As the All Blacks prepare for a quarter-finals match like no other against Ireland in Paris, the Herald's Cheree Kinnear and Gregor Paul discuss selections, strategies and the stakes at hand. Video / NZ Herald
By Liam Napier in Paris
Motivations are derived from many realms. As they approach their next pinnacle stage knockout, more than half the All Blacks squad to confront Ireland in Paris harness the hurt from their last World Cup exit four years ago in Yokohama. Several legends of the game – and the vast majority of the All Blacks management – stand on the verge of their final tests, too.
Those deep-seated drivers linger in the back of individual minds but All Blacks playmaker Richie Mo’unga, as he prepares to leave for Japan for the next three years, outlined why this quarter-final must centre on the here and now for a group that has endured extreme adversity to reach this defining stage.
“That’s a big part of our motivation,” Mo’unga said of extending the careers of centurions Aaron Smith, Brodie Retallick, Sam Whitelock and veteran hooker Dane Coles through to the end of the World Cup.
“Another big part is what happened four years ago in a semifinal. It’s huge motivation for myself, around a quarter-final win, riding a high, and then probably not resetting back to zero for that semi. It’s a really big lesson for us as a team.
“That was a reminder of how brutal World Cups can be. It comes down to small moments in games. Our main motivation is the statement we want to make about the 2023 All Blacks team.
Aaron Smith (third left) celebrates scoring against Italy with (from left) Will Jordan, Richie Mo'unga and Jordie Barrett. Photo / Photosport
“The biggest motivator is knowing what we’re capable of and knowing what opportunity is ahead, wanting to really stamp our mark and really fulfil the potential of this team. What better way to do it than on Saturday. That’s the biggest motivator for this team.”
Mo’unga’s words ring true. No one could suggest this year’s All Blacks have consistently proven their worth. They were superb throughout the Rugby Championship only to crumble once they hit northern shores at Twickenham and in the World Cup opener against France.
Three pool victories against lightweight opposition since can’t compare to those genuine, heavyweight contests. And that’s why serious doubts remain about this team’s ability to perform under the relentless duress Ireland promise to impose this weekend.
Produce another out-of-the-box, underdog victory to match last year’s Ellis Park triumph, though, and everything changes for the All Blacks. Sceptics become believers overnight.
To a man, the All Blacks have waxed lyrical this week about their respect for Ireland.
For the Irish journalists present at the press conference at the All Blacks’ hotel on the outskirts of Paris, hearing New Zealanders laud their team carried a foreign, eerie sense.
Is this killing-with-compliments approach some sort of cunning plot?
Not so long ago, the All Blacks were the benchmark. Ireland now arrive at this quarter-final as the world’s No 1 team, riding a 17-test unbeaten surge. Unstoppable, or so it would seem.
“The numbers don’t lie, they’re the best team in the world,” Mo’unga said. “It’s obviously not what I want to be saying in front of you all today but those are the facts. The beauty is that we have the opportunity on Saturday to play them. That is the exciting thing about this week. There are no more lives and no more chances.
“We don’t have to be the best team in the world now. We’ve got to be the best team on the day, and that’s Saturday. So that’s a real target for us and something we’re looking forward to.
Ireland's New Zealand-born stars Bundee Aki and James Lowe. Photo / Getty Images.
“The playing fields are even when we get out there and who has prepared best, done the most work, had those conversations around small details and strategy at lineout and scrum, it will all show on Saturday.”
For all the confidence and momentum Ireland have generated to this point, the past is irrelevant at Stade de France.
Tags and titles matter not. When Wayne Barnes blows the opening whistle, everything before and beyond fades from view.
To give themselves a chance to rectify their last World Cup failure and honour their departing servants, Ian Foster’s All Blacks must seize this moment.
“You learn a lot from the past but you learn it at the time and it becomes part of who you are and it becomes part of us as a team,” Foster said. “This team is ready, we’ve prepared well with this in mind.
“If you look at this year, the whole thing is about getting ready for a World Cup and making sure that we’re primed to perform at this stage of the tournament. We’re excited about it. We know the size of the challenge and how good Ireland are. They deserve all the plaudits they get but playoff rugby is about who’s best on the day.”
