With nine changes to the starting side and Sam Cane returning as captain Chereè Kinnear and Liam Napier take a look at what it'll take for the All Blacks to finish on a high against Uruguay in Lyon. Video / NZ Herald
All you need to know ahead of the All Blacks’ final Rugby World Cup 2023 pool match against Uruguay.
What’s on the line?
New Zealand is not guaranteed a place in the quarter-finals heading into the final set of pool matches, however, it is probably the easiest bet compared with South Africa, Ireland and France. Wales and England are the only teams to have both feet in the last eight.
The All Blacks need a victory with four tries or more against Uruguay on Friday to be sure of progressing. Given that the All Blacks scored 14 tries in their 96-17 romp against Italy, ranked 11 in the world, a similar rampage against No. 17 Uruguay is likely.
France, meanwhile, has won three from three in Pool A – including the opener against New Zealand – but like Ireland, it could be all for nothing if their final game against Italy in Lyon goes the wrong way on Saturday. However, Italy has not beaten France since 2013. If New Zealand and Italy both win, and the latter doesn’t allow France a bonus point, the hosts could be knocked out.
All Blacks hooker Dane Coles breaks with the ball to score his team's tenth try against Italy. Photo / Getty Images
Things are just as interesting for Pool B. Scotland holds the fate of both Ireland and defending champion South Africa in its hands. Scotland face Ireland over the weekend and if they win – an unlikely prospect – all three teams could end up on 15 points, resulting in points difference in games between them becoming the decisive factor.
The bottom line is Scotland has to win to have a chance at the quarters before any other calculations come into play. Ireland has won the last eight against Scotland since 2018 but the Scots have nothing to lose. Ireland, after more than a year at No. 1, has everything on the line.
Fiji will follow Wales into the quarterfinals from Pool C and make its first Rugby World Cup knockouts since 2007 by beating minnow Portugal in Toulouse on Sunday, or even losing narrowly. That will confirm the earliest elimination ever for two-time champion Australia, which may well be the one big turn-up of the pool stage. The only thing that can save Australia is Portugal winning its first World Cup game ever and, more than that, denying Fiji any losing bonus points.
What can you tell me about Uruguay?
Uruguay came to the Rugby World Cup to win two games for the first time. Namibia was knocked off last week and Los Teros has one more chance in the pool stage: New Zealand.
It will be the first meeting between the two sides and while the odds for Uruguay are astronomical that hasn’t dimmed its excitement or anticipation.
“You always prepare to win a game. On paper and in reality, it is something else,” Uruguay assistant coach Pablo Bouza said. “Playing as equals for much of the game is part of the objective. We are convinced that we will have the drive and intensity.”
Bouza is pragmatic because he has played and coached against the All Blacks 11 times with Argentina. The lock came off the bench three times in New Zealand. He was never involved in a win.
“They (All Blacks) are the most difficult team to face for our type of rugby,” Bouza said. “I remember several games we had under control, but they have all the tools and in two plays they can turn it around.”
Uruguay's Felipe Etcheverry clears the ball. Photo / AP
The team goal is still possible, too.
“We came here to win two games,” scrumhalf Santiago Arata says. “We didn’t beat Italy but we’ve still got to play New Zealand. It will be amazing.”
Uruguay capitalised on three yellow cards to Namibia by overcoming a terrible start and winning their absorbing Rugby World Cup pool match 36-26. Los Teros recorded only a fourth-ever win at a Rugby World Cup while extending Namibia’s tournament-record losing run to 26 matches since 1999.
How the sides line up
All Blacks: 1. Ofa Tu’ungafasi, 2. Codie Taylor, 3. Tyrel Lomax, 4. Samuel Whitelock, 5. Tupou Vaa’i, 6. Shannon Frizell, 7. Sam Cane, 8. Luke Jacobson, 9. Cam Roigard, 10. Richie Mo’unga, 11. Leicester Fainga’anuku, 12. Jordie Barrett, 13. Anton Lienert-Brown, 14. Will Jordan, 15. Damian McKenzie.
Los Teros: 1 Mateo Sanguinetti, 2 German Kessler, 3 Diego Arbelo, 4 Ignacio Dotti, 5 Manuel Leindekar, 6 Manuel Ardao, 7 Lucas Bianchi , 8 Manuel Diana, 9 Santiago Arata, 10 Felipe Etcheverry, 11 Nicolas Freitas, 12 Andres Vilaseca (c), 13 Tomas Inciarte, 14 Gaston Mieres, 15 Rodrigo Silva.
Reserves: 16 Guillermo Pujadas, 17 Matias Benitez, 18 Ignacio Peculo, 19 Juan Manuel Rodríguez, 20 Santiago Civetta, 21 Agustin Ormaechea, 22 Felipe Berchesi, 23 Juan Manuel Alonso.
Match officials
Referee: Wayne Barnes
Assistant referees: Matthew Carley, Jordan Way
TV match official: Marius Jonker
When and where
Kick-off is at 8am (NZT) on Friday at OL Stadium in Lyon, France.
Past five games: All Blacks 96 Italy 17; All Blacks 71 Namibia 3; All Blacks 13 France 27; All Blacks 7 South Africa 35; All Blacks 23 Australia 20.
Past five games: Uruguay 36 Namibia 26; Uruguay 17 Italy 38; Uruguay 12 France 27; Uruguay 18 Georgia 34; Uruguay 7 Japan 43.
Score prediction
New Zealand 82 Uruguay 3
How to follow the action
For live commentary of All Blacks v Uruguay, join Elliott Smith on Newstalk ZB, Gold Sport and iHeartRadio.
You can watch the game on Sky Sport 1 and live streaming on Sky Sport Now; an alternative commentary option from the Alternative Commentary Collective is available on iHeartRadio, Hauraki and Sky Sport 9.
Luke Kirkness is an Online Sports Editor for the NZ Herald. He previously covered consumer affairs for the Herald and was an assistant news director in the Bay of Plenty. He won Student Journalist of the Year in 2019.
