International
PREVIEW: All Blacks v Australia (MCG)
Analysis can only take pundits so far when it comes to Bledisloe Cup games between the All Blacks and Australia, and the home team’s desire to end their losses in the Lipovitan-D Rugby Championship will add an edge to their rivalry in Melbourne on Saturday.
Match Details: Australia v New Zealand, 9.45 pm NZT, July 29, 2023, Melbourne Cricket Ground
Played: 175
Won: Australia 45, New Zealand 122, Drawn 8
Last time: Australia 14-40 New Zealand, September 24, 2022, Eden Park
Referee: Wayne Barnes
FORM
Australia, having lost their first two games of the Rugby Championship, is looking to avoid only its second winless tournament. They were winless earlier when losing four games in the Tri-Nations in 2005. New Zealand have won both their games this year in the Championship and their last five games against Australia.
LOCKING CONTEST
It’s a measure of the developing depth in the All Blacks’ locking ranks that the stock market hasn’t plummeted, and the country hasn’t gone into a spin cycle with returning veteran Sam Whitelock coming off the bench for the 23rd time in his 144 Test career on Saturday. Brodie Retallick and Scott Barrett are the starters in Melbourne, with Retallick playing his 102nd Test and Barrett making his 61st appearance. Coach Ian Foster said, “It’s a great situation to be in.” Retaining the pair was also a reward for the growing combination seen against South Africa, and he wanted to keep growing that. A lot of attention was paid to who might lock the scrum, but the three named were backed by Josh Lord and Tupou Va’ai, who had also been performing well.
GORDON’S CHANCE
First five-eighths Carter Gordon’s first Test start will be a little more relaxed than his Test debut when replacing centre Len Ikitau against Argentina in Sydney two weeks back, a position he was not used to playing. He will be looking for his forward pack to give him the quality ball necessary for him to get control of the game. The lessons from those first two losses have been hit home. “Our breakdown wasn’t where we needed it to be. We had a lot of breakdown errors, a lot of turnovers. So the last few weeks have been making sure what we’re really smashing down on that detail at the breakdown, and we’ve been working pretty hard at that. We want to make sure we’re not leaving any stone unturned. We want to make sure we’ve got no regrets. Test match rugby is very different to Super Rugby. It’s a lot more territory based. And we know that, so we’re going to do everything we can to win these contests.”
THE SCOOP
The All Blacks have managed an attacking ruck speed of 2.96 seconds during the Championship, the best of the four teams, while Australia at 3.61s was the slowest. Australia has also made the fewest entries (10) into the opposing 22m area of the four teams but has achieved four points for each entry which is the most effective of the tour teams.
FAST FACT
New Zealand have won nine games in succession and has lost away from home only once since the loss to South Africa in Mbombela at the start of its 2022 campaign. A win would be only the second time they have been unbeaten in the Championship or Tri Nations in a World Cup year. The last occasion was in 2003. (Opta)
TEAMS (caps in brackets):
All Blacks:
1. Ethan de Groot (15) 2. Codie Taylor (78) 3. Tyrel Lomax (25) 4. Brodie Retallick (101) 5. Scott Barrett (60) 6. Shannon Frizell (27) 7. Dalton Papali’i (24) 8. Ardie Savea (72 – captain) 9. Aaron Smith (116) 10. Richie Mo’unga (46) 11. Mark Telea (3) 12. Jordie Barrett (50) 13. Rieko Ioane (61) 14. Will Jordan (22) 15. Beauden Barrett (114)
Reserves: 16. Samisoni Taukei’aho (22) 17. Ofa Tu’ungfasi (51) 18. Nepo Laulala (47) 19. Samuel Whitelock (143) 20. Luke Jacobson (12) 21. Cam Roigard * 22. Anton Lienert-Brown (60) 23. Caleb Clarke (17)
Australia
1. Angus Bell (21) 2. David Porecki (12) 3. Allan Alaalatoa (acting captain) (66)
4. Nick Frost (10) 5. Will Skelton (26) 6. Jed Holloway (11) 7. Tom Hooper (1) 8. Rob Valetini (32) 9. Tate McDermott (23) 10. Carter Gordon (2) 11. Marika Koroibete (53) 12. Samu Kerevi (43) 13. Jordan Petaia (25) 14. Mark Nawaqanitawase (4) 15. Andrew Kellaway (21)
Reserves: 16. Jordan Uelese (17) 17. James Slipper (129) 18. Taniela Tupou (47) 19. Richie Arnold (2) 20. Rob Leota (14) 21. Nic White (61) 22. Quade Cooper (78) 23. Izaia Perese (3)
Content & Images from – New Zealand Rugby
Munster Rugby and the IRFU are pleased to confirm contract extensions for Conor Murray and Jack Daly with Brian Gleeson to be promoted from the Academy to the senior squad next season.
