Tension grips New Zealand: All Blacks' plan to deal with nerves against Ireland
It’s about now New Zealand starts to get anxious. Forced to contemplate the prospect that the All Blacks could crash out of the Rugby World Cup quarter-finals, tension and nerves bubble to the surface.
Four years ago the same sense gripped the country. France in a quarter-final. Memories of 2007 flooded back. Not Cardiff again, many screamed.
If the All Blacks of recent World Cups have taught us anything about these situations, it’s that this is the time to take a breath and, perhaps, take lessons from the players themselves.
Saturday night at Tokyo Stadium they, too, will be nervous. But they will also embrace the occasion, embrace the pressure, and attempt to turn that heat on Ireland.
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“Will there be some nerves? Heck yeah,” assistant coach Ian Foster said as the All Blacks conclude preparations for their headline assignment. “That’s what it’s all about. It’s about acknowledging that you are nervous and you turn that into a positive excitement. That’s what big occasions are about.”
Nerves with Ireland are fully justified. Under Joe Schmidt they have twice achieved history against the All Blacks. They now seek to add a third notch after their first win in 111 years, and their first win on home soil.
Twelve members of this Irish team featured in that last victory in Dublin. That gives them belief their predecessors longed for.
Starting their 56th test together, Johnny Sexton and Conor Murray will become Ireland’s most capped halves pairing. Their experience, poise and influence brings further confidence.
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Ireland do not, however, have any experience of winning World Cup quarter-finals. Six attempts, six failures. How much will that weigh them down if the match is tight in the final quarter?
Ireland’s day of reckoning has arrived. For the All Blacks, it’s another knockout match.
Having been there, done that, winning 17 straight World Cup matches, they should be better equipped to handle this pinnacle arena.
“We’ve been here before and we’ve used that experience,” Foster said. “It doesn’t make it any easier it just gives you the knowledge of what’s at stake. They’ve been in a lot of quarter-finals too.”
Confidence in the All Blacks stems largely from their evolution over the past 11 months. This team features nine positional changes from the one that lost in Dublin but changes to their attacking game, their shape and structure, are also clear.
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“We always remember our losses pretty clearly but you try and learn from them and move forward. It’s interesting when you look at the number of things we’ve changed in the past 12 months and a lot of those are because of some performances last year we weren’t totally proud of.
“You learn your lessons and then you evolve things.
“Games like this are not so often about a special trick or surprise it’s about how you deal with the pressure and how you keep executing your own game. It’s one thing to know each other’s game, it’s another to execute it properly and stop the other person doing it. That’s what playoffs are about, having that composure to trust yourself.”
Sure there’s risk in the All Blacks’ youthful backline which features four Crusaders but they have all been encouraged to be fearless, to bring the same spark that got them to this stage.
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Play with freedom and pace, and the All Blacks boast far superior threats.
“Our challenge going into a big game is to not dampen that confidence. We’ve got to be smart, there’s potential rain, we’re playing a team that likes to suffocate you. We’ve got to respect all those elements but we’ve also got to do what we want to do well.”
Maintaining discipline and starting well will be important. Ireland’s two victories over the All Blacks came after they built a lead and grew their belief.
If the All Blacks settle early and impose their game, Ireland are vulnerable when forced to chase. They do not like breaking from their conservative shell and, in many respects, do not have a plan B.
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“Scoreboard pressure is pretty powerful and something we know they like to accumulate and they’re quite happy to do that and put you under pressure that way.
“We’ve got to prepare for every situation we can. Some things happen early that you can’t control or you don’t do them well. We’ve got to stay true to what we are because ultimately while you want to start well, we know it’s going to be an 80 minute game. We’ve got a great opponent who we know are tenacious and will play all the way to the end.”
It’s fine to be nervous and tense about this get-it-right-or-go-home scenario. Ireland have earned that respect.
But just as the All Blacks have entrusted their men to play unburdened so, too, should we trust them to pull it off.
This article first appeared on nzherald.co.nz and was republished with permission.
DMWJ | Jim previews Ireland vs New Zealand:
Comments on RugbyPass
Firstly the foul on Bongi was a planned move just like the NZ master plan with Bryce Lawrence you kiwis are filthy fux perhaps try to play a cleaner game next time I doubt that’s possible tho but don’t worry world rugby is on yr side they trying to take away all the BOKS strengths to help all you weakling as Jeremy Clarkson would say LA OO ZA ERR..🤣
99 Go to commentsAbsolutely spot on Ben. I certainly wouldn't gloat over a win like that. Frustrating as it is it's done and dusted and history will forever show the result.
