Northern Edition

Select Edition

Northern Northern
Southern Southern
Global Global
New Zealand New Zealand
France France

Wallaby reacts to the return of All Blacks enforcer Ethan de Groot

Ethan de Groot of New Zealand looks dejected following the Summer International match between New Zealand All Blacks v South Africa at Twickenham Stadium on August 25, 2023 in London, England. (Photo by Dan Mullan/Getty Images)

Wallabies prop Allan Alaalatoa has reacted to the return of Ethan de Groot ahead of this weekend’s Bledisloe Cup Test in Sydney, with the All Blacks’ “number one loosehead” overcoming a neck injury in time for this series.

ADVERTISEMENT

Earlier this week, it was revealed that Fletcher Newell would miss the first of two Bledisloe Cup Tests after suffering a calf injury. But it’s not all bad news for the New Zealanders, with coach Scott Robertson calling up George Bower and de Groot.

De Groot played 12 matches for the Highlanders in Super Rugby Pacific this season before being named in Robertson’s first All Blacks squad for the year. The Australia-born rugby talent started both Tests against England in July and came off the bench against Fiji in San Diego.

Video Spacer

Video Spacer

The 26-year-old played against Los Pumas in Wellington but was later ruled out of both Tests against the Springboks a couple of weeks later. New Zealand were beaten in both matches over in the Republic, going down 31-27 in Johannesburg and 18-12 in Cape Town.

Head-to-Head

Last 5 Meetings

Wins
0
Draws
0
Wins
5
Average Points scored
16
33
First try wins
60%
Home team wins
60%

As the All Blacks look to bounce back, the loss of Newell is significant but so is the return of de Groot. Alaalatoa, who is one of the Wallabies’ most experienced players, was full of praise for the All Blacks front-rowers on Tuesday afternoon.

“It is a big loss with Fletcher being out because he’s been good for them not only at international level but at club level (with the Crusaders),” Alaalatoa told reporters.

“But then they bring in someone that’s experienced with Ethan de Groot who’s been around for years and been their number one loosehead.

ADVERTISEMENT

“That’s the thing about the All Blacks is they’ve got great depth in their squad and no matter who they field they’re going to be really good.

“As a front-row, we understand what’s coming, but again, pouring our focus on being better ourselves.”

Related

As Alaalatoa mentioned, the challenge that awaits the Wallabies on Saturday afternoon promises to be a tough one, but the team are focusing on themselves. Australia have a lot to reflect on following their record 67-27 loss to Argentina earlier this month.

The Wallabies conceded 50 points in the second half, which was the first time they’ve brought up a half-century of points against them in a single half of Test rugby. It was also the team’s heaviest defeat ever, surpassing the 61 points the Springboks put on them in 1997.

ADVERTISEMENT

During that same press conference, Alaalatoa spoke about how “tough” that result was for the Wallabies and why it was good for the playing group to go on a break for a few days before regrouping in Sydney last weekend.

The Wallabies were solid for one-and-a-half of their two Tests over in Argentina, but a passage of poor play will cost any team at that level. Test rugby is brutal like that, so the men in gold are striving to build on that performance leading into the Bledisloe and beyond.

“It’s been great learning for us. We’ve seen pictures of us throughout both games when we’re delivering on the things we say we want to deliver on our game plan,” Alaalatoa explained.

“The result that comes on the back of that and the territory that we get on the back of that, and it’s just painting those pictures, seeing those pictures, and then when we go away from our system… are when it hurts us.

“Really trying to get an understanding of what it’s like when we’re in system and everyone’s in flow… (that has) been the tough learnings for us over the last 48 hours, but it’s been a really good two days of prep so far for us.”

Watch the highly acclaimed five-part documentary Chasing the Sun 2, chronicling the journey of the Springboks as they strive to successfully defend the Rugby World Cup, free on RugbyPass TV (*unavailable in Africa)

ADVERTISEMENT

LIVE

{{item.title}}

Trending on RugbyPass

Comments

1 Comment
S
SK 64 days ago

Fell sorry for the Wallaby scrum. Its gonna be carnage

Join free and tell us what you really think!

Sign up for free
ADVERTISEMENT

Latest Features

Comments on RugbyPass

J
JW 3 hours ago
'Passionate reunion of France and New Zealand shows Fabien Galthie is wrong to rest his stars'

Ok, managed to read the full article..