Murray and Daly have signed one-year extensions with Gleeson moving up to the senior squad on a two-year deal.
Gleeson is one of five Academy players moving up to the senior squad next year with Tony Butler, Ethan Coughlan, Mark Donnelly and Edwin Edogbo also signing two-year deals.
Conor Murray is one of the most decorated scrum-halfs in world rugby with 116 Ireland caps and three British & Irish Lions tours to his name.
A former St Munchin’s College student, the Garryowen man won his fifth 6 Nations title with Ireland last month and earned his second league title with Munster last season.
The 34-year-old has made 185 Munster appearances and scored 34 tries for the province to date and was named on World Rugby’s Team of the Decade in 2019.
25-year-old flanker Jack Daly came up through the ranks at Castleisland RFC and made his Munster debut against Zebre in 2020.
Daly joined the Academy in 2018, moved up to the senior squad in 2021 and plays his AIL rugby with Garryowen. A former Ireland U20 international, he made his Champions Cup debut against Toulouse in the quarter-final at the Aviva Stadium in 2022.
Try-scoring number 8 Brian Gleeson leads the charge for the Ireland Under-20s against France ©INPHO/Evan Treacy
20-year-old Gleeson moves up to the senior squad after just one year in the Academy that has seen him score one try in nine senior appearances.
Currently out of action with an ankle injury, he had already made three Champions Cup appearances before turning 20.
The powerful back-row forward was a Grand Slam winner with the Ireland U20s last year. plays his AIL rugby with Garryowen and came up through the ranks at Thurles RFC and Rockwell College.
Images & Content from Irish Rugby & Images © Inpho Photography
Head Coach Andy Farrell has named his Ireland Match Day Squad for Saturday’s Guinness Men’s Six Nations clash against Scotland at Aviva Stadium (Kick-off 4.45pm).
Ireland – currently sitting top of the Six Nations table heading into Super Saturday – can clinch back-to-back Championship titles with victory over Scotland in Dublin.
Farrell has named an unchanged starting XV for the Round 5 clash, as Hugo Keenan, Calvin Nash and James Lowe continue in the Ireland back three. Robbie Henshaw and Bundee Aki are once again selected in midfield, with Jack Crowley and Jamison Gibson-Park the starting half-backs.
Andrew Porter, Dan Sheehan and Tadhg Furlong pack down in the front row, with Joe McCarthy partnering Tadhg Beirne – who is set to win his 50th Test cap for Ireland – in the engine room.
Captain Peter O’Mahony is at blindside flanker, Josh van der Flier is at openside and Caelan Doris completes the starting XV at number eight.
The Ireland Coaching Team have opted for a 5-3 split on the bench, with Rónan Kelleher, Cian Healy, Finlay Bealham, Ryan Baird and Jack Conan providing the reinforcements up front, and Conor Murray, Harry Byrne and the fit-again Garry Ringrose the backline options.
Saturday’s match is live on Virgin Media One and ITV, with live radio coverage available on RTE Radio 1.
