Rugby World Cup, pool A: All Blacks v Italy. Where: OL Stadium, Lyon. When: 8am Saturday (NZT). Coverage: Live on Sky Sport 1, live updates on Stuff, delayed stream on Stuff from 9.30am.
Where some might see pressure, danger, even fear, Brodie Retallick views only opportunity. The All Blacks lock says Saturday’s pivotal World Cup pool game against the Italians embodies the essence of why he plays this combative sport the way he does.
Yes, you guessed it, this effective quarterfinal decider at Lyon’s superb OL Stadium, with its towering stands and cauldron-like intensity, is Retallick’s kind of matchup. There’s a lot on it – defeat would send the All Blacks tumbling out of the tournament at the group stage for the first time in their history, much as the Wallabies surely did at the same venue five days earlier – and there is a dangerous and emotional opponent awaiting, ready to grasp their chance at history.
So, when an Italian journalist asked Retallick on the eve of this third pool match whether, given the All Blacks’ 16-0 record against Italy, and their near total domination of those fixtures, there was any fear of being the first to fall at their hand, Retallick smiled and shook his head.
“Not at all,” he said, “It’s a World Cup and with not getting a result against France in the opening pool game, we need to win all three [remaining group matches] to be in control of where we want to be.
“We talked before we even left New Zealand about how World Cups are different, and there’s added pressure of playing Italy, with the weight of the result for us and them. That’s what World Cups are all about and why we play the game – to be in these big test matches.”
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Richie Mo’unga and Brodie Retallick of the All Blacks at training in Lyon.
And after completing the captain’s run jog-through at the venue (a departure from the norm in recent times), and everyone presenting fit and healthy ahead of match day, Retallick spelt out the key for the All Blacks walking away from this stadium on Friday night (Saturday morning NZT) with their tournament ambitions still alive.
“Firstly, you can’t be distracted by what the Italians may or may not bring. We’ve previewed them and understand a bit of their structure and how they want to play the game.
“From our point of view it’s nailing the moment from the get-go. The start is going to be massively important to swing the momentum either way. We can only concentrate on doing our job the best we can, and trusting your team-mate left or right to do that. If we do that through the 15 on the field, hopefully we’ll get the start we’re after.”
With both starting locks – Scott Barrett joins Retallick in the run-on second row – speaking to the media after captain’s run, questions were naturally asked about the man they had forced on to the bench, with Sam Whitelock set to become the most capped All Black of all time in the unaccustomed role of impact man when he earns his 149th test cap.
Retallick lauded Whitelock’s competitiveness, drive and staying power. “To [play 149 tests] from a physical and mental side, to be able to turn up each week and prepare and play the way he does, is a real testament to him. No one has done it in the jersey before, so he stands alone there,” he said.
Added Barrett: “It’s been an honour and a privilege to play alongside him throughout my career. I’m sure when he gets out there he’ll do what he does every time he puts on the jersey, and thats play tough rugby.”
Meanwhile, scrum coach Greg Feek, who started at loosehead prop in the All Blacks’ 101-3 demolition of the Italians at the 1999 World Cup, said it was a vastly different outfit that presented in Lyon for this shot at history.
“They’ve got a style that is very attacking, they want to pressure teams and hold on to the ball, and they’ve got some dangerous players out wide,” he said. “Tactically they seem very good, and they’re well-coached. One thing that hasn’t changed is their forward pack has always been niggly. You still remembered you played against them. That won’t change tomorrow.”
It’s been an interesting lead-in, stretched out over two weeks, with the All Blacks full of respect and going out of their way to talk up the threat of a side that has undoubtedly been on the improve since Kieran Crowley came in to assume the coaching reins in 2021.
Only once in their five previous World Cup matchups have Italy got within 60 points of the men in black. That was the 31-21 victory achieved by a downward-trending New Zealand team in Huddersfield in 1991.
These All Blacks should have too much class to get dragged into that sort of a dogfight. If they can dictate terms up front, knock a bit of the early stuffing out of them, and get their own game flowing in the right direction, they should have too much in their attacking arsenal for the Azzurri to live with them.
Fear of failure is just not an option.
New Zealand: Beauden Barrett, Will Jordan, Rieko Ioane, Jordie Barrett, Mark Telea, Richie Mo’unga, Aaron Smith; Ardie Savea (capt), Dalton Papalii, Shannon Frizell, Scott Barrett, Brodie Retallick, Nepo Laulala, Codie Taylor, Ofa Tuungafasi. Reserves: Dane Coles, Tamaiti Williams, Tyrel Lomax, Sam Whitelock, Sam Cane, Cam Roigard, Damian McKenzie, Anton Lienert-Brown.
Italy: Tommaso Allan; Ange Capuozzo, Juan Ignacio Brex, Luca Morisi, Montanna Ioane; Paolo Garbisi, Stephen Varney; Lorenzo Cannone, Michele Lamaro (capt), Sebastian Negri, Federico Ruzza, Dino Lamb, Marco Riccioni, Giacomo Nicotera, Danilo Fischetti. Reserves: Hame Faiva, Ivan Nemer, Simone Ferrari, Niccolo Cannone, Manuel Zuliani, Toa Halafihi, Martin Page-Relo, Paolo Odogwu.
Referee: Matthew Carley (England).
