1
Les All Blacks déroulent face à la Namibie
Après avoir imposé neuf essais à la Namibie à la Coupe du Monde de Rugby 2015, puis onze quatre ans plus tard, les All Blacks ont battu les Welwitschias par onze essais 71-3 dans ce match de la poule A au Stadium de Toulouse vendredi 15 septembre.
ADVERTISEMENT
La Nouvelle-Zélande était à deux doigts de décrocher le bonus offensif à la 20e minute, mais un ballon aplati un brin trop tôt a décalé le moment de quatre minutes. A la pause, sans surprise, les hommes de Ian Foster avaient déjà donné une belle leçon de rugby à la Namibie, 38-3 grâce à un doublé de Cam Roigard dans les six premières minutes, un autre de Damian McKenzie et des essais de Leicester Fainga’anuku et Anton Lienert-Brown.
La charnière Cam Roigard – Damian McKenzie, complètement repensée avec ces débutants en Coupe du Monde de Rugby – a particulièrement bien fonctionné. De quoi donner une belle satisfaction au vétéran Sam Whitelock qui, avec ce 21e match en Coupe du Monde, a égalé Richie McCaw en tant que All Black le plus capé avec 148 sélections.
Il fêtait également sa 66e sélection commune en deuxième-ligne avec le géant Brodie Retallick (2,04 m, 106 sélections), remarquable chaque fois qu’il s’élevait dans les airs à chaque lancer en touche telle la tour Eiffel au centre du Stade de France lors de cérémonie d’ouverture de ce mondial.
En face, seule la botte de Tiaan Swanepoel a permis de ne pas finir à zéro point. Une maigre consolation pour les Namibiens qui ont perdu leur centre Le Roux Malan (24 ans, 4 sélections, New England Free Jacks) sur blessure grave à la jambe droite au bout de la 17e avant qu’il ne soit évacué sur civière.
Après une première période marquée par des trombes d’eau qui se sont abattues sur le Stadium de Toulouse, l’accalmie a vu un chapelet d’essais marqués par les hommes en noir : Ethan de Groot (48e), Dalton Papali’i (53e), David Havili (57e), Caleb Clarke (66e) et Rieko Ioane (77e).
ADVERTISEMENT
Deux actions auraient pu donner un peu d’air aux Namibiens : le carton jaune (transformé en rouge par le bunker) sur Ethan de Groot (71e) et si le capitaine Johan Deysel n’avait pas laissé échapper le ballon à un mètre de la ligne à la 64e…
Alors que la Nouvelle-Zélande fait une pause dans son mondial en attendant son prochain match contre l’Italie le 29 septembre, la Namibie jouera la France jeudi 21 septembre à Marseille. Un autre gros morceau qui devrait encore laisser des traces.
Qualifiée pour France 2023 en remportant la Rugby Africa Cup en juillet 2022 à Aix-en-Provence, la Namibie n’a encore jamais remporté une seule victoire en Coupe du Monde de Rugby malgré ses sept participations jusqu’à présent.
Comments on RugbyPass
Adding to earlier comment. Cullen Grace has been playing great at no6. Lio-Willie , who was on fire a few weeks ago, had a bad game. I think Cullen should have been moved to 8 earlier, Dominic Gardiner on earlier. Feel for Quinten Strange , put in a big shift .
2 Go to commentsWe dominated the scrums Ben Curry was all over pitch again .Surely James Harper got to be one of best English tightheads
1 Go to commentsRoos is a better option at 6 than 8 for the boks. Needs to work on his windgat though.
1 Go to commentsThe Sharks’ 2nd team maybe?
1 Go to comments‘radical’
1 Go to commentsCome back to Christchurch Robbie, please!
1 Go to commentsI think there is zero chance Sam Cane will be selected for another Test. There is simply no point except sentimentality. Razor is not sentimental- ask Wyatt Crocket. Razor is a ruthless selector
4 Go to comments> It would be best described as an elegant solution to what was potentially going to be a significant problem for new All Blacks coach Scott Robertson. It is a problem the mad population of New Zealand will have to cope with more and more as All Blacks are able to continue their careers in NZ post RWCs. It will not be a problem for coaches, who are always going to start a campaign with the captain for the next WC in mind. > Cane, despite his warrior spirit, his undoubted commitment to every team he played for and unforgettable heroics against Ireland in last year’s World Cup quarter-final, was never unanimously admired or respected within New Zealand while he was in the role. Neither was McCaw, he was considered far too passive a captain and then out of form until his last world cup where everyone opinions changed, just like they would have if Cane had won the WC. > It was never easy to see where Cane, or even if, he would fit into Robertson’s squad given the new coach will want to be building a new-look team with 2027 in mind. > Cane will win his selections on merit and come the end of the year, he’ll sign off, he hopes, with 100 caps and maybe even, at last, universal public appreciation for what was a special career. No, he won’t. Those returning from Japan have already earned the right to retain their jersey, it’s in their contract. Cane would have been playing against England if he was ready, and found it very hard to keep his place. Perform, and they keep it however. Very easy to see where Cane could have fit, very hard to see how he could have accomplished it choosing this year as his sabbatical instead of 2025, and that’s how it played out (though I assume we now know what when NZR said they were allowing him to move his sabbatical forward and return to NZ next year, they had actually agreed to simply select him for the All Blacks from overseas, without any chance he was going to play in NZ again). With a mammoth season of 15 All Black games they might as well get some value out of his years contract, though even with him being of equal character to Richie, I don’t think they should guarantee him his 100 caps. That’s not what the All Blacks should be about. He absolutely has to play winning football.
4 Go to commentswhat’s happening to Ian Peel?
1 Go to commentsAs a Crusaders fan , so disappointed , again.But I think Fergus Burke was all class for the Crusaders in his first game since October last year. Fletcher Newell , was so good at prop. Johnny McNicoll has been gold since returning from Wales. Noah Hotham brilliant , in a coming of age second season for the Crusaders.Jone Rova did really well at centre. The end of the game was tough.Sevu Reece , what a game/season in tough times.
2 Go to commentsFellas a balloon
3 Go to commentsBlues B team on display and made no race of it. By far the best team in SR with the Hurricanes barely getting past the winning post. Up the Blues 💙
7 Go to commentsWould be amazing to have Servette Genève reaching this level
3 Go to commentsThe Crusaders can't buy a win this season. Surely Penney's contract won't be renewed. There's still enough talent in the squad that they oughta be winning more.
1 Go to commentsABs captain for 23 seasons. Decent record. Surely nobody will surpass it. Legend. But alas a typo…
4 Go to commentsJust FYI Rugbypass, I for one am tired of your clickbait titles and thumbnails and will be clicking them no longer. Good day.
1 Go to commentsI think Farrell despite all of the stick he gets in the media is still one of if not the best fly half in the world. He is literally the full package. He can kick one of the best in the world, probably has the best defensive game of a fly half in the world and if he wants to he can run, take contact and find an offload to keep the pace of the attack. I dont know why he isnt spoken more about still being one of the best in the world with the likes of dupont. Farrell is the ultimate captain and team leader and is experienced- he has been in nearly any situation you can think of. I still believe due to these reasons that he is England’s best ever player and is still one of the best players in the world.
48 Go to commentsBlues are dominating up front and that’s been a long time coming. They have won the up front confrontation which is where canes, hilanders and act brumbies are also strong.
7 Go to commentsJust watched brumbies v safas game sadly not a show in he’ll thryr anywhere near quarters or semi contention. Admittedly some issues around new comers bot what stands out for me is coaching management, poor game planning and accuracy.
5 Go to commentsOne tough SOB!
16 Go to comments