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RNZ News
a day ago
- Sport
- RNZ News
At least four All Blacks to miss start of Rugby Championship
All Blacks head Coach, Scott Robertson with Scott and Jordie Barrett. Photo: Jeremy Ward / PHOTOSPORT There is mixed news on the All Black injury front ahead of the Rugby Championship. It's been confirmed that halfback Noah Hotham, prop Tyrel Lomax, wing Caleb Clarke and loose forward Luke Jacobson will all miss the first few weeks of the tournament, which starts on August the 17th with the All Blacks first match in Argentina. A NZ Rugby statement said Beauden and Scott Barrett, Tamaiti Williams, Wallace Sititi and Tupou Vaa'i remain injured but should recover in time to travel to South America. Meanwhile, eight players from the All Blacks squad that beat France will be available for this week's opening round of the NPC. Anton Lienert-Brown will play for Waikato against Auckland, Ruben Love will play for Wellington against Canterbury who will have Brodie McAlister. Christian Lio-Willie may feature for Otago when they take on Southland. Bay of Plenty will have Emoni Narawa and Pasilio Tosi for their game against Tasman, who will have Timoci Tavatavanawai. Dalton Papali'i will play for Counties Manukau against Hawke's Bay. Noah Hotham; Will need surgery for a high ankle sprain. Estimated return to play: 7 - 8 weeks. Tyrel Lomax; Has had surgery for hand fracture. Estimated return to play: 5 - 6 weeks. Caleb Clarke; High ankle injury, does not require surgery. Estimated return to play: 5 - 6 weeks. Luke Jacobson; Thigh injury. Estimated return to play: 5 weeks. Scott Barrett; Calf tear healing well. Estimated return to play: 3 weeks. Wallace Sititi; Rehabilitating well following surgery for high ankle injury. Estimated return to play: 3 weeks. Tamaiti Williams; Rehabilitating well following surgery for torn meniscus. Estimated return to play: 3 weeks. Beauden Barrett; Subtle hand re-fracture but healing well. Estimated return to play: 2 weeks. Tupou Vaa'i; Going through concussion protocols. Estimated return to play: 2 weeks.
CNA
20-07-2025
- Sport
- CNA
Facing unique French test makes All Blacks better, says coach Robertson
New Zealand coach Scott Robertson believes his team will have gained long-term benefits from overcoming a France side that offered a unique challenge on Saturday as the All Blacks completed a 3-0 series win over the Europeans. Robertson's team were forced to fight their way back into the game after a fast start by the tourists to clinch a come-from-behind 29-19 win in Hamilton that ensured the All Blacks swept the series. "What we take out of it is you've got to play different teams," said Robertson. "They attack differently to anything in Super Rugby, maybe in world rugby, so you train all week in opposition to try and beat the French, and it's really unnatural. "We know what's coming, we've got to stop them. And that's what we've learnt again tonight. They start, they get ahead of us, that fills our hunger. But that's test match footie. You never under-assume anyone and we're better for it." Robertson made 10 changes to the team that started the previous test and the French dominated the opening exchanges to claim a 19-10 lead through back-to-back penalties by scrumhalf Nolann Le Garrec. A try by All Blacks centre Anton Lienert-Brown late in the half reduced the deficit to two points and a strong second-half showing, inspired by replacement Jordie Barrett, led New Zealand to victory. "We know how important the 23 is and Jordie was just so professional when he came on," said Robertson. "He made a massive difference for us. Some of that wasn't pretty, we understand that, but there was a hell of a lot of character and effort off the back of a lot of care. "One thing for us is we've got to get the balance right. Sometimes we can overplay and sometimes we can underplay with our kicking. That's the balance."
Reuters
20-07-2025
- Sport
- Reuters
Facing unique French test makes All Blacks better, says coach Robertson
July 20 (Reuters) - New Zealand coach Scott Robertson believes his team will have gained long-term benefits from overcoming a France side that offered a unique challenge on Saturday as the All Blacks completed a 3-0 series win over the Europeans. Robertson's team were forced to fight their way back into the game after a fast start by the tourists to clinch a come-from-behind 29-19 win in Hamilton that ensured the All Blacks swept the series. "What we take out of it is you've got to play different teams," said Robertson. "They attack differently to anything in Super Rugby, maybe in world rugby, so you train all week in opposition to try and beat the French, and it's really unnatural. "We know what's coming, we've got to stop them. And that's what we've learnt again tonight. They start, they get ahead of us, that fills our hunger. But that's test match footie. You never under-assume anyone and we're better for it." Robertson made 10 changes to the team that started the previous test and the French dominated the opening exchanges to claim a 19-10 lead through back-to-back penalties by scrumhalf Nolann Le Garrec. A try by All Blacks centre Anton Lienert-Brown late in the half reduced the deficit to two points and a strong second-half showing, inspired by replacement Jordie Barrett, led New Zealand to victory. "We know how important the 23 is and Jordie was just so professional when he came on," said Robertson. "He made a massive difference for us. Some of that wasn't pretty, we understand that, but there was a hell of a lot of character and effort off the back of a lot of care. "One thing for us is we've got to get the balance right. Sometimes we can overplay and sometimes we can underplay with our kicking. That's the balance."
