All Blacks v France: French name eight debutants to face Scott Robertson's side in Dunedin
First five-eighths Joris Segonds, flanker Alexandre Fischer, lock Tyler Duguid, prop Giorgi Beria and winger Tom Spring will make their debuts
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
NZ Herald
26 minutes ago
- NZ Herald
Letters: Christopher Luxon needs to remember he is a politician and no longer a CEO
More to NZ rugby than Mo'unga Firstly, may I state that Richie Mo'unga is an excellent first five and I fully support him going overseas to earn good money to support him and his family in the future. New Zealand rugby has become obsessed with his absence as if the All Blacks' future lies fully in his hands. Mo'unga is a very good first five but will never rank up there with the likes of Dan Carter. Mo'unga enjoyed the benefits of playing behind the great Crusaders pack, which gives a first five the time and space to play expansive football. Let's not forget that the World Cup is still two years away and a lot can happen in that time. So can the All Blacks selectors stop obsessing over the loss of Mo'unga and get on with developing their local talent. Just watch some of the school First XV games and see the talent that is available, just waiting to be discovered. Jock MacVicar, Hauraki. Top marks NZ! Give tax breaks to the better-off. Cut funding for science. Sack civil servants. Remove environmental protections. Remove EV subsidies. Make it harder for disadvantaged people to vote. Deny public health advice. Promote drilling for oil and gas. Deny hand-ups to those needing help to achieve equality. Deny history. 10 out of 10 New Zealand! Bill Irwin, Nelson. Troubling trend for sports The article (August 9) on the termination of the Mountain Green Archery Club's lease of its base on Ōwairaka (Mt Albert) highlights a troubling trend in Auckland. As with speedway and Western Springs, council officials seem disconnected from the community, expecting volunteers to perform miracles while juggling jobs and personal lives. Fostering Olympic-level talent in sports like archery is becoming harder. Motorsport and speedway — once breeding grounds for champions such as Bruce McLaren and Liam Lawson — are being pushed out, possibly accessible only to the wealthy. Even golf and horse racing clubs face pressure to relocate or restructure. Meanwhile, football codes thrive with ample fields and support, producing future Warriors, All Blacks and All Whites. There's nothing wrong with football — but other sports risk drifting further from reach, even for school-aged kids. We're at risk of becoming a football-and-beer nation, losing the diversity that makes our sporting culture rich. The council should start listening and advocate for all sports, the community and the volunteers who keep them alive. John Riddell, Hobsonville. Green shoots? The idea of the Green Party leading the next (or any) Government is political positioning rather than political reality. Chlöe Swarbrick is right that most New Zealanders lament politics. Most New Zealanders also seem to have little enthusiasm for the kind of 'progressive' and 'transformational change' the Greens advocate. The revolution is unlikely to take place in 2026. Brendan Jarvis, Wellington. Make a climate stand George Williams (August 11) rejects the opinion of Emma Mackintosh (August 8) that we should be actively reducing our reliance on fossil fuels and says that a strong economy is more important. He is correct that our total emissions are but a drop in the bucket on a global scale, but does this give us the right to carry on our high per capita fossil fuel use? New Zealand has led the world in the past and we could make a stand now, at an individual and a government level to reduce our emissions. Our grandchildren will be living in a very unpleasant world. I hope they can look back with pride at our actions today. Linda McGrogan, Taupō.