... New Zealand’s has only 14 and the professional season is all over within four months. In France, club governance is the responsibility of an independent organisation [the Ligue Nationale de Rugby or LNR] which is entirely separate from the host union [the Fédération Française de Rugby or FFR]. Down south New Zealand Rugby runs the provincial and the national game.

That is the National Provincial Championship, a competition of 14 representative union based teams run through the SH international window and only semi professional (paid only during it's running). It is run by NZR and goes for two and a half months.


Super Rugby is a competition involving 12 fully professional teams, of which 5 are of New Zealand eligibility, and another joint administered team of Pacific Island eligibility, with NZR involvement. It was a 18 week competition this year, so involved (randomly chosen I believe) extra return fixtures (2 or 3 home and away derbys), and is run by Super Rugby Pacific's own independent Board (or organisation). The teams may or may not be independently run and owned (note, this does not necessarily mean what you think of as 'privately owned').


LNR was setup by FFR and the French Government to administer the professional game in France. In New Zealand, the Players Association and Super Rugby franchises agreed last month to not setup their own governance structure for professional rugby and re-aligned themselves with New Zealand Rugby. They had been proposing to do something like the English model, I'm not sure how closely that would have been aligned to the French system but it did not sound like it would have French union executive representation on it like the LNR does.

In the shaky isles the professional pyramid tapers to a point with the almighty All Blacks. In France the feeling for country is no more important than the sense of fierce local identity spawned at myriad clubs concentrated in the southwest. Progress is achieved by a nonchalant shrug and the wide sweep of nuanced negotiation, rather than driven from the top by a single intense focus.

Yes, it is pretty much a 'representative' selection system at every level, but these union's are having to fight for their existence against the regime that is NZR, and are currently going through their own battle, just as France has recently as I understand it. A single focus, ala the French game, might not be the best outcome for rugby as a whole.


For pure theatre, it is a wonderful article so far. I prefer 'Ntamack New Zealand 2022' though.

The young Crusader still struggles to solve the puzzle posed by the shorter, more compact tight-heads at this level but he had no problem at all with Colombe.

It was interesting to listen to Manny during an interview on Maul or Nothing, he citied that after a bit of banter with the All Black's he no longer wanted one of their jersey's after the game. One of those talks was an eye to eye chat with Tamaiti Williams, there appear to be nothing between the lock and prop, just a lot of give and take. I thought TW angled in and caused Taylor to pop a few times, and that NZ were lucky to be rewarded.

f you have a forward of 6ft 8ins and 145kg, and he is not at all disturbed by a dysfunctional set-piece, you are in business.

He talked about the clarity of the leadership that helped alleviate any need for anxiety at the predicaments unfolding before him. The same cannot be said for New Zealand when they had 5 minutes left to retrieve a match winning penalty, I don't believe. Did the team in black have much of a plan at any point in the game? I don't really call an autonomous 10 vehicle they had as innovative. I think Razor needs to go back to the dealer and get a new game driver on that one.

Vaa’i is no match for his power on the ground. Even in reverse, Meafou is like a tractor motoring backwards in low gear, trampling all in its path.

Vaa'i actually stops him in his tracks. He gets what could have been a dubious 'tackle' on him?

A high-level offence will often try to identify and exploit big forwards who can be slower to reload, and therefore vulnerable to two quick plays run at them consecutively.

Yes he was just standing on his haunches wasn't he? He mentioned that in the interview, saying that not only did you just get up and back into the line to find the opposition was already set and running at you they also hit harder than anything he'd experienced in the Top 14. He was referring to New Zealands ultra-physical, burst-based Super style of course, which he was more than a bit surprised about. I don't blame him for being caught out.


He still sent the obstruction back to the repair yard though!

What wouldn’t the New Zealand rugby public give to see the likes of Mauvaka and Meafou up front..

Common now Nick, don't go there! Meafou showed his Toulouse shirt and promptly got his citizenship, New Zealand can't have him, surely?!?


As I have said before with these subjects, really enjoy your enthusiasm for their contribution on the field and I'd love to see more of their shapes running out for Vern Cotter and the like styled teams.

287 Go to comments
LONG READ
LONG READ Why England's defence of the realm has crumbled without Felix Jones Why England's defence of the realm has crumbled without Felix Jones
Search