‘When two Titans meet’: Ex-All Black ready for ‘world-class’ Ethan de Groot
Former All Black Jeffery Toomaga-Allen couldn’t stop smiling when asked about the prospect of packing down opposite “world-class” prop Ethan de Groot for the first time on Friday.
Toomaga-Allen, who played one test for New Zealand in 2013 but was more recently capped by Samoa, has been named to start at tighthead prop for the Queensland Reds this week.
The 33-year-old joins another former All Black, Alex Hodgman in Queensland’s front row, with try-scoring machine Matt Faessler set to line up alongside the pair in the No. 2 jersey.
While the Reds are without Wallabies Fraser McReight and Tate McDermott through suspension, coach Les Kiss has named a strong side to take on the touring Highlanders.
One of the matchups to look out for is Toomaga-Allen against de Groot. De Groot would have to be considered a certainty to take the field for the All Blacks against England later this year.
Toomaga-Allen joked about WWE’s WrestleMania and potentially giving it to the Highlanders enforcer before explaining why the challenge that de Groot poses is one he “can’t wait” for.
“Oh mate I can’t wait,” Toomaga-Allen said on Stan Sports’ The Night Before Gameday.
“I can’t say it on here but WrestleMania was what, last week?
“Nah, I can’t wait. He is a world-class loosehead prop.
“To be fair I am a big fan. I saw him come up through playing with the (Southland) Stags and playing for the All Blacks… earnt that loosehead jersey.
“Seeing him run out with the Landers will be good. I haven’t actually scrummed against him so given that he’s world-class I always want to test myself.
“I’m ready for the challenge… when two Titans meet, that’s what you want.”
Toomaga-Allen is excited for his positional match-up against one of the best props in the world, but the experienced front-rower also understands what this match means for the Reds’ season.
This is a fixture that both the Reds and Highlanders are desperate to win. With Super Rugby Pacific passing its halfway point, this fixture has a finals-esque feel to it.
The Reds haven’t won since their 53-26 win over the Melbourne Rebels on March 15, and the Highlanders have lost four matches on the trot dating back to the 8th of March in Sydney.
Queensland were widely considered the favourites last time out against Moana Pasifika in New Zealand, but Les Kiss’ men were stunned 17-14 at Okara Park.
“If I’m honest it’s been quite sharp and brutally honest and training,” Toomaga-Allen discussed when asked about training.
“Les, straight in the changing room after that Moana game, just as you want from a head coach is a dose of truth with a dose of reality.
“We’re not far off and we haven’t been far off. A couple of narrow losses.
“But just knowing and believing that we can do it is important to us and Les really drives that and has driven that this week.
“It’s going to be a good game on Friday.”
Comments on RugbyPass
Look, we know contradicting opinions and wacky comments bring readers and clicks, so well done to RP for allowing always-wrong-Ben to say something here. However RP needs to put a disclaimer next to his comments for their own credibility. NZ was and is incapable of acknowledging their opp beating them. They refused so with Ire and with Arg in 2022 and also the Boks in 2023 x 2. Nothing Ben says here holds water, NZ attacked backwards, except when Kolisi and Kolbe was off And cyncialy took out Bongi, we played without lineouts for 75mins. Kolisi and Kurt-Lee almost scored twice. Thats 3 vs 2 for Boks, but the Boks opportunities was legal. Boks should have been 16-3 up by half time. Tacticaly the Boks attacked better defended better scrummed better (without a hooker) kicked better and crossed the whitewash more times. Boks beat Fr Eng Nz to win in 23, comeon give some credit at least. Even Federer Verstappen NY Mets, Mamoa, was able to see a great human sport achievement by the Boks and their DNA Boks #RWC27 !🏉
169 Go to commentsForget the 85kg bit, that can become something else. However I do like the one off test on ANZAC day idea. SR plays Fri/ Sat, test players travel Sunday and the squads have the full week together before playing Saturday. Rest of SR has a week off. Either involve women's teams in same location or in the other country and rotate annually. Herbert is right in that change is needed.
3 Go to commentsI’ve read loads of nonsense before but this article takes the cake. Or perhaps someone changed the date for April Fool's Day.
