No time to doubt. Beaten from the start by the Blues (27-12), the All Blacks immediately took the lead with a festival against Namibia. Eleven tries to zero, 71-3 final score. Lethal. Brutal.
“All Blacks Festival” headlines L’Equipe before speaking of a “rain of tests and drops of doubts”. It must be said that the weather was not kind this Friday in Toulouse. After a few minutes in the dry, the players had to deal with torrential rain and tornadoes of wind, sometimes causing the ball to deflect.
“A demolition of Namibia by the All Blacks” ignites the British daily The Guardian. “The All Blacks bounce back” is the sober headline of The Herald Sun, an Australian newspaper.
Several players attracted attention during this meeting. Starting with Cameron Roigard. The 23-year-old scrum half scored twice from the start (2nd, 8th) to launch the All Blacks perfectly. He “is off to a dream start” according to The Guardian. The Hurricanes number 9 celebrated only his third selection with the black jersey.
Elected man of the match, Cameron Roigard obtained a rating of 8/10 in the New Zealand Herald, falling under the spell. “A more than deserved man of the match trophy. He has formed a strong hinge with Damian McKenzie, in what could be a preview of the All Blacks’ 9-10 in 2024. But in the present, he has given Ian Foster something to think about as the back-up No.9. » The media Stuff, which already places it No. 2 in the hierarchy, wants to see more. “We now want to see how Roigard will face tougher opposition, which will most certainly be the case against Italy. Roigard should offer an excellent solution off the bench. Foster, surely, will give him a head start over Finlay Christie.”
Damian McKenzie is also getting all the praise. He also received a rating of 8 in the NZHerald, having “steered the ship effectively.” Stuff even relaunches the competition debate since he is fighting with Beauden Barrett and Richie Mo’unga for the flyhalf and fullback positions. Three men for two places.
However, everything was not perfect during this match. At the end of the match, replacement prop Ethan de Groot received a red card after head contact with his opponent. “Ethan de Groot’s red card casts a dark cloud over the match which restores confidence” complains the New Zealand Herald.
“A pleasure to win but discipline remains a problem” assures the Otago Daily Times media. Despite its ultra-domination, New Zealand was penalized twelve times during the match. Something to worry about. The All Blacks will have two weeks to work before returning to Italy on September 19.
SEE ALSO – Haaland, Mbappé, Messi: the nominees for the title of FIFA The Best 2023 player