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Originally, Graham Henry and his team were perfectly happy with their Rugby World Cup draw – Tonga for an opener followed by Japan and then France.
Two games to get the black machine oiled and humming, before confronting their bete noire.
But that all changed when the All Blacks were beaten in Brisbane. That loss made them mad and frustrated, and now they’d far rather play France right out of the box, so they could use those emotions on a team worthy of their steel.
Les Bleus, as every rugby tragic knows, have not been kind to the All Blacks in past cups, and the All Blacks, and by extension the rest of New Zealand, are itching to carve them up.
But the All Blacks must play two teams, ranked 12 and 13, before they get to their main pool event, and with due apologies to Tongan and Japanese fans, victories over Tonga and Japan will be a little hollow.
If the All Blacks handily defeat both those teams, as expected, the rugby world is going to say, so what?
And even if they were to win both games by 40 points, the All Blacks will still be left feeling that they haven’t shown anybody that they’re the team to beat.
France were mighty pleased, as were England and South Africa, and, of course, Australia, when the All Blacks were beaten in Brisbane, as any dent in All Blacks’ confidence is a plus for the other major contenders.
France is feeling good about playing the All Blacks, and the idea that they’ll throw the game by fielding their B team is hogwash.
Rugby is very popular in France. Many people think that it’s only played in Paris and the south west of the country, but that’s not so.
It’s played everywhere from the Pas de Calais to the Haute Savoie to the Cote d’Azur, and there’s no way the French team would willing be a bathmat in front of a French national television audience.
France will field their best fifteen on the 24th (they play Tonga on the 9th and Canada, ranked 14, on the 18th) and run on to Eden Park full of confidence.
The thought of playing the All Blacks in New Zealand doesn’t discomfort them the way it does Jonno and Team England.
Graham Henry and his team are thinking long and hard about the French game. They think they can win, and maybe they can.
But they wish it were coming sooner than it is.
Join The Roar rugby editor Christy Doran, former Wallaby Matt Toomua and a cast of regular and special guests as they look at the biggest issues in the game on The Roar Rugby Podcast. If you’re looking for great odds on the next game check out Aussie bookmaker PlayUp. Chances are you’re about to lose. Set a deposit limit.