99 Go to commentsHo hum.
99 Go to commentsNo question they were the better team. But that is the beauty of sport isn’t it!
99 Go to commentsEveryone is into Hurling in Ireland according to Porter, but only 11 of Ireland's 32 counties enter a team into the national competition. Same old blarney.
1 Go to commentsLet’s be honest. The draw and scheduling in the World Cup was a joke but South Africa found a way after having to go the hard (nearly impossible) way to the Cup Final via France and England. NZ had a hard game against France (lost) and had 5 weeks to prepare for the Quarter, 3 weeks knowing it was Ireland. NZ theerfore had to win one big game against an Irish team who played SA and then Scotland 7 days before. They won and it was de facto a semi final because they were playing a relatively weak Argentina team and it was a walk over. In the final a very rested NZ team was playing a very tired SA team and still lost. They couldn’t score more than 11 points. Put another way SA had to find a way to win while tired and they achieved that. NZ should thank their lucky stars that they fixed the scheduling in 2015 otherwise they would be dealing with a Bok treble.
99 Go to commentsPerhaps if Bongi wasn’t targeted and removed from the game in the first 3 minutes it would have been quite a different game. Maybe if NZ also faced the same competition the Boks faced to their win NZ would have looked quite different. The final score shows who outplayed who.
99 Go to commentsRubbish article! Abuladze played most of Exeters matches when fit. He got injured against Glasgow a while ago and is out for the rest of the season, thats why he hasnt played for Exeter and Georgia recently. Do some proper research next time!
1 Go to commentsGotta love it when kids throw their toys out the pram and can’t hack it with the grown ups debate. Here’s looking at you turlough! 😉🤣
148 Go to commentsThey lost the game period move on
99 Go to commentsSpringboks won! Stop winging. You can change the game however much you and your rugby colonizing IRB want to and the Springboks will win you at that too. Your mind is colonized my friend get a life
99 Go to commentsBen, nobody gets fooled anymore by selective and biased data to support an hypothesis. Games are decided on such small margins these days that you win some and lose some, and dominance is a thing of the rugby past. Look at the RWC circle of fortune…. Ireland beats SA who beat France who beat NZ who beat Ireland. And so it goes on. Match officials help to eliminate real indiscretions. If they had been with us years before, no doubt results would have been different. Remember Andy Haden’s dive from a lineout in 1978 for which a match-wining penalty was awarded? Wales should have beaten the ABs that day. They took the loss like the gentlemen they were.
99 Go to commentsWith all the analysis and how good the all blacks were.The fundamental mistake with the ABs is that this is a test match and not an exhibition.There is no better team(country) in world rugby than the Boks that knows how to win a test match(we are post masters at this).We know our rules, we have the discipline, we tackle like beasts, we take our points and we never give up.I now have educated the ABs supporters(at least say thank you).Please stop “bitching” , accept what the outcome is and move along swiftly.
99 Go to commentsAnd they came from behind to win two big games before the final. No one can say what would have happened. Had the boks gone behind the game plan changes and the result may changes. Ifs and ands are irrelevant. The boks won. Neutral critics enjoyed the games they played. Its not a popularity contest. Get over it and move on.
99 Go to commentsI'm happy for the people of SA to get a second WC. And I mean that. I was very disappointed with this man's “stand on the hand” incident with Josh Van Der Flyer (Ireland). Ireland's downfall in the last WC was they did not rotate their first 15 as the head coach probably should have. That said, I'm happy for SA and genuinely hope it lifts the mood in their country. Ireland did beat them in the first match of the tournament. And before the trolls start trolling ….. please don't bother. Etzbeth said recently that the Irish players said after the match “see you in the final”…..this was actually wishing the SA team the best of luck in the rest, the Irish team were not dismissing the AB’s. This is what Etzbeth was implying. But he was wrong. I no longer live in Ireland. But I hope to see them lift that cup before I pass. Anyway, congratulations SA. 👍
12 Go to commentsMore bloody click bait. Dan Carter has said absolutely nothing. As he should do. Poor journalism again from a site that should know better
9 Go to commentsOh god please help these loosers get over it!!!! You lost. Doesn't matter how many times you dummies are gonna analyse the game, you still lost and we are still Rygby World Champions….get over it, you lost.
99 Go to commentsThe next Willie le Roux. SA are made not to use him.
3 Go to commentsDan has always been as controversial as tea with milk so we were never going to get any definitive answer. So DMac for the win.
9 Go to commentsGoodness. When are the All Blacks and New Zealand commentators going to stop complaining about how they could have won and just try to win next time 😂. In South Africa if you lose you get up and try again. Get over it.
99 Go to comments