{"id":42774,"date":"2025-09-25T15:03:11","date_gmt":"2025-09-25T15:03:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/42774\/"},"modified":"2025-09-25T15:03:11","modified_gmt":"2025-09-25T15:03:11","slug":"another-chance-all-blacks-keep-the-faith-as-wallabies-loom","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/42774\/","title":{"rendered":"‘Another chance’ – All Blacks keep the faith as Wallabies loom"},"content":{"rendered":"

Scott Robertson and his fellow All Blacks\u2019 selectors have resisted the urge for wholesale changes to the team for the Australia Test on Saturday despite a capitulation against the Springboks which left many players, including veteran hooker Codie Taylor, with a \u201csore heart\u201d.<\/p>\n

Taylor, back in the starting line-up after a head injury suffered in the win over the Boks<\/a> a week earlier at Eden Park, spoke today about the response required against the Wallabies at the same ground on Saturday after the record defeat <\/a>in Wellington, and did not skirt the issue.<\/p>\n

\u201cLooking back, there was a lot of hurt in the last Test we played,\u201d Taylor said. \u201cWe had an honest review when we came in on Sunday night and that was much needed. We had a look in the mirror \u2013 as players, we\u2019re the ones out there. <\/p>\n

\u201cThe coaches have taken it on board and they put their hands up but we\u2019re the ones playing. We\u2019re playing a really good Australian team. They\u2019ve played in some tough Tests this year and have shown some resilience. They\u2019ve had some pretty good wins. We\u2019re expecting the same [level] this week.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe had that week off afterwards but I\u2019m pretty sure most of us had a sore heart about letting down the jersey and our country as well. <\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re the ones that have to respond.\u201d<\/p>\n

Skipper Scott Barrett\u2019s shoulder injury<\/a> has all but forced the selectors to name Tupou Vaa\u2019i at lock alongside Fabian Holland and therefore reduced their options at loose forward, with now captain Ardie Savea, Wallace Sititi and Simon Parker retaining their places.<\/p>\n

A predictable re-shuffle of the back three has seen Caleb Clarke back from an ankle problem to start on the left wing which moves Leroy Carter to the right, Will Jordan back to fullback and Damian McKenzie back on to the bench.<\/p>\n

But Robertson has stubbornly refused to tinker with a midfield that has not found cohesion on attack or defence, with Billy Proctor retaining his place alongside Jordie Barrett.<\/p>\n

\"Centre<\/p>\n

Centre Joseph-Aukuso Sua’ali’i during Wallabies training in Auckland today. (Source: Photosport)<\/p>\n

That pair will come up against perhaps the best midfield in the competition on Saturday in the form of Hunter Paisami and Joseph-Aukuso Sua\u2019ali\u2019i, but Robertson has resisted what must have been a temptation to replace Proctor with Anton Lienert-Brown, Rieko Ioane or Leicester Fainga\u2019anuku.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe chased a game that got away from us but for the majority of it we played some really good footy,\u201d Robertson said of his side\u2019s collapse to the Boks at the Cake Tin. <\/p>\n

\u201cThe core group of those guys get to play again. You learn on stage and they\u2019ve been under the spotlight and it\u2019s another chance for them.\u201d<\/p>\n

The returns of Taylor and halfback Cam Roigard are big boosts, but there is no doubt that Scott Barrett\u2019s injury is a blow as his bulk and experience in the second row will be missed. Barrett also has the knack for getting under the skins of the Wallabies and often reserves his finest performances for them.<\/p>\n

1News rugby reporters Andrew Saville and Patrick McKendry assess the All Blacks’ side that will take on the Wallabies. (Source: 1News)<\/p>\n

Robertson said Barrett hurt his shoulder in Wellington but played on. He had hoped to recover in time for Saturday.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s so mentally and physically tough it\u2019s pretty hard not to see his name up there,\u201d Robertson said. \u201cHe\u2019s not quite right for this week and we\u2019re pushing to get him back for next weekend\u2019s Test.\u201d<\/p>\n