3 Go to commentsReally Rugbypass? Ben Smith I think you forgot what the Springboks did to the All Blacks at Twickenham 8 weeks earlier? Springboks 35 All Blacks 7. There is alot of ifs and buts in your article. The All Blacks threw the sink at the Springboks and unfortunately they were not good enough regardless if they played with 14 men or not. It was the Springboks who forced the All Blacks to make mistakes! Sorry but not Sorry the Springboks is the best ever Rugby World Cup Nation in the world. 4 Cups baby!
169 Go to commentsYou just backed the Boks with that fantastic review! Well done! Have some cake!
169 Go to commentsBen Smith please write up something better than this. The Springboks would have won the world cup if you were 15 men on the field. They would have found a way, they always find a way to beat the All Blacks.
169 Go to commentsWow, there is a lot of “could have” and “ should have” in this waist of time dribble. I love the deportation in this story to search for a glimpse at a silver lining. Here are the facts, NZ was a badly coached and undisciplined shadow of their former glory. They never took the lead in a game they were never going to win.
169 Go to commentsGOTTA MAKE ‘THE GEORGE’ HAPPEN!!!! That’s a great idea! A trans Tasman midget battle on ANZAC Day. I don’t think the ABs Wallabies game should be a one off winner takes all though, just the first match with the other two later in the year with the RC. Reason being, no one will ever shut up about how aussies couldn’t win it when it was a 3 match series.
3 Go to comments@Ben smith. Thats knock out rugby. So honeslty who cares?
169 Go to commentsIt will interesting to know which Irish players said that…
1 Go to commentsNaaaww boys will be boys! Now run along ya wee scamp! Don’t let us catch you at again😏
1 Go to commentsGreat to have Ethan Blackadder back in the Crusaders in the last few weeks. One of the best all round loose forwards around. He played so well last week against the Rebels. Fantastic attitude Ethan has and his comments are spot on.
2 Go to commentsThe author is 100% right. The Springboks know that they don't have near the natural attraction, mana, skill and mystic the All Blacks have. So, Chasing the sun 1 & 2 was concocted to overblow the Boks image on the back of a corruptly obtained “win". It's marketing ploy to force the Boks delusion as the World's Best. I guess World Rugby is also not to be believed when it came out with an apology about how the final was officiated. And if the 2023 final such a superb game by the Boks, then the Boks crying about Referee Bryce Lawrence for decades is also deserves a laugh. Chase the sun and get burned like a moth. A very well written literary piece that tore the Boks and Chasing the sun farce to shreds. 🖤All Blacks🏉
169 Go to commentsI’d say France was far more hard done by in the 2011 final than the All Blacks in this game. Joubert simply refused to call a penalty against the All Blacks in the last quarter even directing an All Black to drop a ball he picked up in an offside position rather than penalizing him. This article also totally discounts the efforts of PSTD. Ask Jordie how well he played. Or the backup flank who played hooker for the entire game. Siya was also a brilliant tackle by Richie from scoring a blinder. Pollard was also fantastic. Look I don’t like the boks style but the only thing more questionable than the content of this article is the timing of it. Get over it already
169 Go to commentsDad Marty was also a handy rugby player for Linwood back in the day. Great bloke. Sensational softball career.
2 Go to commentsWhat ifs are always dangerous. If you look at the game before Sam cane got sent of SA was dominating. You could make the argument the going down to 14 men rallied the troops and made them have to play to win which is always dangerous.
169 Go to commentsOmg… you are bruised And battered Benny. Stop crying … the scoreboard speaks. What a pathetic lover you are.. 🤣🤣🤣
169 Go to commentsPacific Lions, cry me a river
169 Go to commentsThis is the single worst piece of journalism I have ever seen since your last one. As a neutral, who really states that there should be an asterisk next to a win? You are an utter embarrassment to real AB fans, journalism and that joke of a house which pays you for this nonsense. Get a life, Ben.
169 Go to commentsGuys. Cancel the World Cup champions after this analysis. It changes everything. Ben knows. We’ll have to unengrave the Bokke off the trophy and hand it to the ABs, now that I’ve been enlightened about this illegitimate win. This needs to be done. Now!
169 Go to comments