Steve Hansen will not be wrapping his players in cotton wool ahead of the Rugby World Cup, with the All Blacks coach confirming he will give his core group a run against Tonga in their final match ahead of the global showpiece.
The All Blacks, who name their 31-man World Cup squad on Aug. 28, play the Pacific Islanders in Hamilton on Sept. 7 before facing South Africa in their opening Pool B clash two weeks later.
Hansen said he was wary of his first-choice players losing sharpness between last weekend’s 36-0 victory over Australia at Eden Park and their World Cup opener.
“We’d like probably most of the frontliners to get some form of game-time in the Tonga game, otherwise it’s too big a break before we play South Africa,” Hansen said in comments published by Stuff Media on Tuesday.
Several of the players on the 34-man squad for the Bledisloe Cup tests have been released to play in New Zealand’s provincial championship this weekend in order to give Hansen one final look at them before the squad for Japan is finalized.
The All Blacks have met Tonga five times previously, four of which have been at the World Cup. The only non-World Cup test ended in a 102-0 victory for the All Blacks in Albany in 2000.
Be the first to comment