Ireland Team & Replacements (v Scotland, Guinness Men’s Six Nations, Saturday, March 16, 4.45pm)
15. Hugo Keenan (UCD/Leinster)(39)
14. Calvin Nash (Young Munster/Munster)(5)
13. Robbie Henshaw (Buccaneers/Leinster)(71)
12. Bundee Aki (Galwegians/Connacht)(55)
11. James Lowe (Leinster)(30)
10. Jack Crowley (Cork Constitution/Munster)(13)
9. Jamison Gibson-Park (Leinster)(34)
1. Andrew Porter (UCD/Leinster)(63)
2. Dan Sheehan (Lansdowne/Leinster)(25)
3. Tadhg Furlong (Clontarf/Leinster)(75)
4. Joe McCarthy (Dublin University/Leinster)(9)
5. Tadhg Beirne (Lansdowne/Munster)(49)
6. Peter O’Mahony (Cork Constitution/Munster)(captain)(104)
7. Josh van der Flier (UCD/Leinster)(61)
8. Caelan Doris (St Mary’s College/Leinster)(40)
Replacements:
16. Rónan Kelleher (Lansdowne/Leinster)(30)
17. Cian Healy (Clontarf/Leinster)(128)
18. Finlay Bealham (Buccaneers/Connacht)(39)
19. Ryan Baird (Dublin University/Leinster)(19)
20. Jack Conan (Old Belvedere/Leinster)(45)
21. Conor Murray (Garryowen/Munster)(115)
22. Harry Byrne (UCD/Leinster)(3)
23. Garry Ringrose (UCD/Leinster)(57).
Images & Content from Irish Rugby & Images © Inpho Photography
Head Coach Andy Farrell has named his Ireland Match Day Squad for Saturday’s Guinness Men’s Six Nations clash against England at Twickenham (Kick-off 4.45pm).
Peter O’Mahony captains Ireland for the Round 4 visit to London, with Hugo Keenan returning to the starting XV after recovering from injury.
Keenan joins Calvin Nash and James Lowe in the Ireland back three, with Bundee Aki and Robbie Henshaw continuing their midfield partnership.
Jack Crowley and Jamison Gibson-Park are retained as the half-back pairing.
In the pack, Andrew Porter, Dan Sheehan and Tadhg Furlong are in the front row, with Joe McCarthy and Tadhg Beirne named in the engine room. Captain O’Mahony is at blindside flanker, Josh van der Flier is at openside and Caelan Doris completes the starting XV at number eight.
The Ireland Coaching Team have selected a 6-2 split on the bench, as Ronan Kelleher, Cian Healy, Finlay Bealham, Iain Henderson, Ryan Baird and Jack Conan provide the reinforcements in the pack.
Backs Conor Murray and Ciaran Frawley complete Ireland’s Match Day 23 to face England.
Saturday’s match is live on RTÉ2 and ITV.
Ireland:
15. Hugo Keenan (UCD/Leinster)(38)
14. Calvin Nash (Young Munster/Munster)(4)
13. Robbie Henshaw (Buccaneers/Leinster)(70)
12. Bundee Aki (Galwegians/Connacht)(54)
11. James Lowe (Leinster)(29)
10. Jack Crowley (Cork Constitution/Munster)(12)
9. Jamison Gibson-Park (Leinster)(33)
1. Andrew Porter (UCD/Leinster)(62)
2. Dan Sheehan (Lansdowne/Leinster)(24)
3. Tadhg Furlong (Clontarf/Leinster)(74)
4. Joe McCarthy (Dublin University/Leinster)(8)
5. Tadhg Beirne (Lansdowne/Munster)(48)
6. Peter O’Mahony (Cork Constitution/Munster)(captain)(103)
7. Josh van der Flier (UCD/Leinster)(60)
8. Caelan Doris (St Mary’s College/Leinster)(39)
Replacements:
16. Ronan Kelleher (Lansdowne/Leinster)(29)
17. Cian Healy (Clontarf/Leinster)(127)
18. Finlay Bealham (Buccaneers/Connacht)(38)
19. Iain Henderson (Academy/Ulster)(80)
20. Ryan Baird (Dublin University/Leinster)(18)
21. Jack Conan (Old Belvedere/Leinster)(44)
22. Conor Murray (Garryowen/Munster)(114)
23. Ciaran Frawley (UCD/Leinster)(3)
Images & Content from Irish Rugby & Images © Inpho Photography
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