At the Stade de France,
New collective apnea record set Saturday evening in Saint-Denis. It happened around 11 p.m., between the 77th and 83rd minutes of play, and an action in 37 phases which will end up tipping this Ireland-New Zealand into the supernatural, if it wasn’t already there . To tell the truth, there was barely any room to breathe until half-time, everything else being just a pile-up of very high-intensity sequences, strokes of genius, “oh”, “ah”, until the deliverance of some and the damnation of others. Rugby at its best. A moving thought in passing to all the Argentina-Wales spectators who watched the evening match without taking the time to wet their necks, the thermal shock must have been terrible. Who can believe that the Pumas will have a chance to achieve the feat of the century next weekend after the spectacle we witnessed at the Stade de France? Certainly not us.
The only benefit to be granted to the South Americans will be that of fatigue. The battle against Ireland left a physical mark on the New Zealanders, who lost five or ten years of life expectancy in the rucks like almost all of the Clover XV’s opponents since the start of the Tournament. For Beauden Barrett, revise the figure upwards: we can still see ourselves grimacing on our perch while observing the elegant rear being boned on the action of the first try. “It’s clear that we’re going to have to recover over the next few days because it took a toll,” said captain Sam Cane. We’re going to recover and we’re going to get ready. » But a sporting cliché is that fatigue is better digested with victory. Without forgetting that the confidence garnered by the All Blacks since their defeat against France once again makes them the formidable team that we had the audacity to think they no longer were. Savea, Mo’unga and the Barrett dynasty on top of the world on October 28? Why not ? The arguments are there.
Sharp from the start
A sure bet whether it rains, snows or shines, New Zealand starters are a real registered trademark. The Blues had tasted the air conditioning at the start of the World Cup on a premature try from Telea, the Irish lost big by giving away six points under pressure from New Zealand. “They are very strong when it comes to taking control of a match. They put us under pressure,” admits Ireland coach Andy Farrell. A detail for you, but for New Zealand, it means a lot: this is where the qualifier is played (four points difference in the end, remember). Apart from this first quarter of an hour of Kiwi domination, the stats are worthy of a draw.
- Three attempts each
- Two transformations each
- 88% successful tackles on both sides
- 10 penalties conceded everywhere
Super solid even at 14
The All Blacks were reduced twice to 14, and Ireland barely took advantage: nothing to eat apart from a Gibson-Park try. Better, on certain sequences, we even came to forget their numerical inferiority, which coach Ian Foster would still have done well without. “I would have preferred that we didn’t get yellow cards because we know that they are good when they play against a numerically inferior team. » Sam Cane: “No one wants to play with 14, we had to do it twice. But the guys went even further and we defended like crazy tonight. We managed to contain them for long periods, which is what allowed us to win. »
A renewed defensive solidity
The overall idea is that of a high standard defensive performance, which does not displease the New Zealand captain. “Our defense is what made us win tonight. This match will serve as a reference for us. To be world champions, you need a big defense. » This was also the opinion of Andy Farrell after the Irish victory against Scotland. As proof of the tenacity of the All Blacks we will cite the 15 successful tackles out of 17 attempted by Ardie Savea, the hands in the grease of Jordie Barrett to miraculously stop the irrepressible advance of the Irish maul in the goal and, therefore, this famous sequence of 37 phases of play, where the Kiwi defended on a thread.
“We held on, it was a tough match,” breathes 2nd row Brodie Retallick. I was just trying to tackle well. It’s a good end to the match. The group showed a lot of determination to hang on. (At the final whistle) I was relieved to be honest. » We must thank Sam Whitelock, author of the saving scratching. “It was a long time to defend,” adds Cane. The guys’ ability to always be there for each other was crucial. »
Speed, magic and comebacks from injury
If they knew how to keep their backs round for a good part of the match (45% possession and territorial occupation in favor of Ireland), the three-time world champions were well inspired to find a speed of execution worthy of their name both in transmissions and individually. On the first try and beyond B.Barrett’s crazy move, we must remember the lightning football-style one-two between Fainga’anuku and Ioane on the touchline to escape Bundee Aki’s tackle, the kind of thing that we only see among the All Blacks. And then what adjectives to describe Mo’unga’s crazy crossing in the second half, on Will Jordan’s try? Again it went quickly, very quickly.
Finally, we won’t end without a word about the returning trio Cane, Fritzell and Jordie Barrett. All three were absent against the Blues, and all were good to very good against the Irish XV. “People sometimes forget that we had injuries and that we had to make some changes,” recalls Foster, seeming to say, “you took us for painters, but we weren’t even 100%. » Johnny Sexton, big loser of the evening, now has a lot of faith in his tormentors. “The All Blacks are being judged on the World Cup so we will know what happens over the next two weeks. But it’s clear that with Joe [Schmidt, entraîneur adjoint de la Nouvelle-Zélande], they have made quite a bit of progress. They are on an upward slope. Anything can happen now. » Including winning a fourth World Cup?