2023-10-05 23:34:08
The duel was cut short. New Zealand quickly stifled Uruguay to score a third victory with a strong score (73-0) this Thursday evening at Groupama Stadium in Décines, thus ensuring their qualification for the quarter-finals of this World Cup.
In the middle of this demonstration and cascade of tests (11 in total), there was a giant. Sam Whitelock, 203 centimeters under his height, 34 years old, had the honor of entering the pitch at Groupama Stadium alone, as tradition dictates, to mark his 150th selection. The second row, future Pau, had already overtaken the legendary Richie McCaw (148 caps) the previous week during the New Zealanders’ walk against Italy (96-17). One hundred and fifty matches with the All Blacks… The excess is dizzying.
It’s a completely different size, however, a little 28-year-old pixie with blonde curls (1.75 m), who lit up the meeting. Damian McKenzie, the man of the match, had ants in his legs. After a first successful breakthrough concluded by a try refused due to a clearance by his opener Mo’unga at the level of Arata’s neck on the previous regrouping (17th), the New Zealand fullback found the opening behind a closed scrum (20th).
But above all he offered an audience who were beginning to see the impotence of the Teros an action like we dream of on all rugby fields. Relaunch, acceleration, McKenzie makes his canes of fire speak, arrives at fifty meters, extends with a grazing kick along the sideline, infiltrates, sprints, and recovers the ball which rebounds and crosses the sideline ‘an arm. His blind pass inside finds his winger Jordan who flattens in the middle of the posts (34th). A handful of suspended seconds.
The rest was achieved by a few repetitions of sequences as in training. A sort of logical and inevitable procession. The All Blacks were not brilliant despite the size of the score. They even lacked skill and speed at the very start of the match when their opponents still had strength. But attrition quickly won over the Teros, beaten by the XV of France (27-12), by Italy (38-17) then winners of Namibia (36-26). The New Zealanders had already won their offensive bonus at half-time (26-0). They then calmly played their game against an increasingly weak opposition.
They therefore complete the group stage with 15 points, thus ensuring their qualification and keeping the Blues, who had dominated them on September 8 at the opening of the World Cup (27-13) under pressure. In the event of a victory or draw against Italy this Friday evening (9 p.m.) in the same Décines arena, Fabien Galthié’s players will finish first and will enjoy a quarter-final on Sunday October 15 at the Stade de France, probably against South Africa. A defeat, on the other hand, would be synonymous with elimination, unless they obtain two bonuses at once, defensive and offensive, and Italy ends up without an offensive bonus.
Dots :
Nouvelle-Zélande. 11 essais (McKenzie 20e, 53e, Mo’unga 24e, Jordan 34e, 65e, Roigard 38e, Newell 45e, Fainga’anuku 49e, 68e, 77e, Williams 73e). 9 transformations (Mo’unga 21e, 25e, 35e, 49e, 54e, McKenzie 66e, 69e, B. Barrett 74e, 78e).
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