- Title: Hansen and O'Shea focus on positives after New Zealand run riot against Italy
- Date: 12th November 2016
- Summary: ROME, ITALY (NOVEMBER 12, 2016) (REUTERS) **** WARNING CONTAINS FLASH PHOTOGRAPHY **** NEW ZEALAND ALL BLACKS STAND-IN CAPTAIN SAM CANE AND HEAD COACH STEVE HANSEN ARRIVING FOR POST-MATCH NEWS CONFERENCE JOURNALISTS SEATED NEWS CONFERENCE IN PROGRESS (SOUNDBITE) (English) NEW ZEALAND ALL BLACKS STAND-IN CAPTAIN, SAM CANE, SAYING: "The way we gelled and came together and managed to keep the scoreboard ticking over throughout the 80 minutes was pleasing. (TRANSLATOR REPEATING IN ITALIAN) It was great for a number of guys to pull on the black jersey for the first time in a wee while and a couple of guys to make their debut which was special for them too." NEWS CONFERENCE IN PROGRESS (SOUNDBITE) (English) NEW ZEALAND ALL BLACKS HEAD COACH, STEVE HANSEN, SAYING: "I don't know if it was easy. I think our guys played particularly well and I'm happy with that but the big thing for us was, as Sam just mentioned, we got some guys who haven't played a lot of rugby for the All Blacks, the opportunity to play 80 minutes and some young guys who were having their first game to play so it bodes well for next week, we have a lot of people in form for the selection. But even better still, it bodes well for the future, next year and beyond because we're now given some more players, more experience." NEWS CONFERENCE IN PROGRESS (SOUNDBITE) (English) NEW ZEALAND ALL BLACKS HEAD COACH, STEVE HANSEN, SAYING: "The expectation within the All Blacks is the next generation is always better than the one before." JOURNALISTS ITALY HEAD COACH CONOR O'SHEA AND CAPTAIN SERGIO PARISSE ARRIVING FOR NEWS CONFERENCE JOURNALISTS (SOUNDBITE) (English) ITALY HEAD COACH, CONOR O'SHEA, SAYING: "I think you'll find that we have to put together a game that is able to survive 80 minutes and I thought right at the end of the game you saw us stick to a plan and the easy thing is to run over the top of the trenches and just die within ten minutes and we just want to pull together a game plan that will make sure that we actually play for 80 minutes and then we're competitive for 80 minutes. I know the score isn't competitive but you saw a team that kept on being able to energise themselves and stay in the game and in the last two minutes executed pretty well, kept our defensive shape well. We know all the areas that we need to work on, let's not fool ourselves that the opposition kicked the ball a heck of a lot as well despite having the ability to score from anywhere, they still kept very structured to their game plan. They have just have some exceptional rugby players and they were outstanding today. So tip your hat to them and we'll work on the things that we need to improve." NEWS CONFERENCE IN PROGRESS (SOUNDBITE) (English) ITALY HEAD COACH, CONOR O'SHEA, SAYING: "We know the road that we have to travel to get us to where we need to be but in the performance that I saw today, and we look at all the little things that we can make better, I saw the start and the beginning of us being able to get ourselves back to being a very, very competitive team. When you play the best in the world that's a tough gig. When you make a mistake they punish you, and they did. But what I saw out there it's fair to say we'll be very quickly on the road to where we want to be." NEWS CONFERENCE IN PROGRESS (SOUNDBITE) (Italian) ITALY CAPTAIN, SERGIO PARISSE, SAYING: "We are changing the way we train and the way we approach our matches, it is not easy of course to play a team like New Zealand, this was obviously a difficult test for us but I am confident and I am one of the players that tomorrow and Monday will hold my head up to work to face South Africa." JOURNALISTS O'SHEA AND PARISSE STANDING UP AND LEAVING AT THE END OF NEWS CONFERENCE
- Embargoed: 27th November 2016 19:34
- Keywords: Rugby New Zealand All Blacks Italy Rome postmatch press conference
- Location: ROME, ITALY
- City: ROME, ITALY
- Country: Italy
- Topics: Rugby Union,Sport
- Reuters ID: LVA00158514XR
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: New Zealand ran riot against Italy on Saturday (November 12), running in 10 tries in a crushing 68-10 win that drew a line firmly under their shock defeat by Ireland last week.
