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'I'm hearing a bit of razzle, they are just going to throw the kitchen sink' - South preparing for an ambush of the favoured North

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

Saturday night’s North vs South clash, the first since 2012, has brought anticipation and intrigue around what will unfold when New Zealand’s best players go head-to-head.

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Speaking on this week’s Aotearoa Rugby Pod, Blues duo Tony Lamborn and James Parsons joined Crusader Bryn Hall to discuss how intense they think the clash will be, and whether there will be fireworks despite most of the players being teammates at their Super Rugby franchises.

“I’m hearing a bit of razzle, they are just going to throw the kitchen sink,” Lamborn said of what he had heard from the South Island squad.

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A highlight of the week’s lead-up was a back-and-forth in the media between Anton Lienert-Brown and his brother Dan, who have been placed on opposite teams despite growing up together in the South Island. Lamborn scored the first round to Dan over the supposed tackle discussed by the two in the media from the Chiefs-Highlanders game in Super Rugby Aotearoa.

“I did see the clip with the Lienert-Brown boys, I actually thought Daniel got the better of him there. Anton tries to put a shot on, but his brother is bigger and stronger mate. You are going nowhere,” opined Lamborn.

“I would say, knowing Anton [Lienert-Brown], he’s going to be searching for him,” predicted Blues hooker Parsons.

“There seems to be a good brotherly rivalry there but also not just between them, there has been some good banter by the coaches, the players, it does lead into quite a fierce rivalry I suppose.

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“It is all tongue and cheek Monday to Thursday, but I think around Friday-Saturday it will be all business and it will be all on.”

Hall explained that playing against your club teammates adds a little bit extra, as you never want to have to deal with your teammates having one over you. The ramifications of losing could be held over you for up to a year.

“I saw Gus [North Island prop Angus Ta’avao] go into the South changing room on All Blacks TV, and getting a bit of chirp there but those competitors want to get the better of it, especially when you come up against teammates that are in different camps, any chance to get a little win in contact or cheap shot, or the W, it holds well over the next year.

“I just think it’s going to be an epic game of footy to watch,” Blues flanker Lamborn said.

A number of young players have the opportunity to impress the All Black selectors, including Bryn Hall’s Crusader teammates Will Jordan and Tom Christie who he said were excited for the challenge ahead.

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“Will Jordan’s performances probably speak for themselves, and warrant, potentially an All Blacks selection, but Tom Christie has also done extremely well to get the selection but probably a little bit down the pecking order,” said Parsons.

“It’s a massive opportunity to show his wares, in terms of his prep during the week and then playing.”

Hall predicted that Tom Christie would be one who will thrive inside the All Black-like environment.

“He’s a hard worker, he’s got leadership capabilities and obviously captained New Zealand under-20s so just his general professionalism for a young man is pretty impressive. I think for him, it was time in the saddle, playing big minutes and finding out a few things to have a good understanding of what it takes at Super Rugby level.

“He’s a guy that is going to probably flourish in that environment.”

The opportunity to impress selectors can lead to younger players trying to do too much, and Lamborn warned against trying to overplay the game. When asked about who could potentially fall into that trap, he highlighted two contenders for the All Blacks 15 jersey.

“That Will Jordan, he’s pretty sharp. If he gets a crack I think he could be one that could overplay his hand a little bit,” he said.

“I think Damian McKenzie has a lot to prove as well. He’s been out of that mix now for a long time and he’s got a jersey to play for. He could overplay, try too hard and try do things himself. I don’t see the selectors enjoying that too much.

“Other than that, it’s a good opportunity for the boys to put their hand up and give it a good crack.”

Another explosive area for competition is the loose forwards, where the North Island side held an enormous amount of depth.

“I’m looking forward to the loose forward trio of the North. There is just a lot of good guys in that squad. They are pretty stacked, that’s one selection that I’m looking forward to seeing. A lot of those Blues boys, Akira and Hoskins are deserving,” said Hall.

“You got Boshier in there, you got Ardie, it’s going to be hard-fought to get a spot,” added Parsons.

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J
Jon 7 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 10 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.

40 Go to comments
A
Adrian 12 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

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