No such thing as a ‘B team’: Wallabies laugh off suggestion of under-strength All Blacks
By Iain Payten
Centre Samu Kerevi says the Wallabies will keep kicking down the door for a drought-breaking win in New Zealand on Saturday but the team has run a mile from suggestions they’re a better chance against an All Blacks “B team” named for the return Bledisloe clash in Dunedin.
New Zealand’s win in Melbourne means the Bledisloe Cup is already locked away for the 21st straight year, but the dead rubber still holds plenty of meaning for the Wallabies as they search for a first win this year, and a first victory in New Zealand since prevailing in the same city under coach Eddie Jones way back in 2001.
A win in his last game on home soil would be savoured for ousted All Blacks coach Ian Foster, too, but it didn’t stop the Kiwi boss making 13 changes to his starting side from the team that won 38-7 at the MCG.
The quality of players brought in highlights the depth of New Zealand rugby, with Damian McKenzie starting at No.10, Sam Cane returning from injury and Sam Whitelock re-joining Brodie Retallick in the second-row. Even less experienced players are in-form, with 18 of the 23-man squad having played in the Super Rugby final between the Crusaders and the Chiefs.
Whether mindful of the motivation drawn from a second-string South Africa last month, when they jumped on comments from Jones and then thumped the Wallabies, Kerevi was quick to shoot down a New Zealand journalist’s mention of the phrase “B team”.
“I don’t think it’s a B team. It’s the All Blacks. Any All Black side that comes out is their best side, rest or not. It’s a world-class team and we understand that. We didn’t take it as a B team or anything like that,” Kerevi said.
Samu Kerevi at Wallabies training in Dunedin.Credit: Getty
”We see another great 10 step in, another great 12 and 13 combination. And we look across the back three, in the back line and even in the forward pack, there are great players all around there. So the All Blacks is never going to put out a B team as people may say. It’s going to be a tough challenge again for us this week.
“If anyone’s saying that ‘D Mac’ (McKenzie) is not a world-class No.10 or their forward pack is not a world-class pack, you should come out here and play them. Because we don’t feel that at all, mate. They’re a great team and any team that All Blacks put out is going be a great team. They’ve got depth.
“So for us it’s a big challenge. Not many teams can beat New Zealand in New Zealand. It’s not a door that’s been open. We’ve got to kick that door down every time we play them.”
More than two decades of painful history across the Tasman is against the Wallabies, even if Dunedin has proved to be a better hunting ground than other cities. The Wallabies came within a whisker of winning at Forsyth Barr Stadium in 2017, when they shocked everyone a week after getting smashed in Sydney.
Eddie Jones at Wallabies training in Dunedin.Credit: Getty
Day games are a touch friendlier, too; the Wallabies drew in Wellington in 2020 and wins in the golden era were often afternoon slots. The game kicks off at 2.30pm (12.30pm AEST) but the stadium in Dunedin is covered, and it’s just as well given there has been snow and rain in the southern city this week.
“They’re beatable. Any team on any day can be beaten,” Kerevi said.
“They’re a class side and a great team but we believe in our gameplan and the talent we have. We will go out there and put our best foot forward.
“So we are just focusing on what we can control and the really good things that we did in the first game.
“The first 20-minute block, we’ve spoken about already as a team and how important that was and how we need to lengthen that out to, to a whole 80-minute performance. That’s been the main focus for us.”
Kerevi said he was enjoying his new midfield partnership with Jordie Petaia, which is in fact a re-unification of a combination the pair first made in 2019 for Queensland, and for the Wallabies at the 2019 Rugby World Cup.
Jordan Petaia played well at No.13 in Melbourne.Credit: Getty
Petaia’s first game at outside centre was for the Reds against the Highlanders in Dunedin, and he had a blinder.
“We spoke about it ourselves because we are roomies this week,” Kerevi said.
“It has kind of come from a circle. I remember him as a young kid coming into Reds preseason and just trying to take him out my wing. We had jokes about him and Georgie Smith at the time. Georgie Smith was still in our squad and Georgie could have been his father.
“So we used to laugh about that but as a young kid and seeing the man that he’s become now, is probably something I’m really proud of.”
Returning from a wrist injury, Petaia had a solid game at the MCG, including a nice offload. Kerevi said he believes the 23-year-old is in his best spot at No.13.
“If you ask him, he’ll probably want to play fullback. He loves being at the back and coming onto the ball. But, since 2019, I’ve always loved him in the centers just because he’s a big body. He’s got great skills and is great in that space,” Kerevi said.
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