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Ian Foster might have made 12 changes to his starting side for their return Bledisloe clash in Dunedin, but Samu Kerevi has batted away suggestions in the strongest sense that the All Blacks are ripe for the picking.
Having locked away the Bledisloe Cup for a 21st straight year, Foster opted to give opportunities for his fringe players to push their selection case ahead of Monday’s World Cup squad announcement.
Lock Brodie Retallick, loose-forward Ardie Savea and outside back Will Jordan are the only survivors in the starting side from the one that smashed the Wallabies 38-7 a week earlier in Melbourne to be asked to go again at Forsyth Barr Stadium.
Yet, with Sam Whitelock and Anton Lienert-Brown promoted to the starting side, as well as captain Sam Cane and Damian McKenzie returning, Foster has named an extremely strong side that includes 18 players from June’s Super Rugby final.
It’s why Kerevi was quick to pour cold water over suggestions the All Blacks were playing with fire in New Zealand’s deep south.
“I don’t think it’s a ‘B’ team. It’s the All Blacks. Any All Blacks side that comes out is their best side,” Kerevi told reporters on Friday.
“Rest or not, it’s a world-class team and we understand that. We don’t take it as a B team or anything like that.
“Another great 10 [McKenzie] steps in. Another great 12 [Lienert-Brown] and 13 [Braydon Ennor] combination and look across the back three as a back line and even as the forward pack, there’s great players all around there.
“The All Blacks is never going to put out a B team, as people may say, but it’s going to be a tough challenge again for us this week.”
Ardie Savea is one of three players retained in the All Blacks’ team to face the Wallabies. (Photo by Cameron Spencer/Getty Images)
Pressed whether the door had been opened ever so slightly to claim their first victory over the All Blacks on New Zealand shores since 2001, Kerevi once again shut down suggestions the Wallabies had been given an opening.
“Definitely not,” he said.
“If anyone’s saying that ‘D Mac’s’ not a world-class 10 or their forward pack’s not a world-class forward pack, you should come out and play them. We don’t feel like that at all. They’re a great team.
“Any team that the All Blacks put out is going to be a great. They’ve got depth for days. It’s a big challenge.
“Not many teams can beat New Zealand In New Zealand, and it’s not a door that has been opened. We’ve got to kick that door down every time we play, and it’s a great team to play against and we’re excited.”
One day earlier, Eddie Jones too shut down any suggestions the All Blacks had taken the Wallabies for granted and “disrespected” them.
“No, no, I’ve got enough to worry about, mate, without worrying about New Zealand selection,” Jones told reporters.
“Whilst everyone is treating this game with the utmost respect, everyone also has the World Cup at the back of their minds and The Rugby Championship’s been a fantastic tournament.
“We’ve trained as hard as we can for this game. But at the same time, there’s a World Cup over there that we’ve got to plan to and I’m sure Ian and his coaching staff is the same, so I wouldn’t see that as a sign of disrespect at all.”
Samu Kerevi says the All Blacks have not picked a ‘B’ team but believes they are “beatable” on Saturday. (Photo by Hannah Peters/Getty Images)
Despite the centre’s comments, Kerevi said the Wallabies believed they remained in the hunt.
“We believe they’re beatable. They’re a class side and a great team, but we believe in our game plan, we believe in the squad and the talent that we have, and we’ll go out there and put our best foot forward,” he said.
Kerevi urged Australian fans to continue to believe in the Wallabies, saying they understood the results weren’t “acceptable”.
“This trial by fire is what the team will be made of at the end,” he said.
“So, stick by us or not, but we’re sticking by ourselves.”
Meanwhile, Kerevi put his weight behind rising playmaker Carter Gordon, who was retained by Eddie Jones in the No.10 jersey after a mixed night out on starting debut last weekend.
“We back Carter and Quadey [Cooper] or whoever jumps into that No.10, but Cart’s is a young fella, he’s got a lot of confidence in himself as well, which is really important and he drives the team standards and the team role,” Kerevi said.
“I keep supporting him because at the end of the day, I know that he’ll shine through. Big games like this are a great game to grow yourself as a man and as a player and as a leader.
“He got back on the horse pretty quick. He didn’t look too down. Obviously [we were] down about the result, but once we landed here on Monday we were back on the horse.”
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.