Propping duel takes centre stage Mass Boks changes stir response
All Blacks midfielder Rieko Ioane smiles broadly, looks at the ground and shakes his head when asked if his tight-knit group of lifetime friends – who live firmly outside the rugby bubble – give him grief about being a high-profile New Zealander.
‘‘You can’t do anything,’’ he says. ‘‘You offer to shout them dinner and they’re all like . . . and then when they shout you dinner they’re into me as well.’’
The image of Ioane, 25, being mercilessly teased by a group of mates is a million miles away from the high-stakes world of test rugby.
But it is telling that the Blues midfielder treasures those moments, and understands the value in them.
In an interview at a Dunedin hotel this week, Ioane is very different from the public-facing image of a slightly flash type with a penchant for try celebrations.
There is happy talk about home life with partner Dione and their dog and two cats. There is an admission that as he gets older he takes the greatest satisfaction in the parts of his play that will be used in promotions. And there is an old-school appreciation of those quiet post-game moments in the dressing room.
‘‘That’s the best thing about rugby,’’ Ioane says, momentarily taking us on a little trip inside the All Blacks sheds. ‘‘You look around and there might be someone still catching their breath.
‘‘Someone else might be just bent over. It’s just about looking around and being able to look at each other knowing you did your job.
‘‘It’s about building those connections with the boys, those deep connections. It’s why so many of the boys stick around [in New Zealand].’’
Ioane has been doing his job. For the Blues and All Blacks, he has
England’s no-nonsense prop Ellis Genge has seen the viral footage of a 16-year-old Taniela Tupou running riot that first put him on the map eight years ago.
Today, the matured English and Australian props will finally lock horns in the second test at Queensland’s Suncorp Stadium.
Tupou’s arrival as ‘‘Tongan Thor’’ came when footage of the raw teenager’s rugby exploits first surfaced online.
He’s kicked on to become one of the world’s most watchable props, set to play his 39th test in Brisbane after overcoming a calf injury and welcoming his first child last week.
‘‘I love playing against the best tightheads in the world,’’ Genge, a 37 test veteran, said.
‘‘I ain’t never played against him, never met him, but I’ve seen his highlights when he was 16 and that, as everyone has.
‘‘He’s a big lump, isn’t he? It’s very different, every scrum you’ve just got to work it out.’’
England forwards coach Richard Cockerill tips their head-to-head battle could decide the result and, at the very least, put bums on seats.
‘‘He’s exceptionally explosive . . . it should be a good set piece battle with him and Ellis, so it all sets it up for a nice tasty evening, doesn’t it?’’ he said.
‘‘Let’s look forward to it; we’re an English pack that want to get in the middle of it.
‘‘We want it to be gladiatorial, physical, we want people to come [and say] ‘that first clash it’s going to be great, let’s go and see it’. Let’s started to develop a habit of making desperate defensive plays. He stopped at least one Irish try last week with his goalline defence, and Blues fans remember his try-saving effort against the Crusaders in Christchurch during Super Rugby Pacific. enjoy the physical parts, the feisty parts and, within the laws of the game, let’s get into it.’’
Genge toured but didn’t play when England beat Australia 3-0 in 2016, a series that included the Wallabies’ last loss at Suncorp Stadium.
They’ve won 10 straight since then, but it’s not even on the radar of the visitors. ‘‘Really? That’s class, a fortress,’’ Genge said. ‘‘I just remember enjoying myself [in 2016]. It was just a mint tour, [I was] 20, 21, didn’t have a care in the world.
‘‘I don’t remember too much about the detail stuff, probably why I didn’t play, but it was a brilliant tour to be part of and so is this one.’’
Ioane suggests it’s a result of maturity. ‘‘As I’ve got older, I’ve come to realise the role of defence,’’ he says. ‘‘Perhaps earlier in my career, in its infancy, I didn’t see that as much.
‘‘But when you look at someone making a tackle, you don’t want to let them down. Or when you know your mate beside you is going to make that tackle, it’s a good feeling. It’s the stuff that will never make the highlights reels.’’ He also thinks the All Blacks’ long period on the road together last year created invisible ties that will bind that group of players together for years, perhaps decades. In fact, Ioane says he is now looking forward to getting on tour again this season.
In some ways, Ioane remains the archetypal modern player, with his love of gaming. He says he and his friends ‘‘lose themselves in that world’’, as a form of escape.
But it would be an error to equate that with frivolity. There has been a single-minded determination behind his shift from wing to centre. He has had to stand his ground at times.
‘‘I had to be quite stern with my coaches at Super Rugby,’’ he says. ‘‘But I knew that didn’t mean
South Africa coach Jacques Nienaber has denied it’s a gamble but his decision to change 19 of his 23 players and rest 14 Rugby World Cup winners for the second test against Wales tomorrow with a series still to play for has provoked strong reaction.
