Halfback Cam Roigard will officially become an All Black on Saturday if he comes off the bench against the Wallabies at the world-famous Melbourne Cricket Ground.
After beating world champions South Africa 35-20 in Auckland a fortnight ago, the All Blacks have named a relatively unchanged starting lineup to take on Australia.
Flanker Dalton Papali’i replaces usual captain Sam Cane at openside flanker, and No. 8 Ardie Savea takes up the leadership role for the Bledisloe Cup opener.
On a perfect day in Melbourne, and with the sun at his back, Savea spoke with a sea of reporters on the eve of this highly anticipated trans-Tasman derby.
Savea spoke confidently ahead of the match – and was even surprised by a passionate cheer from All Blacks fans on a boat sailing passed – and also smiled his way through the media scrum.
But Savea let out his biggest grin as he began to talk about debutant-to-be Cam Roigard. The pair are teammates in Super Rugby Pacific with the Hurricanes, and are set to rekindle their combination at Test level.
Roigard, who stepped into the No. 9 jersey at the Hurricanes in the absence of injured veteran TJ Perenara, was simply brilliant this season. Every week, the halfback seemed to get better and better.
The 22-year-old was rewarded for his fine form with a call-up to the All Blacks last month, and has continued to chip away in training ahead of a potential debut.
That debut, at the time of writing, might only be just over 24 hours away.
Roigard was named on the bench as the sole debutant in the All Blacks’ matchday 23, and Savea couldn’t have been happier for “good old Cam.”
“I’m so happy for him,” Savea told reporters.
“He’s been a dude that’s kind of been in the background at the Canes and what you see on the field is the labour that he does away from the field. I’ve seen that in the last couple of years at the Canes.
“He’s just been given the opportunity the last two years to really shine his light and he has, and it’s kind of rewarded him being in the All Blacks and this week he gets that first opportunity to don the black jersey.
“It’s special when you see someone, you’ve kind of been there from when they first came in… he’s a talented man, a man of few words.
“I’m excited for him and his family.”
The All Blacks have been pretty well perfect to start their Rugby Championship campaign, and can secure two pieces of silverware with a win over arch-rivals Australia this weekend.
As well as The Rugby Championship crown, the All Blacks can also lock up the prestigious Bledisloe Cup for another year. New Zealand has held the trophy for more than two decades.
But if the All Blacks fail to win this Test, then the two-match series heads to a decider at Dunedin’s Forsyth Barr Stadium next weekend.
“It’s always important to look at the bigger picture,” Savea added. “In terms of what we want to achieve long term.
“But obviously you break it down and for us it’s week by week, and that’s the mantra we’ve been going for.
“This week is another great, big challenge for us, especially in Melbourne at the G, against an Aussie team that’s hurting. It’s going to be an interesting one but it’s going to be good.”
The All Blacks take on fierce rivals Australia at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on Saturday night in the first of two Bledisloe Cup Tests.
