It's the final hurdle to the Rugby World Cup grand final! The NZ Herald's Chereè Kinnear and Liam Napier unpack selection changes for the All Blacks and what to expect from a semifinals clash against Argentina. Video / NZ Herald / SNTV
By Liam Napier in Paris
Wise heads delivered a stinging message as the All Blacks attempt to harness the hurt and heed lessons from their last World Cup semifinal. Ignore the praise. Shun the pats on the back. Last week counts for nothing now. Don’t get sucked into the hype. Don’t fall into the fatal trap of underestimating Los Pumas.
That common theme squared up the room and struck a lingering nerve as All Blacks coach Ian Foster, captain Sam Cane, veterans Beauden Barrett and Aaron Smith addressed media in Paris two days out from their latest World Cup semifinal – this time against Michael Cheika’s Pumas.
The quartet’s presence in Yokohama four years ago, when England crushed the All Blacks to brutally end their World Cup hopes, ensures there was no hint of overconfidence, no whiff of arrogance, as they discussed their next frontier following last week’s inspired, knife-edge quarter-final victory over Ireland.
In all, 11 of this week’s 23-man All Blacks squad featured in their last semifinal defeat. In that context, those memories carry significant weight.
Rieko Ioane thanks fans after winning the quarter-final against Ireland in Paris. Photosport
“There’s plenty of us who have that hurt and scars from 2019. We had that chat as a group,” Cane said. “There’s two very different Mondays we can turn up for next week and one of them is horrible. Some of us have experienced that.”
Foster knows this stage well, too, having attended two previous World Cup semifinals as assistant to Steve Hansen – the tense 20-18 victory against the Springboks in driving rain at Twickenham in 2015 when the All Blacks needed Dan Carter’s drop goal and Sam Whitelock’s late lineout steal to survive, and England’s 19-7 domination four years ago.
Those contrasting experiences leave Foster fully aware that no matter the backdrop, no matter the opposition, everything at this stage must be earned which is why he detailed the need to block out external praise that can soften internal resolve.
“You know there’s a bit at stake. You get people talking to you about tomorrow and trying to take your eyes off today. The challenges are probably as simple as that,” Foster said after making two flagged tweaks to his starting team, with Mark Tele’a returning to the left wing after breaching team curfew and Whitelock pushing Brodie Retallick to the bench. In the only other change, Samisoni Taukei’aho replaces Dane Coles on the bench.
“In 2015 the opposition couldn’t be bigger in our eyes. Then in 2019 we probably didn’t stop being patted on the back enough after the quarter-final hence some of my language today.
“That’s not a good place to be as a team. I love the way the team has buckled down. We’ve redefined the challenge. We’re not satisfied with where we’re at as a group. We know if we’re not right at Stade de France on Friday it’s going to be a sad old night. We don’t want it to be like that. We’ve worked hard.
‘We’re trying to redial this back, keep things simple and just worry about Friday.”
Cane started the 2019 semifinal off the bench in a selection blunder that shifted Scott Barrett to the side of the scrum and Ardie Savea to openside.
Brothers Jordie Barrett and Beauden Barrett after winning the Rugby World Cup quarterfinal. Photo / Getty Images.
Four years on Cane concedes he doesn’t yet know whether the All Blacks will avoid the mental drop off from last week’s euphoric high but after the best performance of his test career against Ireland, Cane is intent on clutching the mantle to continue leading from the front.
“We probably won’t know for sure until we get to the game to be honest,” Cane said.
“We know the game we had in the weekend is no indication of how we’re going to play the following week. It’s going to come down to the work we put in and our ability to turn up right on edge and be better than before. We’re extremely driven to do that. We feel we’re in a good spot but we’ve got to go again.”
With two tests left before he concludes his illustrious test career by departing to Japan, Smith doesn’t need anyone reminding him of the burden he’s carried since that fateful Yokohama evening.
“Remembering the pain of it is a big driver especially for a few of us boys that were there,” Smith reflected. “That feeling probably helped us reset after an emotional and everything on the line week last week.
“That’s been the big lesson for us – taking the positives, acknowledging the step we took and how much that cost physically, emotionally, mentally and the rebuilding and finding that edge for what is another huge game for us and our ultimate dream.
“I’m an emotional person. I use things to fuel me. I remember being in the same position four years ago. We didn’t get it right that night.”
Basking in the giddy glow of their quarter-final success would unravel the All Blacks – just as they begin to grasp their true potential. What’s done is done. Tomorrow cares not for past deeds.
The All Blacks realise the inherent danger in not swiftly moving on. Their next task is proving they are yet to play their final, yet to reach their peak.
“We had to play a final last week,” Foster said. “It’s not a matter of trying to hold anything back. It’s treasuring the moment and treasuring each week. The beautiful thing about it is there’s no tomorrow. That’s how we approached last week and how we’re going to approach this week.”
