Countdown to Cup is on and it will be testing time
Sixty-five. That’s the number of days between when you’re reading this and the moment the All Blacks run out of the Stade de France tunnel for the opening match of the 2023 Rugby World Cup.
That’s slightly shorter than it took the first Covid-19 lockdown to fully lift in New Zealand (75 days), slightly longer than Liz Truss’ tenure as United Kingdom prime minister last year (49 days).
All Blacks assistant coach Jason Ryan isn’t into talking about how big his side’s five pre-World Cup games will be as they tune up for their September 9 kickoff against hosts France in Paris.
For him, it’s finer than games, it’s down to 24-hour periods and how they tick off each one.
Ryan was asked how vital is each test, beginning with Sunday morning’s match against Argentina, in their World Cup preparations.
“Every game is vital,” Ryan said from Mendoza. “We’ve got to make sure we’re doing our jobs and execute our own role. We often hear people say we want to do something special. For me, doing something special is doing your own job.”
As part of that, Ryan underlines how the Super Rugby standard and intensity won’t be good enough as they kick off their campaign this weekend — not even close.
It’s a timely reminder, coming just over a week after the sapping Super Rugby final the Crusaders won over the Chiefs, in a game remarked as being close to test match intensity.
Ryan knows all about that level during his time with the Crusaders until last year, but says franchise and domestic rugby isn’t the same as test rugby.
“It’s totally different. You often hear people say a final was up there with test matches. It’s actually nothing near it.
“It’s a test of character, test of pressure and a test of mindset. That is why they’re called test matches. I think that word gets thrown around too loosely from club coaches and players. I’m probably guilty of it myself. But test matches are special and we’re looking forward to this one.”
For a brief time, playing in Argentina became a more familiar part of the New Zealand rugby fabric, with the Jaguares in Super Rugby and the Pumas firmly ensconced in the Rugby Championship, but Covid put an end to the Jaguares and also, for a couple of years, Argentina’s home rugby games in a reshaped competition, meaning this is the All Blacks’ first and only visit of the World Cup cycle — and their first visit to Mendoza for a test.
Ryan says they are embracing the change of scenery.
“We’ve talked about how good it is to come into a nation like Argentina, where they’re just so passionate. The crowd is probably going to be a mix of Lautoka in Fiji, Hamilton and overseas where we’ve played in Ellis Park and the French environments.”
And you can forget the All Blacks using the loss to the Pumas in Christchurch last year and follow-up win the next week in Hamilton for any pointers as to what they need to get right. Ryan says it’s a new season and new competition, so there’s not much looking back. Especially as 65 days will soon become 64.