New Zealand will be without injured captain Richie McCaw for their final World Cup Pool C game against Tonga at St James’ Park in Newcastle on Friday.
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“We’ve had plenty of gasps from back home before”. The support we’ve had from the locals… we had close to 5000 people turn up to see us train and do a few skills and things.
The All Blacks reduced directly into the quarter-finals glorious after 3 (three) video games but without looking the unpenetrable bastion they’re made to be.
“He’d be available if this was the quarterfinal”. Sam Cane will start at openside, with Liam Messam on the bench.
“We are just not prepared to take any risks with anyone that is not a hundy”, said Hansen. Sam Cane gets his second start in the tournament.
“He got a bang on his thigh so it’s just a bit sore when he stretches out at top-end pace”. We’re now getting to an exciting part of the competition -one game out from knockout footy. However, Nonu was not always viewed as a player with such a bright future in Test rugby, with Hansen revealing that in 2004 he told Nonu that he was not up at Test level.
“The first conversation I ever had with him was that we don’t think you’re fit enough and we want you to go to sevens”, Hansen said.
“We’re okay with it and people are anxious about it. You don’t need to be anxious”, Hansen said. “If we need to consider him going forward, he needs to play”. “If this was the quarter-final he would be playing”, he said.
“I can’t answer that honestly, so I won’t bother, but he’s pretty keen to play there and that’s all that matters”.
Props Tony Woodcock and Owen Franks return to the starting line-up and Luke Romano replaces Brodie Retallick in the middle row.
Midfielder Ma’a Nonu, starting in the No12 jersey, will celebrate his 100th test milestone.
“He is a handsome passing centre now as well as a blockbusting runner”.
“He has grown into a leader within the group”.
Dan Carter, who has worked with Nonu in a fly-half and inside centre marriage throughout their All Blacks careers, said it was “awesome” having the bruising number 12 riding shotgun for him. Conrad Smith played his 90th Test last week, while Kieran Read played his 80th Test. Read will become the 10th equal most capped All Black of all time this week (alongside Justin Marshall).
“It’s something I didn’t think would happen”.
“It’s really been a lot of hard work and a lot of fun times”.
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“So, physically we’ll be ready and I know that mentally we’re a strong side”. Richie McCaw is one of them. The two players have won Tri-Nations Championship titles, defeated the British and Irish Lions and been part of the squad which won the World Cup.
