Captain of the All Blacks XV, Du'Plessis Kirifi speaks of the pride of representing his country through this team, which must be a step towards the first team.
How rewarding is it to beat the Georgians on mauls and forward play?
It's huge. We are very proud to have defeated Georgians who, as we know, are phenomenal in the areas of conquest and forward play. Georgian Rugby is passionate, its players are very physical, so coming here to challenge them and beat them, on a regular basis, is very rewarding.
The pace of the match was disrupted by the incessant calls for video. How did you experience it?
It was strange indeed. The match was in “on-off” mode and it never really got going in terms of rhythm. On the other hand, the collisions were really strong and the encounter very physical. The referee and the video referee had an impact on the pace, that's for sure, but both teams also made a lot of mistakes so we also have our responsibility. Maybe the spectators were frustrated by the show, as well as our families watching TV and we would have liked to give them a better match. But there are things we can be very proud of today.
We know the very high pace of NPC and Super Rugby matches. Wasn't it frustrating not to be able to accelerate?
It's true. We were unable to play our rugby and make the most of the speed and flair of our three-quarters to score tries. But we must salute the Georgians' defense and the pressure they put on us in the rucks. They were able to cut our connections in the standing game after three or four phases of play as well and therefore ruin our dynamic. We had seen it on video, we had prepared for it, but we could have done it better than that. The positive is that we went for another rugby to impose ourselves: we battled in the rucks, made mauls and pushed scrums for thirty seconds! That's also rugby and it's good that the team was able to respond to this challenge. This will make guys grow.
How do you view this All Blacks XV team? Is this an achievement in itself or just a step towards the first team?
They are both. I can assure you that for several young teammates, it is already a major accomplishment to wear this black jersey and to travel with this team. For others, as you say, it's just a step towards Blacks. Over the last two weeks, several of our players have been called up to the A team. On the one hand, we can all be proud to wear this jersey. And on the other, we want more. We want our players to join the All Blacks. For my part, I am always extremely proud to represent New Zealand and wear the silver fern but the job is never done.
Will you now get some time off before heading into the Super Rugby season?
Everyone is looking forward to enjoying a few vacations before getting back to preparation. Some boys will be called to join the All Blacks and will return to the country later but for my part, I actually need a little break before returning to Super Rugby which promises to be very interesting.
France
Rugby