NZ Herald
19-07-2025
- Sport
- NZ Herald
All Blacks v France: World media reacts to Hamilton win as New Zealand sweep test series
For nearly an hour, they tackled, harassed, and challenged the All Blacks on their own soil. We saw a resilient, united, and often dominant French team. We dreamed of a feat. But as in the first two tests, the bar was ultimately too high. As the minutes ticked by, lucidity frayed, the mistakes became costly, and New Zealand finally imposed its law. Three matches, three defeats, but still, a promise: that of a French youth that did not flee the fight. And who, tomorrow, could well win it. All Blacks 'unimpressive' Tony Harper, The Roar First-ever Test tries to Du'Plessis Kirifi and Brodie McAlister, and two huge moments of class from All Blacks legends Jordie Barrett and Ardie Savea, guided the hosts to an unimpressive 29-19 win over a determined French team in Hamilton. France led until just before the hour mark and held up the All Blacks over their tryline four times before the hosts' strength in depth off the bench proved crucial and they completed a 3-0 series sweep. 'Big time players needed to stand up. The experience of some of these key players – attitude, and the mental hardness,' said All Blacks great Mils Muliaina. 'It wasn't pretty at times. The French, they were resistant, they were hard, they were hearty.' Jordie Barrett proved the difference down the stretch at both ends of the field. He was supposed to be missing this game but was a late call-up after an injury to Rieko Ioane. The All Blacks will open the Rugby Championship with two games against Argentina. The jury is out on how they'll front up in those after struggling in the first and third Tests against a weak French team, which certainly exceeded expectations, but coach Scott Robertson is hoping their struggles will only make them better. France 'defending and defending' Frederic Bernes, L'Equipe Leading at half-time, France lost for the third time in a row to New Zealand (29-19) on Saturday in Hamilton, in the final match of their summer tour. After July 14, 1979 in Auckland, June 26, 1994 in Christchurch, July 3, 1994 in Auckland and June 13, 2009 in Dunedin, there will be no fifth glorious season this summer. Beaten 31-27 in Dunedin then 43-17 in Wellington , the Blues fell 29-19 in Hamilton, Saturday, not without remaining in the lead until the hour mark. The French fifteen began by defending and defending long New Zealand sequences. This was done without making any mistakes. The Blues then recovered the All Blacks' first touch, which was too long, and a first penalty for a foul on a carried ball. They chose not to attempt it in favor of a penalty touch. The ambitious option paid off as the maul advanced, crabby but it did advance, until Nolann Le Garrec got in close to touch down (0-7, 9th). The Blues once again had to repel a prolonged attack around their forty-meter line. Despite a direct touch from Antoine Hastoy and a hesitation from Léo Barré on a low pass, the New Zealanders' play was contained and the counterattack allowed them to invest the opposing camp. All Blacks 'under the spotlight' Adam Kyriacou, PlanetRugby New Zealand had to come from behind to defeat a dogged France 29-19 at FMG Stadium Waikato on Saturday in a result that wraps up a 3-0 series victory over Les Bleus. Tries from Will Jordan, Anton Lienert-Brown, Du'Plessis Kirifi and Brodie McAlister, coupled by nine points from Damian McKenzie's boot, saw the All Blacks prevail. France were excellent for large parts in Hamilton with scrum-half Nolann Le Garrec scoring 16 points that included a crossing while Antoine Hastoy struck a drop-goal. The All Blacks were looking to pick up a clean sweep in this series, which has been under the spotlight ever since rumours of France's squad intentions were made clear. Scott Robertson's outfit had to deal with some late disruption to their line-up after Luke Jacobson pulled out injured in the warm-up, which meant Ardie Savea shifted to number eight and Kirifi was handed his first start on the openside. Risk v reward Liam Napier, NZ Herald The pendulum between risk and reward frequently swung towards the former to leave a constant state of unease before the All Blacks hung on for an unconvincing victory that secured a series sweep of the understrength French in Hamilton. Exercises in attempting to build depth are often fraught affairs. That again proved true as All Blacks coach Scott Robertson grasped the chance to rotate his squad by making 10 starting changes after locking away the Dave Gallaher trophy last week. Samipeni Finau was a standout figure in his first start of the series from blindside flanker with strong carries and a physical presence the All Blacks demand from their enforcer. After two starts from Tupou Vaa'i at No 6, Finau sent a reminder of his claims in an impressive 65-minute shift. In other areas such as hooker and halfback, though, the drop off from incumbents Codie Taylor and Cam Roigard was significant. Given the widespread adjustments it should perhaps