OPINION
Gregor Paul in Lyon
If the All Blacks have indeed been quite happy to fly beneath the radar so far in this World Cup, they won’t be after they have played Italy.
Being largely ignored as they have been since they arrived in France has
All Blacks v Italy: After flying under radar the time is now for an All Blacks statement - Gregor Paul
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They aren’t the big noise in town they typically are. The French public and world media still have ample respect for the All Blacks, but not many pundits are seeing past Ireland, France and South Africa as potential winners at the moment.
The All Blacks haven’t done enough, either pre-tournament or at it, to convince the wider audience that they have what it takes to go all the way at this World Cup.
To be in France with so little external expectation may have stung the ego a little, but it has had, up until now, some advantages for the All Blacks.
Compared with previous World Cups, there has been no phalanx of international media following their every move.
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Press conferences are relatively poorly-attended. The foreign media that occasionally turn up often ask the names of the players that have spoken.
It’s all low-key, unlike in 2015 which was a circus for the team to endure every day - media everywhere and the public crawling all over them.
In England, eight years ago, they stepped out of their hotel and were mobbed by autograph hunters and selfie collectors. It was a touch claustrophobic for the team - a bit like they were all in the Big Brother house.
That built the intensity of pressure, the sense of being watched, with every decision from the coffee the players ordered to the music they listened to on the way to games seemingly being of extreme national interest.
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That sort of scrutiny was hard to deal with, but it was also welcomed, because it confirmed the status the team had earned as tournament favourites.
The All Blacks were the team everyone thought, probably knew, were going to win in 2015 and so the heightened and relentless media interest was a natural consequence of having played so well leading into the tournament.
That the big-name All Blacks of 2023 are not resonating is not only disastrous for New Zealand Rugby’s brand ambitions to win five million offshore fans, but it’s also a sign that the world has been given no reason to build the hype.
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And therefore, the moment has come for the All Blacks to make a statement performance at this tournament - to play themselves into the public consciousness with a brand of rugby that not only leaves Italy decimated but puts the rest of the contenders on notice that the All Blacks are leaving the shadows.
If they are still being ignored come the quarter-finals, it will be a bad sign: proof they still haven’t given a good reason to believe in them.
After four years of build-up, this is the start of the last big push towards Paris and an appearance in the October 28 final.
If the All Blacks are going to be anything at this tournament, they have to produce something definitive against Italy and rewrite their narrative - flip the script from being a talented but ill-disciplined team to one whose frightening array of attacking weaponry is supported by a steely resolve.
There is no doubt they have shaken New Zealanders’ confidence in the last month, and more so in the last four years, but there is reason for optimism.
There’s plenty more to like about the match-day 23 to play Italy than there was the team picked to play France.
Jordie Barrett is back and that, on its own, changes plenty for the better. The All Blacks need his muscularity to play their keep-the-ball, build-momentum game.
Shannon Frizell’s presence at six is another major change that will better equip the All Blacks to bash and smash Italy into submission, while the starting locking duo of Scott Barrett and Brodie Retallick feels like one that could overwhelm the Italians.
And maybe, the greatest source of hope is generated by the presence of Cam Roigard and Damian McKenzie on the bench.
These two have earned their spots, shown they can bring energy and a killer instinct to the party - which is precisely what the bench didn’t do in the losses to both South Africa and France.
With Ethan de Groot not available due to suspension and Tyrel Lomax and Sam Cane easing their way back in after injury breaks, there is still a little more tinkering to be done in the make-up of this team before the quarter-finals.
But the team picked to play Italy have significant differences to the one that lost to France, and it’s one, irrespective of history, that has the potential to lay down quite the marker this weekend and announce that the All Blacks are back.
All Blacks v Italy: Kickoff 8am, Saturday
Follow the match at nzherald.co.nz
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Alternative Commentary Collective: iHeartRadio and Radio Hauraki
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