a better kicking strategy, don't they really do.
Speaker 2 (03:43):
That's been a weakness I feel, and partially because it's
a skill that we don't see required in super rugby.
It's not something it's not the style of rugby that
we get in super rugby, where it's a far more aerobic,
dynamic bown hand type of encounter typically that we see,
whereas if you go up north and watch club rugby
(04:04):
out there, it tends to look a lot more like
test match rugby, even at that level where there's really refined,
clever ways, you know, to manipulate the old position with
a kick strategy. So I think he's there are a
way bit behind. It doesn't mean that they can't catch
up really quickly because everyone you know, they've got guys
in the team, McKinsey, the two, Barrett cam Roy guard
(04:25):
when he comes back. Yeah, these guys can kick the
ball well. But the actual skill of kicking the ball
is there is learning the art of when to do
it and where to kick the ball. That's what they
haven't looked particularly good at and how it marries up
into a wider game plan, because it's a really important way,
particularly when you play bigger teams like South Africa and
(04:46):
Ireland and even England again later in the year. New
Zealand need to be a smart kicking team. They can't
just rely on being a smart running team.
Speaker 1 (04:55):
There are times when Damien McKenzie is right on the button,
but there are other times you ask yourself, why did
he do that? Don't you aweve it a weave it?
Speaker 2 (05:05):
Look, he's going into a very difficult role. It's not easy.
But there were one or two occasions board against England
and then certainly against Fiji where he just seemed to
have a blank moment and he didn't know what to do.
So we assist the ball down in the middle of the
field and you're like, really, what we're doing on there?
And that's I mean, those little moments need to be
(05:28):
tidied up. But I also think that just doesn't seem
to be an appreciation of you know, what they're trying
to do when they kick the ball. They're trying to
win the ball back in the air. Are they trying
to turn the opposition and keep them pinned in a
particular part of the field, you know, or are they
you know, are they trying to chip over the top
of the descents and just create a pattern that says, hey,
(05:51):
you know, we might kick every now and again, so
we're going to keep you honest here. It doesn't feel
like they're sure about why they're doing these things, and
you know, that's probably something for the coaching group to
work on to to get a greater understanding of why
they need to kick the ball.
Speaker 1 (06:07):
We've got a few weeks to work on it before
the Championship gets under Are your thoughts on Australia? I
mean at times there with the Georgia, were you actually
got to beat them?
Speaker 2 (06:15):
Yeah, I'm a little bit like New Zealand though they
know a lot of changes and they were playing guys
that they wouldn't normally play. So I guess what we
got from that is that their strength and depth is
nowhere near as good as New Zealand strength and depth,
I would say would be the outcome from that. But
they were, they were good in the two previous games
when they beat Wales. I mean they still they still
(06:37):
look a bit soft and pudget around the forwards, you know,
like the ability to sit and to send a rolling
ball is weak, and that I mean in the international game,
that's just seven points waiting to be taken I think
at the moment. So that's something they're going to need
to work on. But other than that, they looked a
bit more cohesive. They looked a bit more rugged around
the field. And give them another what they played another five,
(07:00):
five or six Test natures before they play the All Blacks.
It might be quite good.
Speaker 1 (07:05):
But then yeah, it's well, let's hope, so we'll wait
and see. Gregor, are nice to catch up mate, Enjoy
the games. Gregor Paul joining us here on gold Sport
in the Country Sport Breakfast