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'It's been really crucial': The All Blacks' key lesson prior to heading north
This weekend, the All Blacks will play their first match in Europe since 2018. For some members of the squad, it will be their first-ever game in the Northern Hemisphere, and that brings about its own challenges.
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The quintet of Ethan Blackadder, Will Jordan, Samisoni Taukei’aho, Tyrel Lomax and Tupou Vaa’i all made their test debuts post the Rugby World Cup in 2019 and as such, haven’t had the opportunity to square off against European opposition, let alone travel north due to the ongoing impacts of the global pandemic.
Thanks to the persistently good weather down south this season, Blackadder and Taukei’aho, who only earned their All Blacks call-ups this this year, haven’t even played a test match in wet conditions – but that’s exactly what is forecast for this weekend, when NZ square off with Wales in Cardiff’s Principality Stadium, with the roof wide open to the elements.
When the boisterous partisan crowd find their singing voices – likely before the match even kicks off – the young All Blacks will experience an atmosphere unlike any they’ve ever faced before, adding to the magnitude of the occasion.
26-year-old Blackadder welcomes the challenge.
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“There is a few of us that haven’t played in the Northern Hemisphere yet so we’re fizzing for the game, he said after being named on the blindside flank for Saturday’s clash. “70,000 [people], they’re talking of to pack out Millenium. It’s good to be on a UK tour when we’re playing the game we love, so [I’m] pumped.
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“I expect probably a physical game of footy, as it’s been said. They’re the Six Nations champs so credit to them for that. All I know is it’s going to be a big crowd and we’re up against a good Wales side so how good[is that]?”
Although Blackadder and some of his inexperienced teammates haven’t played rugby against Northern Hemisphere sides in Northern Hemisphere conditions yet, they finally have had the opportunity to face off against the Springboks this year, after the world champions withdrew from the 2020 Rugby Championship.
Although South Africa have their own quirks to their game (particularly in the first test between the two sides, when they adopted an excessively kick-heavy approach), they do share a similar style to the teams up north and boast one of the best tactical kicking games in the world, when on form. They also possess some of the most physical defenders in the game, and the lessons taken from the two matches against the Boks are set to prove invaluable against the likes of Wales, Scotland, Italy and France over the coming month.
“It’s been really crucial actually,” Blackadder said of the series with South Africa, shared one win apiece. “We got some good learnings out of those games and a few areas we wanted to improve on to come into this northern tour.
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“You’ve always got to be at your peak, physically, to be playing those top teams. You can’t really be off, as such, because they’ll punish you for it and there’s no hiding out there.”
Just four of the All Blacks' current eight loosies can feature in a given match-day line-up – and the three who have missed out on facing Wales this weekend might have a tough road ahead of them. #AllBlacks #WALvNZL #AutumnNationsSeries
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Blackadder will earn his eighth cap against Wales this weekend, and his fourth start, but the will make just his second appearance in his preferred No 6 jersey, having also been utilised on the openside flank.
In fact, all three starting loose forwards, Blackadder, Dalton Papalii and Ardie Savea, have spent ample time with the No 7 on their back this season, which suggests Wales will have to be especially careful in order to retain possession at the breakdown.
“I suppose we have all had a bit of time this year in the 7 jersey,” Blackadder said. “I suppose we like having a crack at the ball so hopefully we can snaffle opportunities when they come. It’s going to be pretty cool playing alongside Dalts and Ardie.”
This weekend’s game will be the first time the three have started alongside one another this season, and while Blackadder is continuing to impress with his consistent performances, he still gets plenty of joy out of having his name read out to play each week.
“It’s always a real buzz because you just never know if you’re getting named or not so when you hear your name, it’s like wowee. It’s pretty awesome,” he said.
“You’ve still got to get the weeks right and be on your toes because there’s a lot of good competition here and you’re never guaranteed the jersey. I enjoy every week we have and picked or not, you’ve always got to roll [with it]. So, to be playing this weekend is unreal and I can’t wait.”
This weekend’s match kicks off at 5:15pm GMT on Saturday (5:15am on Sunday morning for those in New Zealand).
Comments on RugbyPass
After their 5/0 start, I had the Crusaders to finish Top 4 only…they lost the plot in Perth but will reload and back themselves vs 4th placed Rebels…
3 Go to commentsBoth nations missed a great opportunity to book a game that would have had a lot of interest from around the world. I understand these games can’t be organised in 5 minutes but they should have found a way to make it happen. I don’t think Wales are ducking anyone but it’s a bad look haha.
3 Go to commentsIt will be fascinating to see the effect that Jo Yapp has. If they can compete with Canada and give BFs a run for their money that will be progress
1 Go to commentsFollowing his dream and putting in the work. Go well young fella!
3 Go to commentsPerhaps filling Twickenham is one of Mitchell’s KPIs. I doubt whether both September matches will be at Twickenham on consecutive weekends. I would take the BF one to a large provincial stadium so as not to give them the advantage and experience of playing at Twickenham before a large crowd prior to the RWC.
2 Go to commentsvery unfortunate for Kitshoff, but big opportunity potentially for Nché to prove he is genuinely the best loosehead in the world, rather than just a specialist finisher. Presuming that if Kitshoff is out, it will also give Steenekamp a chance to come into the 23? Or are others likely to be ahead of him?
