Back 
1
'Took a little while': Foster's verdict on All Black debutants Stevenson and Finau
By Ben Smith
It was a baptism of fire for Ian Foster’s new look All Blacks which included two new debutants in a heavily changed line-up for Bledisloe II in Dunedin.
ADVERTISEMENT
The home side got off to the worst possible start as the Wallabies exploded out of the blocks with a rapid start, scoring inside three minutes through winger Marika Koroibete.
The fired up Australians didn’t stop there, with barnstorming loose forward Tom Hooper crashing over in the same corner minutes later to extend the lead to 14-0.
Debutant Shaun Stevenson was under fire with two tries conceded down his channel while new flanker Samipeni Finau was also feeling the heat, lacking accuracy around the breakdown giving away two penalties in the first half.
All Blacks head coach Ian Foster was proud of the way the pair bounced back in the second half, with each of them playing an important part in the 23-20 comeback win.
“I thought some of the new guys played better in the second half and that’s a good sign too,” Ian Foster said of his new players.
“Sometimes when you come into a Test match you can do everything that you are good at and it shines, this one you had to work hard.
ADVERTISEMENT
“I thought they took a little while to adjust to the pace of the game.
“As the game unfolded they got more involved and we started to see what they could contribute.”
In the game of two halves, Stevenson’s afternoon immediately looked a little brighter as he scored the All Blacks first try of the afternoon just three minutes in the second forty.
Bursting onto a Damian McKenzie’s cutout pass, he powered through the cover tackle of Andrew Kellaway and contorted through the next man Koroibete to finish in the corner.
Samipeni Finau began to make an impact with his carry game as the game wore on, creating front foot ball for the All Blacks. He powered through four Wallabies defenders to score the go-ahead try in the 64th minute.
ADVERTISEMENT
“Particularly Samipeni, he came back. He finished over the top of them a little bit, which was nice to see,” Foster said.
Veteran All Blacks halfback Aaron Smith credited the debutants with adding something to a ‘special’ performance which although he said was ‘ugly’ at times, is the kind of game that he will remember.
After wrapping up the campaign with four wins from four, each player will be waiting for the call on Monday as the World Cup squad is announced.
“I thought the new boys really added something tonight,” Smith said.
“Unreal, I’m really happy for them. That’s the beauty of our squad, the next man up has to do a job.
“It was an amazing Rugby Championship, a special one. Special for our team.
“We were looking to make changes from last year, and we are taking some positive steps.
“We are definitely not the finished product. I think we are all waiting for Monday night now.”
Ian Foster’s bold selection for the second Bledisloe Test was done with the bigger picture in mind.
The All Blacks head coach explained his reasoning in his post-match press conference which helped the team get ‘World Cup ready’.
“The overall objective was to win this Test but also get the squad to the starting line of the World Cup,” Foster said.
“If we didn’t do this game the way we did, the danger was we would’ve had a number of players in a World Cup squad that hadn’t played serious Test match for eight to nine weeks.
“We knew what we were doing.”
Latest Comments
Wow, even suggesting that SA and Ireland will lead new world order is arrogant beyond, and disrespectful to say the least. The Boks know only to well how tough it is to just win by one point, and will never underestimate any side. Again, the ABs remain the benchmark, and once they understand the greater challenge in the north, will adapt. Razor will make sure. The pure athleticism of the NZ players, once they find they need a tough tight forwards, will again take them to near the top. The days of dominating like they did for decades is gone, but they will stay near the top. Even with one of their weaker sides they still made the final played away in NH. That should say enough.
Go to commentsDear Ben, since you are apparently lacking in any kind of understanding of the game, and are in denial to boot, I will gladly rank the 3 worst games of the season from the All Blacks for you. Ill try to be a little less whinging and a bit more objective. I think the reality is that the ABs and (to a lesser extend the Springboks) will never again dominate the game to the extent they have in the past. Close to 30 years of professionalism has closed the gap, and that is as it should be and is great for the game. There is very little to choose between the top four in world Rugby. It is often down to the day. The “luck” that is inevitably part of winning a knock out tourmament where no one side fully dominates accompanied the Boks this time. Next time it could be the French or Irish and could quite as easily have been either of them this time. I understand that on your tiny Island Nation there is little you posess that is culturally significant, other than the AB’s, and so this is very dear to you. Here’s hoping its France next time because if its the ABs your triumphalist gloating would be utterly insuffrable.
Go to comments