RNZ News
26 minutes ago
- RNZ News
The Rugby Championship Preview: Everything you need to know
Julian Montoya, Harry Wilson, Scott Barrett, Siya Kolisi. Graphic: Liam K. Swiggs. Photo: Photosport Pumas v All Blacks Kick-off: 9:10am Sunday 17 August Estadio Mario Alberto Kempes, Córdoba Live blog updates on RNZ Analysis - For the first time in a long time, the All Blacks head into The Rugby Championship as challengers rather than holders. Scott Robertson's first season in charge last year saw the title go to the Springboks, with the victories achieved in Johannesburg and Cape Town part of a no four-game winning streak the world champions have over the All Blacks. That, along with a seemingly resurgent Wallaby team and a Puma outfit that's managed to beat every other major test team in the last year, makes for probably the most interesting competition in ages. Here are the main talking points: Ardie Savea discusses a try that was later disallowed with referee Nic Berry. Photo: Peter Meecham / Big Simon Parker has been called up, but the loose forwards would have to be one of the success stories of the year so far. One big issue that probably needs to be addressed though is just how many minutes Ardie Savea will play, given that he's already had 15 matches already this year. He's not alone, either. There are no gimme matches in this tournament anymore, so really a case can be made for Robertson to be playing his best XV every time. That's a big workload on some key players, and as we've seen so far this year the attrition rate will be high. Argentina players celebrate a try, Rugby Championship, New Zealand All Blacks v Argentina. Photo: Kerry Marshall / It is curious that the Pumas' wins against the All Blacks have all been away from home, given their passionate home support should surely make them a formidable opponent on Argentine soil. However, the average scoreline between the two sides in Argentina is a very comfortable 33-14 in favour of the All Blacks - including a 41-12 walkover the last time they were there. The Pumas clearly want to create a bit of history in the next fortnight, but it feels like the expectation to perform in front of their own fans is one of the biggest hurdles they'll need to overcome. Australia's Dylan Pietsch celebrates try score Photo: ©INPHO/Tom Maher / PHOTOSPORT It seems a bit strange to be thinking this considering they've just lost a series to the Lions and almost got tipped up by Fiji, as well as changing coaches halfway through the season. But given that the Wallabies hit absolute rock bottom at the 2023 World Cup, any sort of positive signs are being taken very seriously over the Tasman, not least because they now have one of the most exciting players in Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii. But the issue is that we've been here before with the Wallabies, most notably in 2019 when they handed the All Blacks a record loss in Perth. Hopes were sky high that they'd win the Bledisloe Cup for the first time since 2002, but it stayed put and has been in NZ Rugby's trophy cabinet longer than a number of current Wallabies have been alive. Damian de Allende of the Springboks. Photo: PHOTOSPORT From a New Zealand point of view, every time the All Blacks play at Eden Park has now become more than just a test match. However, the expectation is now seriously on the Springboks to end the 50-test streak as it would cement their current status as one of the greatest teams of all time. However, the Springboks have a streak of their own to contend with: they haven't won at Eden Park since 1937. This is shaping up as a bit of a World Cup final for the Boks, who will come in off two tests against the Wallabies that should tell us plenty about where both sides are at. The final match of the Rugby Championship actually takes place in London, with the Springboks and Pumas set to meet at Twickenham and the All Blacks and Wallabies playing the night before in Perth. It's highly unlikely any team will go through unbeaten, so the way the draw is set up, the title may well be decided in that unlikely spot. All Blacks 31 - 27 France All Blacks 43 -17 France All Blacks 29 - 19 France Springboks 42 - 24 Italy Springboks 45 - 0 Italy Springboks 55 - 10 Georgia Wallabies 21 - 18 Fiji Wallabies 19 - 27 British & Irish Lions Wallabies 26 - 29 British & Irish Lions Wallabies 22 - 12 British & Irish Lions Pumas 28 - 24 British & Irish Lions Pumas 12 - 35 England Pumas 17 - 22 England Pumas 52 - 17 Uruguay
RNZ News
12 hours ago
- RNZ News
Injury highs and lows for All Blacks ahead of Chamionship
Some mixed news on the injury front for the All Blacks ahead of their Rugby Championship opener. A couple of key forwards remain sidelined for the first test in Argentina, however all three Barrett brothers are back. Sports reporter Jonty Dine spoke to Lisa Owen. Tags: To embed this content on your own webpage, cut and paste the following: See terms of use.
