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Andy Farrell piles pressure on Ireland ahead of Maori All Blacks clash

By PA
(Photo by Richard Heathcote/Getty Images)

Andy Farrell says his experimental Ireland side face the “biggest game of their lives” after selecting five uncapped players to take on the Maori All Blacks.

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Leinster’s Ciaran Frawley will start at fly-half, with provincial team-mate Jimmy O’Brien at full-back in a team captained by New Zealand-born centre Bundee Aki.

Munster prop Jeremy Loughman, Leinster lock Joe McCarthy and Connacht flanker Cian Prendergast are the other international rookies included.

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The biggest challenge facing the All Blacks in their first test against Ireland | Aotearoa Rugby Pod

Wednesday’s match in Hamilton marks the start of Ireland’s summer tour, with the first of three Tests against New Zealand coming on Saturday in Auckland.

The Irish will also play the Maori team for a second time on July 12 in Wellington.

Speaking of the significance of the tour opener, head coach Farrell said: “It’s huge. It’s everything to these players that are taking the field on Wednesday, it is the biggest game of their lives. It is.

“I know there is a three-game series coming up but these two Maori games for us and what we’re trying to build and how we’re trying to put people under pressure and see how they come through, that is just as important.

“If I can say it that way, I think that speaks it all really.”

Farrell’s plans for the All Blacks have already taken a hit due to Ulster lock Iain Henderson being ruled out of the entire series with a knee issue sustained in training.

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Injury has also deprived him of hooker Rob Herring for the opening two matches of the tour, while wing Mack Hansen is currently unavailable after contracting Covid-19.

“We’ve one case and we could have a few more cases by the end of the week, we don’t know,” said Farrell.

“This is the way of the world, isn’t it? The motto of the tour is definitely being adaptable.”

New Zealand’s plans have been more severely affected by coronavirus.

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Head coach Ian Foster and his assistants John Plumtree and Scott McLeod have been forced to isolate following positive tests, in addition to centres David Havili and Jack Goodhue.

Former Ireland head coach Joe Schmidt has been called up to help prepare the All Blacks for the sold-out weekend clash at Eden Park, with the disruption potentially denying Farrell a planned catch-up with his predecessor.

“I’m not sure it’s head to head – I’m sure Fozzy (Foster) will be around somewhere,” Farrell said of coming up against Schmidt.

“Joe is just there helping out being an extra pair of hands and I’m sure just fitting into the system.

“I’m supposed to be meeting him for a coffee on Thursday – I don’t know whether that’s out the question now.

“What can he bring? He’s coming into a system that he probably doesn’t know as well. It’s not his system.

“I’m sure he’s just bringing his one-to-one expertise and giving advice to the coaches and that’s pretty profound, so I’m sure they’ll all try and learn something from him.”

Native Kiwi Aki is one of only three players with more than six caps in Ireland’s maiden starting XV, alongside Jordan Larmour (30) and Keith Earls (96).

Wings Larmour and Earls will line up either side of newcomer O’Brien, while Aki will pair with James Hume in midfield and Frawley will form a half-back partnership with Craig Casey.

Hooker Dave Heffernan, who has played six Test matches, is the most-experienced international in a forward pack containing just 17 caps combined.

He will be joined in the front row by loosehead Loughman and tighthead Tom O’Toole, with McCarthy partnering Kieran Treadwell in the lock positions, and Gavin Coombes in the centre of the back row, in between blindside Prendergast and openside Nick Timoney.

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J
Jon 3 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 5 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.

25 Go to comments
A
Adrian 7 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

25 Go to comments
T
Trevor 10 hours ago
Will forgotten Wallabies fit the Joe Schmidt model?

Thanks Brett.. At last a positive article on the potential of Wallaby candidates, great to read. Schmidt’s record as an international rugby coach speaks for itself, I’m somewhat confident he will turn the Wallaby’s fortunes around …. on the field. It will be up to others to steady the ship off the paddock. But is there a flaw in my optimism? We have known all along that Australia has the players to be very competitive with their international rivals. We know that because everyone keeps telling us. So why the poor results? A question that requires a definitive answer before the turn around can occur. Joe Schmidt signed on for 2 years, time to encompass the Lions tour of 2025. By all accounts he puts family first and that’s fair enough, but I would wager that his 2 year contract will be extended if the next 18 months or so shows the statement “Australia has the players” proves to be correct. The new coach does not have a lot of time to meld together an outfit that will be competitive in the Rugby Championship - it will be interesting to see what happens. It will be interesting to see what happens with Giteau law, the new Wallaby coach has already verbalised that he would to prefer to select from those who play their rugby in Australia. His first test in charge is in July just over 3 months away .. not a long time. I for one wish him well .. heaven knows Australia needs some positive vibes.

21 Go to comments
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