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RNZ News
08-07-2025
- Sport
- RNZ News
All Blacks prop believes France will be better in second test
Pasilio Tosi of the All Blacks with the Bledisloe Cup. Photo: JAMES GOURLEY All Blacks prop Pasilio Tosi reckons France will have their tails up after coming close to knocking the hosts over. The All Blacks scraped home 31-27 in last weekend's opening test as the inexperienced French team went within four points of causing a boilover. Pasilio Tosi clears out a ruck against France. Photo: Martin Hunter/ActionPress The second test is in Wellington on Saturday night with the match, like the first game, sold out. Tosi came on as a substitute last weekend in Dunedin and he quickly realised how tough the tourists were going to be to beat. "There was heaps of talk about how it was their B team, but they really did step up to the plate," Tosi said. "I reckon they'll have a bit of fire in the belly. Coming off the last game, they were only four points behind and I think that they'll be frustrated that they let that one slip. "We're expecting an aggressive France team this Saturday to really test us." Tosi said the All Blacks were their own worst enemies at times in Dunedin and he said they're motivated to produce a more dominant performance in Wellington. "There were quite a few errors that we made out there and that resulted in three disallowed tries. The boys are ready to right their wrongs this Saturday and we know that we're going to be going up against another good France team." Pasilio Tosi. Photo: Photosport / Evan Denworth The All Blacks set piece and scrum was one of the better parts of their game in Dunedin, with the team winning a scrum penalty at the end of the game to help seal the result. Despite that, Tosi said it was it was a real battle with the French front row and reminded him just how big the gap is between Super Rugby and internationals. "The European teams they're big boys. They're just a different kind of strong over there," Tosi said. "I feel like there were a couple of scrums there that we got lucky on and luckily the ref gave us the that last penalty. "There's always room for improvement and you can always scrum better. That's the beauty of being in this team, you're never comfy and you're always looking for how to get better." The All Blacks will be captained by Ardie Savea for the rest of the three-match series after Scott Barrett was ruled out with a calf injury. Ardie Savea. Photo: Chloe Knott/Actionpress Tosi concedes it hurts to lose Barrett, but he insists the All Blacks lose nothing with Ardie Savea as skipper. "Ardie is stepping up and we all back him," Tosi said. "He's captained the side before and we've got confidence that he can lead us into a good game this Saturday. "They both have high standards and are men that lead with actions more than words. They're the ones leading the charge." Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
RNZ News
08-07-2025
- Sport
- RNZ News
Rugby: All Blacks aim to give the TMO ‘an enjoyable evening'
All Blacks v France Kick-off: 7:05pm Saturday 12 July Sky Stadium, Wellington Live blog updates on RNZ All Blacks assistant coach Scott Hansen says the team has come up with a simple approach to stop the frustratingly constant interjections of the Television Match Official (TMO): give him nothing to do. Three All Black tries were denied by the TMO in their 31-27 win over France on Saturday, and while all were fair calls, the disruption it caused for players and spectators has seen plenty of consternation vented on social media. "We have to improve, the All Blacks have to improve," he said at the team's training base at the NZCIS in Trentham, "Let's take away that error at the breakdown. Let's take away the ability for him (the TMO) to feel he needs to come in. So our challenge is to give the TMO an enjoyable evening for a cup of tea. (If) we're really clinical and we're executing well, he can enjoy his evening." Two of the All Black tries were scrubbed out for handling errors and the other for an obstruction, with culprit Pasilio Tosi agreeing that "we've got to be squeaky clean in the area". Pasilio Tosi clears out a ruck against France. Photo: Martin Hunter/ActionPress "You know, they're always watching… like my one and I ran into the to the French player, you know, I need to be mindful of, not getting in the way, you know, obviously it looked like that. I did a little push there, but at the at the end of the day… he's going to make a decision. I just need to be better in the area." While the attitude to simply aim for perfection is commendable, two teams playing flawless test rugby for 80 minutes is unlikely. The main frustration with the viewing public is how often the TMO interjects themselves into games, especially after a Super Rugby Pacific competition that saw their roles limited to only the most necessary assistance to the on-field referees. Meanwhile, Hansen said while the All Blacks were unhappy about the amount of points conceded in the first test, they held a great deal of respect for an "outstanding" French defensive effort in Dunedin. Will Jordan of New Zealand tackled by Hugo Auradou of France, New Zealand All Blacks v France. Photo: Marty Melville/ "The care in the group, (they're) highly respected around the care that they have. You look at them in the Six Nations, their coaching, the philosophy around defence, the way they recover. They do defend a wee bit differently than New Zealand teams and what we've seen in Super (Rugby Pacific)… the challenge for us is to be better in how we attack it." The other challenge will be to figure out just what a likely much-changed French team will bring. Coach Fabien Galthié has brought down 37 players for the three-test series and if he is going to use all of them, he will have to roll out a new side for the test at Sky Stadium. However, Hansen said the All Blacks will be wary either way. "They're young, they're excited and I've talked around them having no fear. So whether or not they took confidence out of that or not, that's for them to decide. What we saw was an excited, inexperienced French team that were proud to play for the country. But what we've also been through, and the excitement of the series, is we get to play them again." Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
