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Five months after slinging Carter Gordon to the ground in Melbourne, Ardie Savea says the All Blacks will have to be on high alert for the rookie playmaker as his side prepares for Saturday’s “do-or-die” Bledisloe clash at the MCG.
Few would have predicted Gordon would be thrust into the No.10 jersey to take on the All Blacks in their Bledisloe opener when the Rebels took on the Hurricanes and ran them to the very end to start off a dramatic opening night of Super Round in early March.
“He can [play], and he showed that during Super Rugby,” Savea said on Friday, reflecting on that wild night during Super Round where he was shown a yellow card and after produced a throat slitting gesture on the way off after some words with Ryan Louwrens.
“I tried to scrap him [during] the ‘Canes [win] in Melbourne and probably ended up second best.
“That’s what I like about him, he doesn’t take a step back. He’s young but he’s not afraid of the challenge. That’s something for us to keep an eye on. He’s just going to take the line on and play his game. That’s something that hopefully we can nullify.”
Ardie Savea slung Carter Gordon to the ground in March. Now, they’ll go head to head in the Bledisloe Cup. (Photo by Quinn Rooney/Getty Images)
It was a starkly different scene to the one half-a-decade earlier when Gordon took a selfie with back-rower at his Brisbane Boys’ College following an All Blacks’ training session in 2017.
“I’ve seen the photo. Is that 2016 or 2017?” he asked.
Savea also posed for photos just before noon on Friday at their media opportunity.
The 16-year-old Carter Gordon snapped with Ardie Savea when the All Blacks trained at Brisbane Boys’ College in 2017. (Photo: Gordon family collection)
He was supposed to have a press conference before posing with Wallabies co-captain James Slipper ahead of Saturday’s Test.
But not for the first time New Zealand Rugby management put self interest ahead of the wider game, as their ‘Communications Specialist’ Jo Malcolm, who infamously took it upon herself to cancel a press conference for Ian Foster and Sam Cane after the All Blacks lost their series to Ireland last year, chose to start the press conference 20 minutes early.
It meant several local journalists missed the chance to speak to the acting All Blacks captain, as Malcolm took a page out of Mathieu Raynal’s book by employing a “let’s play” attitude.
Malcolm, meanwhile, blamed her Australian counterpart for the early start time. So much for thawing trans-Tasman relations.
The media opportunity was the only one on Australian shores, with the All Blacks leaving their arrival in Melbourne as late as possible.
It came off the back of respected sports broadcaster and rugby insider Scotty Stevenson’s criticism of the All Blacks for neglecting their wider responsibilities.
“I think it’s a shame the All Blacks have decided to stay in New Zealand and I don’t think they fly to Melbourne till Thursday,” Stevenson told The Roar Rugby podcast on Tuesday.
“I do believe that international rugby has almost a duty to make sure that you’re doing your part to promote the game. And this to me seems like another almost mean-spirited approach to it. Like ‘why would we do Australian Rugby any favours by turning up early?’ That to me leaves a sour taste in my mouth.
“I’m sure they’ve got the logistical reasons and maybe the Women’s Football World Cup has taken a few training facilities, what have you but even so, do we want the game to thrive at international level? If so both teams are going to play their part and promote.”
James Slipper and Ardie Savea pose during a Bledisloe Cup Media Opportunity run at Southbank on July 28, 2023 in Melbourne. (Photo by Morgan Hancock/Getty Images)
Speaking to predominantly New Zealand media, Savea said his side were expecting the Wallabies to fire a few shots but added he was confident his side would be up for the challenge after seeing some “edge” at training.
“It’s always crucial for every team to get the ‘W’ consistently and for this All Blacks team that’s what we want to do leading up to the future,” he said. “That’s the goal. This week’s a big challenge. It’s do-or-die and we want to go out and throw some punches.
“The Bled means so much to not only the All Blacks but the whole of New Zealand. A lot’s on the line. We know that, we feel that, we harness that, and that allows us to fuel our energy and prep throughout the week.
“I think we’ve just got good consistency in our team. We’ve got great leaders, we learned a lot last year. We took a lot of lessons and we tried to rectify that throughout the season. There’s a lot of confidence in our group but also good edge this week to be better.”
Referee Mathieu Raynal speaks to Nic White and Bernard Foley after awarding the All Blacks a free kick following time wasting during the 2022 Bledisloe Cup opener in Melbourne. (Photo by Cameron Spencer/Getty Images)
Few pleasantries were offered during his swift pre-match photo alongside James Slipper on the Yarra, with the tension between the respective leaders obvious particularly after last year’s controversial finish across town at Marvel Stadium. That’s what happens after two decades of Bledisloe Cup failure.
“I remember it,” Slipper said in reference to Raynal’s controversial decision to award the All Blacks a free kick for time wasting.
“Oh, it hurts. Whenever you don’t get the result, it’s always going to hurt you.
“I guess in the fashion that we kind of blew that game makes it hurt a little bit more. Hopefully we can play a game, which is on our terms, and we don’t have a referee come in and decide it right at the end there.
“It was a great game to be a part of. We absolutely loved playing in Melbourne. The crowd was unbelievable last year and we’re expecting the same tomorrow.”
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.