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Everything you need to know about the 81st North vs South clash

By Online Editors
(Photo by Hagen Hopkins/Getty Images)

Here’s what you need to know ahead of the North versus South rugby match.

Had it been mooted at the start of the year, a North v South clash could have been missable for New Zealand rugby fans, but now it could turn into the gem of the country’s 2020 sporting calendar.

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One of domestic rugby’s oldest rivalries will be renewed on Saturday night with the North versus South derby match. It will be only the third time in 33 years the match has taken place. The match was first played in 1897, and was more or less an annual event from 1902 until 1986.

In 2012 a one-off match was played to help fundraise for the struggling Otago Rugby Football Union.

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Barrett and McKenzie: North vs South won’t be a kicking duel

Video Spacer

Barrett and McKenzie: North vs South won’t be a kicking duel

It is a unique occasion for the players to embrace, playing against teammates they never have before.

“You do get the opportunity to catch up and get to know people pretty well,” South captain Sam Whitelock says. “It’s also really cool to get to know other boys that you don’t play with all the time to work out how they want to do things.”

North skipper Patrick Tuipulotu says the lead-up so far has been “unique”.

“The challenging thing is how we’re going to gel together in the space of a week, but to say that I’m pretty impressed with how we’ve been training,” he adds.

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“Having that off-field connection builds trust on field.”

Originally slated for Auckland last weekend, the match had to be postponed due to the second outbreak of Covid-19 in New Zealand. As a result Wellington is the new host which, if location was ever a problem, is a better travel destination sitting as the base of the North Island.

All Blacks assistants John Plumtree and Scott McLeod will coach the North against colleagues Brad Mooar and Greg Feek, who will lead the South. It will be a good chance for their mentor Ian Foster to not only get a look at the talent on offer for potential All Blacks tests this year, but also how his assistants do with the ball in their own courts.

Hope still remains the All Blacks will get on field this year. Talks around a Bledisloe series and Rugby Championship have taken place with both New Zealand and Australia suggested as hosts for up to four countries (including South Africa and Argentina). However the virus’ ongoing influence on global travel, and both Tasman countries grappling with outbreaks paints a sombre picture for international rugby fans.

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That could mean the North v South derby might be the biggest match for our All Blacks as well as their coaches. The match succeeds a fruitful Super Rugby Aotearoa campaign that delivered exciting rugby and attracted plenty of fandom. Based on that, fans can expect another enticing on-field product this weekend.

Whitelock notices they are not the betting favourites, but is not worried.

“We’ll take the underdog tag and let Patty [Patrick Tuipulotu] and his team take the favourites tag, and put all the pressure on them,” he says.

Match details:

Saturday, September 5 at 7:10pm, Sky Stadium in Wellington

Squads:

North: 1. Karl Tu’inukuafe 2. Asafo Aumua, 3. Ofa Tuungafasi, 4. Patrick Tuipulotu (captain), 5. Tupou Vaa’i, 6. Akira Ioane, 7. Ardie Savea, 8. Hoskins Sotutu, 9. TJ Perenara, 10. Beauden Barrett, 11. Caleb Clarke, 12. Anton Lienert-Brown, 13. Rieko Ioane, 14. Sevu Reece, 15. Damian McKenzie. Replacements: 16. Ash Dixon, 17. Ayden Johnstone, 18. Angus Ta’avao, 19. Scott Scrafton, 20. Dalton Papalii, 21. Aaron Smith, 22. Peter Umaga-Jensen, 23. Mitchell Hunt.

South: 1. Joe Moody, 2. Codie Taylor, 3. Nepo Laulala, 4. Samuel Whitelock (captain), 5. Mitchell Dunshea, 6. Shannon Frizell, 7. Tom Christie, 8. Tom Sanders, 9. Brad Weber, 10. Richie Mo’unga, 11. George Bridge, 12. Jack Goodhue, 13. Braydon Ennor, 14. Will Jordan, 15. Jordie Barrett. Replacements: 16. Liam Coltman, 17. George Bower, 18. Tyrel Lomax, 19. Manaaki Selby-Rickit, 20. Dillon Hunt, 21. Finlay Christie, 22. Josh Ioane, 23. Leicester Faingaanuku.

Historical record:

Played 80, North have won 50, South have won 27, three draws.

Last five encounters:

2012 – South defeated North 32-24
1995 – North defeated South 63-22
1986 – North defeated South 22-10
1985 – North defeated South 29-12
1984 – North defeated South 39-3

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Jon 8 hours ago
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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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john 11 hours ago
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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.

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