1 Go to commentsA long held question in popular culture asks if art imitates life or does the latter influence the former? Over this 6 nations I can ask the same question of the media influencing the thoughts of its audience or vice versa. Nobody wants to see cricket scores in rugby, as a spectacle it is not sustainable. With so many articles about England’s procession and lack of competition it feeds the epicaricacy of many looking for an opportunity to pounce. England are not the first team to dominate nor does it happen only in rugby, think Federer, Nadal, Red Bull or Mercedes, Manchester Utd, Australia in tests and World Cups. Instead of celebrating the achievements why find reasons to falsify it pointing towards larger playing pool, professional for a longer period or mitigate with the lack of growth in other nations. Can we not enjoy it while it is here and know that it won’t last for ever, others coveting what England have will soon take the crown, ask the aforementioned?
6 Go to commentsShame he won’t turn out for the Netherlands now they’re improving. U20s are Euro champs and in the U20 Trophy this year. The senior sides gets better every year too.
3 Go to commentsWill rugbypass tv be showing these games?
1 Go to commentsWell where do you start, the fact that England have a professional domestic league and Ireland’s is fully amatuer, that they have fully seperated professional squads at Fifteens and Sevens (7’s thinly disguised as GB), and Ireland have fully pro Sevens squad who loan some players back to the Semi-Professional Fifteens squad (moved from amateur for only a year or so) for a few games at 6N & RWC’s. The Women’s games is a shambles, and is at risk of killing itself by pushing for professionalism when the market isn’t really there to support it outside one or two countnries..
6 Go to commentsWayne Smith's input didn't have as much impact on the last final as Davison's red card for Thompson. England were 14 points up and flying when that happened.
6 Go to commentsBilly's been playing consistently well for 2 - 3 seasons now and deserves a look in at the top level. Ioane and ALB are still first choice but there needs to be injury cover and succession. His partnership with Jordie gives him first dibs you'd think. Go the Hurricanes.
3 Go to commentsIt’s not up to Wales to support Georgian Rugby. That’s up to International Rugby and Georgia. I sympathise with Georgia’s decent attempt to create this fixture. But for Wales the proposed match up is just a potential stick to beat them with and a potential big psychological blow that young Welsh team doesn’t need. (I’m Irish BTW.)
3 Go to commentsCale certainly looks great in space, but as you say, he has struggled in contact. At 23 years old, turning 24 this year, he should be close to full physical maturity and yet there exists a considerable gap in the power and physicality required for international rugby. Weight doesn’t automatically equate to power and physicality either. Can he go from a player who’s being physically dominated in Super rugby to physically dominating in international rugby in 1 or 2 years? That’s a big ask but he may end up being a late bloomer.
29 Go to commentsIf rugby wants to remain interesting in the AI era then it will need to work on changing the rules. AI will reduce the tactical advantage of smart game plans, will neutralize primary attacking weapons, and will move rugby from a being a game of inches to a game of millimetres. It will be about sheer athleticism and technique,about avoiding mistakes, and about referees. Many fans will find that boring. The answer is to add creative degrees of freedom to the game. The 50-22 is an example. But we can have fun inventing others, like the right to add more players for X minutes per game, or the equivalent of the 2-point conversion in American football, the ability to call a 12-player scrum, etc. Not saying these are great ideas, but making the point that the more of these alternatives you allow, the less AI will be able to lock down high-probability strategies. This is not because AI does not have the compute power, but because it has more choices and has less data, or less-specific data. That will take time and debate, but big, positive and immediate impact could be in the area of ref/TMO assistance. The technology is easily good enough today to detect forward passes, not-straight lineouts, offside at breakdown/scrum/lineout, obstruction, early/late tackles, and a lot of other things. WR should be ultra aggressive in doing this, as it will really help in an area in which the game is really struggling. In the long run there needs to be substantial creativity applied to the rules. Without that AI (along with all of the pro innovations) will turn rugby into a bash fest.
24 Go to commentsSouth Africa rarely play Ireland and France on these tours. Mostly, England, Scotland and Wales. I wonder why
2 Go to commentsIt was a let’s-see-what-you're-made-of type of a game. The Bulls do look good when the opposition allows them to, but Munster shut them down, and they could not find a way through. Jake should be very worried about their chances in the competition.
2 Go to commentsHats off to Fabian for a very impressive journey to date. Is it as ‘uniquely unlikely’ as Rugby Pass suggests, given Anton Segner’s journey at the Blues?
3 Go to commentsSad that this was not confirmed. When administrators talk about expanding the game they evidently don’t include pathways to the top tier of rugby for teams outside of the old boys club. Rugby deserves better, and certainly Georgia does.
3 Go to commentsLions might take him on if they move on Van Rooyen but I doubt he will want to go back, might consider it a step backwards for himself. Sharks would take him on but if Plumtree goes on to win the challenge cup they will keep him on. Also sharks showing some promising signs recently. Stormers and Bulls are stable and Springboks are already filled up. Quality coach though, interesting to see where he ends up
1 Go to comments