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'Exciting but tough': All Blacks set to play two Test matches in NZ this year

By Finn Morton
(Photo by PHILL MAGAKOE/AFP via Getty Images)

The New Zealand Rugby Union have announced the All Blacks’ home schedule for this season, which includes titanic clashes against fierce rivals South Africa and Australia.

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New Zealand rugby fans are in for a treat this year.

While the Women’s FIFA World Cup has created some “challenges of stadium availability” on both sides of the Tasman, the All Blacks will still play two Test matches at home this year.

Announced on Tuesday, the NZRU confirmed that the All Blacks will go head-to-head with reigning World Cup champions South Africa at Auckland’s Mt Smart Stadium on July 15.

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The Bledisloe Cup is also set to be held in Dunedin for the first time in 2017, when Australia travel across the dich for an afternoon Test at Forsyth Barr Stadium on August 5.

With this year’s Rugby World Cup in France just around the corner, All Blacks head coach Ian Foster described the draw as “exciting but tough.”

“The Rugby Championship is an exciting but tough draw,” Foster said in a statement.

“Playing the Argentinians in Argentina is an exciting challenge after not being there since 2019.

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“With the challenges of stadium availability in Australasia, we are delighted to play this huge South African Test at Mt Smart.

“We believe it’s key for the connection with our fans to have this massive game in our backyard and we can’t wait.

“The Dunedin Test is also equally important for us because it’s our last chance to play in front of our fans before we head off for an exciting Rugby World Cup.”

After a difficult start to their campaign in 2022, the All Blacks found some form towards the back end of the season.

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The men in black finished their year on a seven Test unbeaten streak, which included a disappointing draw against England at Twickenham.

But these home Test matches against the Springboks and Wallabies will support the team, as they continue to prepare for this year’s World Cup.

New Zealand Rugby Head of Professional Rugby and Performance, Chris Lendrum, said the team are eager to kick off their international season.

“Although there is a shortened Rugby Championship schedule, there will no doubt be an edge to the Test matches played this year,” Lendrum said.

“The Rugby Championship and Bledisloe Cup remain vitally important to New Zealand Rugby.

“I know Foz (Foster) and the team are looking forward to the season kicking off as they continue to build ahead of the Rugby World Cup in September.”

The All Blacks begin their World Cup campaign in about seven months against tournament hosts France.

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Jon 6 hours ago
Jake White: Are modern rugby players actually better?

This is the problem with conservative mindsets and phycology, and homogenous sports, everybody wants to be the same, use the i-win template. Athlete wise everyone has to have muscles and work at the gym to make themselves more likely to hold on that one tackle. Do those players even wonder if they are now more likely to be tackled by that player as a result of there “work”? Really though, too many questions, Jake. Is it better Jake? Yes, because you still have that rugby of ole that you talk about. Is it at the highest International level anymore? No, but you go to your club or checkout your representative side and still engage with that ‘beautiful game’. Could you also have a bit of that at the top if coaches encouraged there team to play and incentivized players like Damian McKenzie and Ange Capuozzo? Of course we could. Sadly Rugby doesn’t, or didn’t, really know what direction to go when professionalism came. Things like the state of northern pitches didn’t help. Over the last two or three decades I feel like I’ve been fortunate to have all that Jake wants. There was International quality Super Rugby to adore, then the next level below I could watch club mates, pulling 9 to 5s, take on the countries best in representative rugby. Rugby played with flair and not too much riding on the consequences. It was beautiful. That largely still exists today, but with the world of rugby not quite getting things right, the picture is now being painted in NZ that that level of rugby is not required in the “pathway” to Super Rugby or All Black rugby. You might wonder if NZR is right and the pathway shouldn’t include the ‘amateur’, but let me tell you, even though the NPC might be made up of people still having to pull 9-5s, we know these people still have dreams to get out of that, and aren’t likely to give them. They will be lost. That will put a real strain on the concept of whether “visceral thrill, derring-do and joyful abandon” type rugby will remain under the professional level here in NZ. I think at some point that can be eroded as well. If only wanting the best athlete’s at the top level wasn’t enough to lose that, shutting off the next group, or level, or rugby players from easy access to express and showcase themselves certainly will. That all comes back around to the same question of professionalism in rugby and whether it got things right, and rugby is better now. Maybe the answer is turning into a “no”?

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j
john 8 hours ago
Will the Crusaders' decline spark a slow death for New Zealand rugby?

But here in Australia we were told Penney was another gun kiwi coach, for the Tahs…….and yet again it turned out the kiwi coach was completely useless. Another con job on Australian rugby. As was Robbie Deans, as was Dave Rennie. Both coaches dumped from NZ and promoted to Australia as our saviour. And the Tahs lap them up knowing they are second rate and knowing that under pressure when their short comings are exposed in Australia as well, that they will fall in below the largest most powerful province and choose second rate Tah players to save their jobs. As they do and exactly as Joe Schmidt will do. Gauranteed. Schmidt was dumped by NZ too. That’s why he went overseas. That why kiwi coaches take jobs in Australia, to try and prove they are not as bad as NZ thought they were. Then when they get found out they try and ingratiate themselves to NZ again by dragging Australian teams down with ridiculous selections and game plans. NZ rugby’s biggest problem is that it can’t yet transition from MCaw Cheatism. They just don’t know how to try and win on your merits. It is still always a contest to see how much cheating you can get away with. Without a cheating genius like McCaw, they are struggling. This I think is why my wise old mate in NZ thinks Robertson will struggle. The Crusaders are the nursery of McCaw Cheatism. Sean Fitzpatrick was probably the father of it. Robertson doesn’t know anything else but other countries have worked it out.

33 Go to comments
A
Adrian 10 hours ago
Will the Crusaders' decline spark a slow death for New Zealand rugby?

Thanks Nick The loss of players to OS, injury and retirement is certainly not helping the Crusaders. Ditto the coach. IMO Penny is there to hold the fort and cop the flak until new players and a new coach come through,…and that's understood and accepted by Penny and the Crusaders hierarchy. I think though that what is happening with the Crusaders is an indicator of what is happening with the other NZ SRP teams…..and the other SRP teams for that matter. Not enough money. The money has come via the SR competition and it’s not there anymore. It's in France, Japan and England. Unless or until something is done to make SR more SELLABLE to the NZ/Australia Rugby market AND the world rugby market the $s to keep both the very best players and the next rung down won't be there. They will play away from NZ more and more. I think though that NZ will continue to produce the players and the coaches of sufficient strength for NZ to have the capacity to stay at the top. Whether they do stay at the top as an international team will depend upon whether the money flowing to SRP is somehow restored, or NZ teams play in the Japan comp, or NZ opts to pick from anywhere. As a follower of many sports I’d have to say that the organisation and promotion of Super Rugby has been for the last 20 years closest to the worst I’ve ever seen. This hasn't necessarily been caused by NZ, but it’s happened. Perhaps it can be fixed, perhaps not. The Crusaders are I think a symptom of this, not the cause

33 Go to comments
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