One All Black was reduced to tears at a media conference ahead of bronze medal play-off
Veteran All Blacks hooker Dane Coles has revealed the emotional anguish the team have had to deal with since their crushing semi-final exit from the World Cup.
The back-to-back champions were crushed 19-7 by a dominant England side in Yokohama last Saturday, ending their charge at a historic three-peat and forcing the All Blacks into the ignominy of a bronze medal play-off match against Wales on Friday.
Coles, who started the semi-final on the bench, has been given a start in the bronze match in Tokyo – in one of eight changes to the starting XV. Asked whether his family’s support has made the week easier, Coles couldn’t fight back the tears.
“It’s been good. Sorry, lads. Yeah, it’s been real good having my family here. The biggest thing for me has just been the life experiences for them. I never went overseas ’til I was about 15 and my kids have been able to come up and go to Disneyland. My parents got to come,” said an emotional Coles.
“Sorry, I didn’t mean to cry. Obviously, the result (against England) has been crap but it’s been good to share that experience with my boys. And it’s been awesome to have my mum and dad here. They’re just normal people from Kapiti who got to go to Japan and watch their son in the World Cup so it’s been cool to share that experience.”
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Coles said while every player responded to the disappointment in their own way this week, they were all gutted – especially as it will be the last tournament for several stalwarts including captain Kieran Read, Ben Smith, Sonny Bill Williams and Ryan Crotty.
“The guys that are leaving – Kieran, Ben, Sonny Bill, Ryan… little things like that have perked me up. I’ll deal with my personal issues when I get back home, after the loss,” he said.
For Coles, deliberately starting a scuffle with team-mate Brodie Retallick in training was part of the tactic to get the players’ minds off the defeat. “We’re out in training trying to bring the energy, a bit of niggle with Brodie in the team run – a bit of harmless fun.
“Little things like that, because it is pretty tough mate – just any little thing to get a smile on the boys’ face and take our mind off what happened is all we can do.”
WATCH: Steve Hansen, Richie Mo’unga and Aaron Smith speak with the media ahead of New Zealand’s bronze medal play-off against Wales
Comments on RugbyPass
One that will start to come up from now on is penalties for back pushes during kick chase scrambles. Very difficult to detect. In Croke Park if you replay the Hendy NH try, you will see Furbank push Porter in the back, who collides with Larmour knocking the ball across into Hendy’s path to dot down. A more significant example was in the RWC QTR final where Arendse pushes Fickou into two other French players for the ball to spill into Arendse’s path for him to gather and run in to score SAs first try. Not cheating if you are not caught and very difficult to spot but with kicking becoming so critical I feel its an area that will referreeed/TMO-ed more.
3 Go to commentsWhat a pathetic little twit Andy Goode is, as if we care what he thinks…..😂
111 Go to commentsFoxy has been a wonderful player for the Scarlets and Wales.
1 Go to commentsNika the Georgian is the best referee in the world at the moment. Luckily we will be spared the shite SH refs and Barnes will hopefully remain retired given how shite and embarrassing he was at the RWC.
3 Go to commentsThis is the most exciting game of the summer imo, as we really won’t know in advance how both teams are going to play. - Will Robertson just reproduce his Crusaders tactics from last year, or will there be a conscious effort to borrow from the Hurricanes and Blues, and from the aspects of the ABs world cup strategy that worked well? - England under Borthwick have put in some good performances playing attacking rugby, and some good performances playing kick-oriented defensive rugby. Will Borthwick try to merge them together into a single all-court game, or will he continue switching between different approaches depending on the strengths and weaknesses of the opposition?
1 Go to commentsI’m predicting an aggregate points difference of no more than +/-10pts across both matches this series.
1 Go to commentsI’m predicting an aggregate points difference of no more than +/-10pts across both matches this series.
9 Go to commentsFinals are always tense affairs for the players so I do not expect this to be a spectacle of running rugby unfortunately.
3 Go to commentsBulls***': Ex-England international calls out Eben Etzebeth… Not to his face but from very far away… after he’d left. Checked to make sure he wasn’t in the building.
111 Go to commentsHopefully this will mean a new Auckland league team to support in the west. Big Warriors fan but it’s very, very stale on that front and I’d like the option of another team if it was to watch league again. League needs to step up BIG time if its to get anywhere, another AK team and something from the capitol or south is a must for the game.
3 Go to commentsGood, deep interview, nice job Frankie!
1 Go to commentsNRL players don’t have anywhere near the number of Tests. Some people would be happy having Rest Homes full if 40 yo ex-players walking, or hobbling more like it, into walls. It’s just a game!
4 Go to commentsNOW Razor is worried about ABs getting injured or overplayed! Didn’t bother him last year. He happily played his AB Crusaders.
4 Go to commentsWhat is the World Rugby U20 players born year.
2 Go to commentsMuch like the Chiefs finally gave up waiting for Atu Moli to ever not be injured, you have to wonder if the Chiefs and Crusaders will let Josh Lord and Ethan Blackadder go next season. They’re being well paid to sit in the injury ward every year. Better off putting those funds towards someone who might actually play.
7 Go to commentsShowed better basic skills than some nz Super sides, who probably would have botched some of those backline moves. This tournament really is too short though. Needs more teams, or have them play two rounds to properly prepare them for the near full-time NH U20 sides.
4 Go to commentsGood grief it’s only six months. Probably just upset it’s not an established kiwi entering their prime they can “project” into green to join the rest.
3 Go to commentsGood player but far from being best in the world. That's an exaggeration. Perhaps Best in world by Northern Hemisphere standards and biasis but certainly not Southern Hemi standards
3 Go to commentsWell one thing about World Cup knock out rounds and Ireland is very clear: they won’t be getting ahead of themselves in ‘27! Because making it beyond the QF is well and truly ‘IN THEIR HEADS’ now…😉
111 Go to commentsHas this guy been dope tested? Sounds like a case of “roid rage”.
1 Go to comments