be no surprise the All Blacks lacked cohesion which resulted in few fluid moments for the 24,162 crowd to savour. All Blacks grind down France Ian Ransom, Reuters Replacement hooker Brodie McAlister scored a late try in a memorable test debut for New Zealand to seal a 29-19 win over France in Hamilton and complete a 3-0 series sweep on Saturday. Jordie Barrett set up the winner with a linebreak in front of the posts, before passing back inside to McAlister who slid over the line in front of delighted home fans at Waikato Stadium. With his brothers Scott and Beauden out with injuries, Barrett represented the family with distinction in a sparkling game off the bench. He made a try-saving tackle near the hour mark to hold off the valiant French, who battled in vain to break a win drought in New Zealand dating back to Dunedin in 2009. Though France arrived in the country without a slew of their top players, they were a handful for Scott Robertson's All Blacks, barring the 43-17 drubbing in the second test in Wellington. Robertson fielded a much-changed lineup in Hamilton and was forced into a late shuffle when number eight Luke Jacobson broke down with an apparent hamstring strain in the warmup. He made way for Du'Plessis Kirifi who celebrated his first All Blacks start with a try near the hour mark that nosed his team in front after trailing 19-17 at halftime.
RNZ News
19-07-2025
- Sport
- RNZ News
'We found a way': Robertson praises All Black effort in series sweep
It wasn't always pretty, and sometimes downright frustrating, but the All Blacks are off to a three-win start to the season. The 29-19 victory over France in Hamilton on Saturday night was one that saw them behind until almost an hour into the game. "We found a way to win and really good footy," said coach Scott Robertson post-match. "Some really good stuff in it and we'll be better for it…some of it wasn't pretty and we understand that." All Blacks coach Scott Robertson takes a selfie with fans. Photo: Brett Phibbs / Robertson made 10 changes to his side that won comfortably in Wellington last weekend, so cohesion was going to be a little bit of a challenge, but that was before injuries to Rieko Ioane and Luke Jacobson forced late reshuffles. However, one of the most pleasing aspects for Robertson will be the impact of his bench, that saw Jordie Barrett play a match-winning cameo and Brodie McAlister scoring the decisive try on debut. "(McAlister)'s try was great…he got there, slid in nicely. Those are big moments, the whole front row we rolled early, they were superb. We had a couple of injuries…but the guys just battled on." The All Blacks enjoyed an 88 percent possession advantage in the last 20 minutes, which is a match winning statistic in any test. That forced the French to make 170 more tackles overall, a staggering disparity. Quinn Tupaea. Photo: Brett Phibbs / Photosport The match had an eerily similar feel to the first test in Dunedin, in which France took an early lead and seemingly stayed in touch with the All Blacks on the scoreboard right till the end. However, the score doesn't reflect the utter dominance in territory and possession the All Blacks enjoyed for the final 15-20 minutes, by which time the French had really run out of ideas on attack. Captain Ardie Savea admitted the All Blacks had been "punched in the nose" in the first half. "But we came back in the second, but like Razor said you have to credit the French defence, stopping tries on their line. That takes character, but I'm proud of our men too for doing their job, rolling their sleeves up and coming away with the win." Savea, who was wearing a French tracksuit jacket for the press conference, praised their unfancied opposition for the effort. "I think the French put us under a lot of pressure and we spilled the ball, gave them opportunities, gave them scraps. And that was through the pressure that they put on us, they just kept compounding their threes (penalty goals) and got out to a good lead. So that was a moment where we as leaders just took a big breath and used the tools that we have." One thing the All Blacks had to adjust to before the ball had even been kicked off was a reshuffle in the loose forwards, with Jacobson pulling out with an injury sustained in the warmup. "It's been one of those things, an innocuous events. Luke had just come out of a maul, he said his quad was gone. And we knew straight away there was going to be a change, and we really feel for him, it was a big night for him at home," said Robertson. While it probably wasn't as convincing a set of scores that we'd been led to believe in the lead up to this series, that probably says more about France than the All Blacks. Twice in three games they had to overcome an early deficit and then control the tempo at the business end, which they undeniably did perfectly in Dunedin and Hamilton. They now have almost a month before The Rugby Championship begins, when they face Argentina in two away tests. The All Black squad for the tournament is expected to be named on 4 August.
