All Blacks to gamble on Carter

[Burgs]

Thin edge of the wedge, the branches are starting to sway!!!

All Blacks to gamble on Carter

From correspondents in Cardiff, Wales
October 02, 2007

NEW Zealand is ready to take a World Cup gamble on the fitness of star fly-half Dan Carter in its quarter-final clash against France on Saturday.

Assistant coach Wayne Smith said Carter, who missed the 85-8 win over Romania at the weekend after picking up a calf strain in training, would be named in the team by head coach Graham Henry on Tuesday.

"Dan jogged through training today (Monday). He's pretty excited and we will see how he copes with the week,'' said Smith.

"We still have a bit of time up our sleeves. We will probably name him in the team and see how he goes. We feel he will be OK, although you can never be 100 per cent on these things and we have to manage him well and give him every opportunity to play.

"Our medical staff are fantastic and we hope he will be alright. We are trying to involve the whole 30 players so that everyone is ready to play. We will have options up our sleeve in case Dan doesn't make it.''

Meanwhile, the All Blacks said they are ready to "throw the kitchen sink'' at France.

Smith said his side was ready for the challenge and claimed the Millennium Stadium venue was like a home-from-home for New Zealand.

"We are pretty comfortable in Cardiff having played here in 2004, 2005 and 2006. We have road-tested the Millennium Stadium and we are ready for it,'' said Smith.

"We found it a fantastic place to play - if you can't get up for a game at this stadium then you can't ever get up for a game.

"From the time France lost to Argentina it was most likely we would play them in the quarter-final.

"That's given us a great opportunity to watch them, be specific in our planning and be ready for them.

"The French are going to be different. It isn't going to be like facing the team that came to New Zealand in the summer (when France slumped to a record 61-10 defeat in Wellington).

"They have the weight of the nation on their shoulders. It's their tournament and they will be up for it. But we have planned for it.

"It feels like coming home because we been to Cardiff so many times before. We are ready to throw the kitchen sink at them.''

Agence France-Presse

[GIGS20]

That sounds a bit hollow to me. Alternating press conferences saying 'we're not at all worried about France' 'We're going to throw our 80% fit world start second five at France'

Who's steering the ship over there?

[jargan83]

I'm sure the French are comfortable at Millennium stadium as well having to play there in the 6 nations as well

[shasta]

They had Tony Jones on Inside Rugby tonight and he reckons Carter has trained full tit the last couple of days. It may be a red herring.

[shasta]

I'm sure the French are comfortable at Millennium stadium as well having to play there in the 6 nations as well

Maybe, but it's absolute bullshit that they play a sudden death quarter in Cardiff when it's supposedly their RWC. Some typically Machiavellian rugby politics at work there.

[JediKnight]

Maybe, but it's absolute bullshit that they play a sudden death quarter in Cardiff when it's supposedly their RWC. Some typically Machiavellian rugby politics at work there.

Rubbish! All the French had to do was win their group and they'd get a 'home' quarter-final. All the venues were signed off well in advance and matches were played in Wales & Scotland in return for favourable voting.

It was interesting to note, however, that the matches at these non-French venues were run by RWC France in that the anthems were the dodgy recordings by a French choir & there was none of the usual Welsh or Scottish build-up (pseudo-intimidation). Also, the ground announcements were in French and then English!

[Seldom]

You'll have to learn some French JK, so then you'll know weather they are actually announcing the teams or bagging them!!!!!

[GIGS20]

That'd be typically French wouldn't it?

English "Could everybody please stand for the national anthem of New Zealand"
French "If you feel like standing whist we play this trite crap from heathens with no history, I won't stop you"