“We defended like crazy,” says New Zealand captain Sam Crane

In Saint-Denis,

The standoff between the Blacks and the Greens reached peaks of intensity this Saturday at Stade France. The end of the match was unbearable. Like his 37 apnea playing times and this admirable defense of the triple world champions. New Zealand folded but did not break against the current best team in the world in the world rugby rankings. The refrain is known: in the World Cup, the best are almost always the All-Blacks. Sam Cane, third row and captain, can relish: “We managed to defend for more than 30 phases at the end, it’s huge. We fought like crazy for each other and it's beautiful. It’s our defense that made us win tonight.”

Crane and his 21 tackles (best total of the match) and two scratched balls played a vital role in this winning quarter. “We managed to contain them for long periods, that’s what allowed us to win,” continues the captain of the men in black. All outnumbered for 30 minutes due to the two yellow cards. “No one wants to play with 14, we had to do it twice. But the guys went even further and we defended like crazy tonight,” Crane said. Same story with center Jordie Barrett: “We had to give everything. They showed that they haven't been #1 for a while for nothing. They are very good in the one-pass game and if you get disorganized, they pierce you. They tried to cross several times but we held on well. »

“I would have preferred that we didn't get a yellow card because we know that they are good when they play against a team with fewer numbers,” noted coach Ian Foster. We knew how to defend and we stuck to our plan. This is the World Cup. You have to roll up your sleeves and hit it. » The New Zealanders, however, remained on five defeats in eight matches against the green armada, invincible for 17 matches. Beaten by the Blues at the opening of this World Cup, they proved throughout the competition that their magic has not evaporated.

Impressive in kicking and with the ball in hand with executives in great shape like Ardie Savea, monstrous on Saturday. A single pass was enough for Will Jordan to score his fourth try in as many matches. “People don’t realize it, but he understands everything,” says fly-half Richie Mo’unga. We see him in matches, he is always there at the right time. His sense of anticipation and his speed are his two strong points. He knows how to read and anticipate where the ball is going to arrive. He chases away the slightest opportunity.” Against the French XV, the All Blacks had presented an attractive face in the first period, (9-8 at the break for the Blues), before losing the thread. Not this time.

Richie Mo'unga said: “For us, it's huge for various reasons, the first being that everyone saw us losing. We expected it, we had already played against Ireland, one of the best teams in the world and we knew that that was not enough and that the goal was to be the best team on the big day.” .“We proved that we had character by beating the world No. 1,” Barrett continues. The force of habit: With a ninth semi-final in ten editions, Ian Foster's men will start as heavy favorites against Argentina next Friday evening. After the titans' duel against Ireland, recovery will be the key word. “It’s clear that we’re going to have to recover over the next few days because it stung. We’re going to recover and we’re going to prepare,” says Crane. With a fourth world title more than ever in the sights