Rugby
1News

All Blacks look inward to prepare for 'easy to overcome' Uruguay

Ofa Tu'ungafasi at All Blacks trianing.

The All Blacks are adding another opponent to their must-win Rugby World Cup match against Uruguay tomorrow morning - their own expectations.

Following last week's 96-17 thrashing of Italy, the All Blacks are now on track to reach the quarter-finals of this year's World Cup but standing in their way is the tier two South Americans who have put in some brave performances and even gave hosts France a scare.

But the All Blacks - and their new-look squad named by Foster yesterday - still enter the match in Lyon as heavy favourites to win and advance.

Veteran prop Ofa Tu'ungafasi said that status can be hurdle if teams aren't aware of it.

"For as long as I've been playing, one of the toughest challenges of the week is preparing for a team that you know will be easy to overcome," Tu'ungafasi said.

"When that happens, you tend to leave stones unturned. You tend to take it easy on some areas.

"But for as long as I've been in this environment, it's about our standards and what's important to us - no matter who we play, our intention is to go out there and play to our standard and one that we can proud of."

Scrum coach Greg Feek reiterated the All Blacks still have plenty of respect for Uruguay though, especially after their 27-12 loss to France.

"As a team we were sitting watching that game. Obviously we were curious to see how they went. That was part of what got us excited and made us go, 'we can't get complacent in this tournament against anyone we play'," Feek said.

"We talked about it the other day, how many turnovers they get at breakdowns, how physical they are and even some of their backs, quite electric too. So, we've done our homework. We have to."

But Tu'ungafasi's mindset is a situation the All Blacks have effectively had to battle since their loss in the opening match of the World Cup to France with their other three opposition - Namibia, Italy and Uruguay - nowhere near the same level as the tournament hosts.

As such, All Blacks management have instead fostered competition in amongst the team with players vying for the few remaining spots in the first-choice squad with the quarter-finals on the horizon.

"At trainings at the end we do some skill blocks and the boys do some work-ons that they feel they need to improve on and even in that, the intensity in some of those drills shows the fact that they're really trying to get that bit extra and prove themselves," scrum coach Greg Feek said.

Props Ethan de Groot, left, and Tyrel Lomax feel the heat.

"And the good thing about that is we've got that competitiveness but also the guys that are competing for spots are helping each other do it and I think that's where in all the teams I've been, when you see the boys working like that, it proves where we're sitting with everything.

"We know that whoever gets the jersey is going to give it everything."

Should the All Blacks win tomorrow, they will then be able to take stock of their campaign and tune in to Sunday's thriller between World No.5 Scotland and top-ranked Ireland where a win by the Irish would lock them in for a quarter-final clash.

Hooker Codie Taylor conceded while all the talk and trainings this week have been about Uruguay, there are times where the mind wanders towards the knockout stages of the competition.

"You have brief moments when you think about a quarter-final and what it might look like," he said.

"But to be honest, if we get the chance to go to a quarter-final I don't care who we play.

"It's a quarter-final - you've got to front up no matter what."

It would be a new expectation to set if they can tick off their other boxes tomorrow.

SHARE ME

More Stories