Wales captain Dan Biggar said ‘‘there’s nothing in it’’, but almost everywhere else, Nienaber’s decision to change 19 of his 23 players and rest so many World Cup winners for the international has stirred up a hornet’s nest.
Wales great Gareth Edwards told Welsh media the decision was disrespectful and could well backfire on the world champions, especially after the Springboks’ front-liners scraped home 32-29 in the first test with a lastsecond penalty .
South African media have expressed concern over a risky and ‘‘radical‘‘ team selection by Nienaber – he made 14 switches to his starting 15 – that might prove unforgivable if Wales catch out a Springboks team of fringe players and youngsters to snatch a first test win over the Boks on South African soil in Bloemfontein.
That would end a 58-year run of success at home over Wales for South Africa and leave the series 1-1 with a decider to play.
‘‘If there had been five or six changes, you would maybe have raised an eyebrow. But 14 changes, it’s overwhelming,’’ said Edwards, the former Wales and British and Irish Lions
Rieko Ioane
anything for the All Blacks. I knew that playing at No 13 for the Blues wouldn’t mean anything unless I played well.
‘‘But [Ian Foster] has been a good listener. He’s given me a lot of confidence at centre.’’
Foster appears to have slowly been won over. The head coach is on record as saying he initially saw Ioane as a winger who could cover centre, but Ioane is starting to accumulate tests in the No 13 jersey.
Competition from Jack Goodhue means that Ioane can take nothing for granted, but for now he knows exactly what he needs to do to hold on to the jersey he has fought for. halfback. ‘‘I don’t think it shows respect for Wales . . . It is a great opportunity [for Wales] to beat them and say, ‘Thank you very much for picking that team’.’’
Nienaber defended his wholesale changes by asserting the Springboks ‘‘picked a side we believe can beat Wales’’.
But that side is without regular captain Siya Kolisi, without the entire first-choice front row that’s considered the best in the world, without key lineout jumper Lood de Jager, and with a completely new backline from the opening test.
Richard Knowler: Look at it this way. How often do New Zealand rugby heads bang on about how great Cane is after a test match? The truth is, not that much. So maybe Barnes has just amplified those sentiments. Then there’s the issue of whether Ardie Savea should be starting at No 7. Yet it would be a mistake to under-rate Cane. He’s a good leader, courageous (remember his comeback from that dreadful neck injury) and a punishing defender.
Robert van Royen: He’s entitled to throw a few darts, and it would seem there’s no shortage of Kiwi punters in agreement with him. However, his comments are unfair on the back of 67 minutes of solid test footy last week.
Paul Cully: Criticism is an unfortunate part of the job when you are the All Blacks captain. However, Cane’s real value will be revealed when the All Blacks have to go deep into their reserves this year. He stands up when the going gets tough, and any assessment about Cane’s worth should be put on ice for the next four tests – the two remaining games against Ireland and the two tests against the Springboks in South Africa.
What are your thoughts about Ian Foster shoe-horning three No 7s into the All Blacks’ back row?
RK: Are we any closer to solving the riddle about who should play No 6 at the World Cup next year? No. Since Jerome Kaino left, and was replaced by Liam Squire in 2017, this has become the most problematic position to fill for the All Blacks. Dalton Papalii was the logical replacement for this test, given Scott Barrett had to move into the second row. If Papalii goes gangbusters, at least it gives Foster another option. But I doubt this is a long-term solution.
RVR: A good move, at least this week. Dalton Papalii is simply too good not to have on the park, and Sam Cane isn’t going anywhere as long as he’s skipper. But it wouldn’t hurt to give a specialist blindside flanker a run in the No 6 jersey in the third test. After all, it remains rather unclear what the All Blacks’ best loose forwards trio is.
PC: It’s temporary. Foster made clear that Scott Barrett would have retained the No 6 against Ireland in Dunedin had there not been injuries and Covid in the locking department. Dalton Papalii is more of a 6 and a half, with his size and strength in the tackle, so it’s probably not as dramatic a selection as it first appears.
‘‘When you know your mate beside you is going to make that tackle, it’s a good feeling. It’s the stuff that will never make the highlights reels.’’
RK: Why not? Dickson was very good in the first test in Auckland; he was assertive, allowed the game to flow and did his best to reduce stoppages. I’m sure both teams would appreciate hearing the same voice in all three tests. Which could improve the game as a spectacle. Rugby desperately needs more refs like Dickson. Instead, he’s been ditched.
RVR: No. Playing under different referees week to week is hardly a bad thing, particularly when you cast an eye forward to the World Cup next year.
PC: No. It would put too much pressure on that individual. The referees operate as a team these days and are therefore on the same page already, and picking one referee for each series would really shrink the pool of officials who are capable of looking after the big tests.
Game enough to give us a score for the second test?
RK: All Blacks 30 Ireland 18 RVR: All Blacks 37 Ireland 20 PC: All Blacks 28 Ireland 22