The All Blacks expect Wallabies Flanker David Pocock to challenge them in Perth, The Warriors are still a chance to qualify for the top eight and we caught up with an aspiring female boxer who has her sights set on the 2022 Commonwealth games.
The All Blacks are expecting loose forward David Pocock to return from a long-term injury to reunite with Michael Hooper in the Bledisloe Cup test in Perth on Sunday, a combination Sam Cane has described as a "dynamic duo" and one which the visitors might match with their own.
All will be revealed when the teams are announced on Thursday but there is an expectation that Hooper and Pocock, who has been laid up with a calf problem since March, will start for the Wallabies and that Cane and Ardie Savea will start for the All Blacks.
Should that transpire, the pace of the game at a sold-out Optus Stadium could go to a level not seen yet this year and the competition at the breakdown will be similarly intense.
"They're quality footballers," All Blacks assistant coach Ian Foster said of Pocock and Hooper. "We're preparing for that but we also know if he doesn't make it there will be someone else there ready to do the job. We're guessing that he will play."
raydon Ennor and Steve Hansen, head coach of the All Blacks walk from the bus after arriving for the All Blacks training session. Photo / Getty Images.
"It just heightens the awareness and it probably puts more emphasis on our ball carrier," Cane, likely to start at openside flanker, said. "If he can get in behind the line even slightly and keep his feet and allow our support players an extra second to get in … that goes a long way. When you've got a dynamic duo like that it's almost impossible to keep them right out of the game; it's just restricting them as much as you can. You have to be very accurate."
Should Savea and Cane start alongside skipper Kieran Read, it will be the first time the pair have started a test together since last year against the Pumas in Argentina. On that occasion, Savea played No8 as Read was already out and then Luke Whitelock was a late withdrawal.
It was an instant success, and Savea was carried that form on into this year with a strong performance against Argentina recently. He, along with Cane, sat out the recent drawn test against the Boks in Wellington and was missed.
Should the pair start on Saturday, "I'll just try to execute my role every time as best I can", Cane said. "He'll go and do what he does best which is pretty awesome to watch. The way I can help him is just getting my area of the game right."
Samuel Whitelock and Sam Cane of the All Blacks address the media during the All Blacks media session at the Pan Pacific Hotel. Photo / Getty Images.
Cane said Pocock's long layoff probably wouldn't affect him much. "When you've played that much test match footy and you're used to playing Super Rugby consistently, it's more of a mental than physical thing," he said.
"I'd expect him to come back and be right in the thick of things. You're match fitness is normally not quite where you'd want it to be but because you've been in those situations before you can normally just push on through. A guy like David Pocock, there's not a big margin between his best and worst game."
Foster said lock Scott Barrett would likely be available following his recovery from a broken hand and underlined the threats the Wallabies possess.
"They've always been really competitive when they play us," Foster said. "We've never had an easy game against them. Sometimes the score has blown out a little bit… they're a team that have been able to get under our skins the most, probably. They know us well, they love to beat us, so it will be a battle royale."
Foster said manager Gilbert Enoka would return to New Zealand to represent the team at Sir Brian Lochore's funeral on Thursday, adding that the former All Blacks No8, coach and manager had been in touch with the team shortly before his death.
"He was almost apologetic that he was going to disrupt our week," Foster said. "He was a very special human being. There's a massive sense of loss in the team because even for those who didn't know him, you kind of feel that you did. The humility and the humbleness… he's done himself and his family immensely proud."
