Next stop Japan for ABs
Now it’s time to get this All Blacks show on the road.
With Saturday’s 92-7 romp against Tonga under their belts, the All Blacks left Hamilton for Auckland yesterday, ready and eager for their flight to Japan this morning which starts their journey to what they hope will be a third consecutive World Cup crown.
Coach Steve Hansen said all players pulled up well following the 14-try demolition at FMG Stadium Waikato, with lock Brodie Retallick set to be the only one unavailable for selection for New Zealand’s big opening pool game against South Africa in Yokohama on September 21, as he continues his recovery from a dislocated shoulder.
Sam Cane, Richie Mo’unga, Rieko Ioane, Sonny Bill Williams and Jack Goodhue all sat out the Tonga test with minor injuries, while Hansen said Dane Coles’ absence was due to minutes management and no niggle.
The 23 who did take the park revelled in a spring afternoon jaunt, which the coach conceded they would have appreciated being a bit more challenging.
‘‘We would have liked it to have been a little tougher, but at the end of the day we organised a game so we could get some time as a unit in a match-like situation, and we got all of that,’’ Hansen said.
‘‘I thought the boys played particularly well, they were sharp, they were clear in what they were trying to do, and some of the structures that we’ve been working they did well.’’
So with that job ticked, the focus now shifts to the colossal clash with the old foe.
In a pool which also features Italy, Namibia and Canada, the All Blacks and Springboks are almost guaranteed of progressing, but for the losers of that game, a potential quarterfinal matchup with world No 1 Ireland will await, with the winner most likely to get Scotland.
It’s a prospect not unlike the 2015 tournament, where New Zealand’s biggest pool match happens to come first-up, and while James Faiva prepares for a hard landing after colliding with All Blacks utility back Jordie Barrett, below, during the lopsided test in Hamilton on Saturday.
it doesn’t allow a gradual buildup, Hansen is a fan of it being that way, feeling they can control how they work through the rest of pool play. But it does mean trying to get the side to peak in a fortnight’s time, then again a whole month later, come the knockout phase.
‘‘There’s a difference in the peaks, too,’’ Hansen said. ‘‘If you follow horse racing you’ll understand what I mean. Like, you can have a horse at its first start, and it doesn’t have to be in its greatest form, it just needs to be in really good form.
‘‘But when you really want to peak, These Tongan fans got their wish, eventually, but the match offered little other cheer.
you’re right at the very best, there’s nothing left, you can’t tinker anymore. And that’s the art of having a good strength and conditioning coach, the art of the coach and the strength and conditioning coach working together on the training park and getting the formula right.’’
It also means there is no more match time to base selections on for that opening encounter, which means wingers George Bridge and Sevu Reece are surely now likely starters, as are Ryan Crotty and Anton Lienert-Brown in the midfield. Not that Hansen has a 15 or 23 further inked in after the Tonga test.
‘‘That’s not what yesterday was about,’’ he said. ‘‘Yesterday was about giving people the opportunity to have a run around, get a physical contact, in some cases get a bit of a confidence boost.
‘‘The 31 people that are going, we’ve got massive belief in each and every one of them.
‘‘So whatever drawer we go to in the cupboard, it’ll be because that’s what we think we need against that particular team or at that particular time in the tournament.’’
There’s also the inescapable favourites tag to deal with, but at the same time Hansen also wants his players to have fun and lap up the culture they will experience in Japan.
‘‘It’s a massive opportunity to do something that’s never been done before, but, also, we want to enjoy every moment of it,’’ Hansen said.