Join host Alex Chapman with special guests Buck Shelford & Michaela Blyde as they review the New Zealand v Ireland and England v Australia RWC quarter-finals. VIDEO/Spark Sport/RWC/Mark Mitchell/allblacks.com/Photosport/Gettyimages
COMMENT:
It's Rugby World Cup semifinal time and suddenly more Kiwis are posting Air New Zealand flight tickets to Japan on their Facebook and Instagram, with highly optimistic messages about the All Blacks' chances against England.
My mates from far and wide are suddenly asking for tickets to the final(as if we are already in it) which of course I can't get them. I have a ticket, but I can't even get my husband one!
I've just returned to New Zealand to TVNZ and Spark Sport's semifinal coverage, but go back for the final as a judge for the Player of the Year. I've got a spare ticket to the Player Awards but will have to wait until the end of the semis to see if any final extras go on the market.
The only way you get a free ticket to the final is if you know someone in the All Blacks team.
But guess what, England have based their formula on the successful Rugby World Cup teams post 1999, including the All Blacks from 2011 and 2015, and they will be the toughest opposition the All Blacks have faced for a very long time.
Tougher than the Australians who beat New Zealand in Perth this year because they are consistent.
Tougher than the South Africans who beat us last year, and drew with us this year, because they don't fear New Zealand.
More difficult than the Irish because they have more to their bow than just the territory and defensive game.
And of course, the unmeasurable component that adds to their game that I've seen first-hand. They are a team that like each other, they are having a good time, with games incorporated into many of their drills, and they are exceptionally organised.
By the time they get to the game the entire 23 is fully on board with their game plan, how to implement it, and trusting each other in their individual roles.
The camaraderie that I've observed, and the genuine good sorts in the team, means the England team are subscribed to the same team culture philosophy that the All Blacks adhere to.
That's scary.
England players celebrate victory against Australia in the quarter-final. Photo / Getty Images
They also stayed at the flashiest hotels in Japan, have resource oozing out of the pores, and have everything they need to get the win.
Add to that a rather wily coach in Eddie Jones who likes to push a few buttons in the media, and all of us Kiwis should be very worried about Saturday night.
We are the underdogs here big time.
The All Blacks will have to be at their very best - how exciting - and it'll be the pick of the semis, with South Africa now strong favourites after Wales' poor execution against France in the weekend.
By the way, I got the chance to catch up with John Mitchell before their quarter-final. The chat was interesting but remember the "journey" language he used to use? Well, he still speaks a little in riddles. Very unusual for a Kiwi.
A dying art
Eddie Butler from the BBC and Wales and Lions fame joined me and Andrew Mehrtens in the commentary box last weekend, and he brought a different style, a classic BBC style, compared to our pool play calls with Sean Maloney.
What a voice!
The best part of my newly formed relationship with Eddie was the video he showed us from the week before. He's 62 but still managed to get his shirt off with the production team, did a running leap, and body surfed over a raft of tables covered with baby oil.
Brilliant.
And being Welsh, of course, we managed to drag him into a karaoke bar where he sang It's not unusual by Tom Jones. Whilst there, a group of Welsh fans on the street heard him crooning, came in and nearly lifted Merhrtens from the floor into the air. It scared the bejesus out of him.
It's interesting to work with commentators from overseas as the craft really is a dying art, with traditional broadcasters like the BBC having less rugby, meaning less regular work for voices like Eddie's. The commentators in New Zealand who work for SKY are very lucky as they're employed in regular work ten months a year. That doesn't happen overseas.
Toilet humour
The heated toilets with loads of buttons with various functions continue to be a hit with visitors.
Locals can't believe we use toilet paper, it is unbelievable to them we don't have bidets.
But not everyone has quite figured it out yet.
My production manager Jayde decided to put all the buttons to full use. Unfortunately, she was sitting too far forward, and when she pushed the buttons, there was suddenly a furious shower of hot toilet water that was being sprayed all over her back and over her hair.
Panicking, she jumped up, spun around trying to locate the "stop" button - but only managed to get said hot toilet water in her face.