There are several storylines converging this week; the All Blacks\u2019 unbeaten record at Eden Park which goes back 51 Tests, along with the fact that the Wallabies have not beaten New Zealand there since 1986 and not held the Bledisloe Cup in 22 years.<\/p>\n

There is the fact too that an All Black team which leaked 36 unanswered points in an historic collapse last time out is up against a rejuvenated Wallabies with one of the best attacks in the competition \u2013 led, of course, by a couple of New Zealanders in head coach Joe Schmidt and scrum expert Mike Cron.<\/p>\n

Schmidt, an assistant to former All Blacks head coach Ian Foster, turned down the chance to help Robertson when New Zealand Rugby looked into a leadership change in 2022.<\/p>\n

\"Wallabies<\/p>\n

Wallabies coach Joe Schmidt, pictured this week. (Source: Photosport)<\/p>\n

Schmidt is said to have been disgruntled by the organisation\u2019s treatment of Foster but Robertson today denied there was \u201cbad blood\u201d between them.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m not sure we\u2019ll have a beer after the first game, maybe the second game\u2026 he\u2019s highly respected,\u201d Robertson said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey [Wallabies] are always a threat. The games got close last year \u2013 they stayed in the fight, especially in that first Test. <\/p>\n

\u201cThey\u2019ll back themselves, that\u2019s the biggest thing, and they stay deep into the game.\u201d<\/p>\n

Taylor was perhaps not surprisingly far more overt with his praise of Schmidt and Cron, saying: \u201cThey\u2019re two great coaches and I have a lot of respect for both of them. <\/p>\n

\u201cYou can see how Schmidty likes to play in the way the Aussies are going about their work. Crono as well \u2013 massive respect, he\u2019s had a huge influence in my career. I know he\u2019s finishing up soon \u2013 I suppose it\u2019s a \u2018thank you\u2019 but we\u2019ll leave it there for now.\u201d<\/p>\n

All Blacks match-day 23 <\/p>\n

(Test caps in brackets) <\/p>\n

1.\u202fEthan de Groot (36) <\/p>\n

2. Codie Taylor (101) (Vice-captain)<\/p>\n

3.\u202fTyrel Lomax (47) <\/p>\n

4.\u202fFabian Holland (7) <\/p>\n

5. Tupou Vaa\u2019i (44) <\/p>\n

6.\u202fSimon Parker (3) <\/p>\n

7.\u202fArdie Savea (101) (Captain) <\/p>\n

8.\u202fWallace Sititi (13) <\/p>\n

9.\u202fCam Roigard (12) <\/p>\n

10.\u202fBeauden Barrett (140) <\/p>\n

11.\u202fCaleb Clarke (29) <\/p>\n

12.\u202fJordie Barrett (75) (Vice-Captain) <\/p>\n

13.\u202fBilly Proctor (8) <\/p>\n

14. Leroy Carter (1) <\/p>\n

15. Will Jordan (48) <\/p>\n

Reserves: 16. Samisoni Taukei\u2019aho (37), 17.\u202fTamaiti Williams (21), 18. Fletcher Newell (29), 19.\u202fPatrick Tuipulotu (54), 20.\u202fPeter Lakai (3), 21.\u202fCortez Ratima (16), 22.\u202fQuinn Tupaea (19), 23. Damian McKenzie (68). <\/p>\n

Unavailable for selection: Scott Barrett (shoulder), Ollie Norris (back), Emoni Narawa (rib fracture), Timoci Tavatavanawai (fractured radius). <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Scott Robertson and his fellow All Blacks\u2019 selectors have resisted the urge for wholesale changes to the team…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":42775,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[789,42,43,40,38,41,39],"class_list":{"0":"post-42774","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-headlines","8":"tag-all-blacks","9":"tag-headlines","10":"tag-news","11":"tag-top-news","12":"tag-top-stories","13":"tag-topnews","14":"tag-topstories"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/42774","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=42774"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/42774\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/42775"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=42774"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=42774"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=42774"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}