The All Blacks' performance, following the end of their tier-one world record sequence of 18 consecutive test wins the previous weekend in Chicago at the hands of the Irish, was anything but smooth at times.
But stand-in captain Sam Cane and coach Steve Hansen were satisfied.
"The way we gelled and came together and managed to keep the scoreboard ticking over throughout the eighty minutes was pleasing," Cane told reporters at a post-match news conference at Rome's Stadio Olimpico.
"It was great for a number of guys to pull on the black jersey for the first time in a wee while and a couple of guys to make their debut which was special for them too," he added.
Hansen said his side's performance in Rome made him optimistic for the future.
"I don't know if it was easy. I think our guys played particularly well and I'm happy with that but the big thing for us was, as Sam just mentioned, we got some guys who haven't played a lot of rugby for the All Blacks, the opportunity to play 80 minutes and some young guys who were having their first game to play so it bodes well for next week, we have a lot of people in form for the selection," he said, referring to a rematch against Ireland set for Dublin next weekend.
"But even better still, it bodes well for the future, next year and beyond because we're now given some more players, more experience," Hansen said, adding he had high expectations for the younger players.
"The expectation within the All Blacks is the next generation is always better than the one before," he said.
Despite having rested some of their best players, New Zealand were a class above the Italians, who had hoped for more under new Irish coach Conor O'Shea.
New Zealand's tries were shared across the team, including a double from Malakai Fekitoa and one from debutant Rieko Ioane, with the home side's only try coming from an intercept with barely 10 minutes to play, Tommaso Boni running away to score.
New Zealand ran the hosts ragged, scoring five tries in the first half, Fekitoa starting the rout after three minutes with Charlie Faumuina, Patrick Tuipulotu, Israel Dagg and Wyatt Crockett all going over for further scores before the break.
The one-sided fare subdued a home crowd of around 70,000 at the Stadio Olimpico with the world champions ending up looking as if they were on a training run as Steven Luatua, Fekitoa, Elliot Dixon, Ioane and Waisake Naholo added further tries.
For Italy, the loss demonstrated that they have plenty of work to do if they want to be competitive against even a second-string New Zealand side.
"I think you'll find that we have to put together a game that is able to survive 80 minutes and I thought right at the end of the game you saw us stick to a plan and the easy thing is to run over the top of the trenches and just die within ten minutes and we just want to pull together a game plan that will make sure that we actually play for 80 minutes and then we're competitive for 80 minutes. I know the score isn't competitive but you saw a team that kept on being able to energise themselves and stay in the game and in the last two minutes executed pretty well, kept our defensive shape well. We know all the areas that we need to work on, let's not fool ourselves that the opposition kicked the ball a heck of a lot as well despite having the ability to score from anywhere, they still kept very structured to their game plan. They have just have some exceptional rugby players and they were outstanding today. So tip your hat to them and we'll work on the things that we need to improve," O'Shea said.
O'Shea echoed Hansen's optimism in his outlook for future development.
"We know the road that we have to travel to get us to where we need to be but in the performance that I saw today, and we look at all the little things that we can make better, I saw the start and the beginning of us being able to get ourselves back to being a very, very competitive team. When you play the best in the world that's a tough gig. When you make a mistake they punish you, and they did. But what I saw out there it's fair to say we'll be very quickly on the road to where we want to be," he said.
According to Italy captain Sergio Parisse O'Shea told his players to hold their heads up high and not let the loss affect their preparations for the next game.
"We are changing the way we train and the way approach our matches, it is not easy of course to play a team like New Zealand, this was obviously a difficult test for us but I am confident and I am one of the players that tomorrow and Monday will hold my head up to work to face South Africa," he said.
New Zealand will visit Ireland next weekend while Italy face South Africa in Florence. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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