Rugby World Cup bust-up as team-mates ‘push and shove’ each other in training

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New Zealand find themselves in unprecedented circumstances heading into their crucial clash with Italy on Friday. Ian Foster’s men are placed just outside the qualifying spots for Pool A with two games left to play and must beat the Italians to keep their Rugby World Cup dreams alive.

The occasion is not lost on the players, who have been getting stuck into one another during training. All Blacks assistant coach Scott McLeod revealed that feisty exchanges have kicked off at their Bordeaux training camp as they prepare to do battle with the group of death leaders.

“There were a couple of pushes and shoves going on which was good,” McLeod said. “Being able to compete at a game intensity is always nice.

“Having 30-odd players going hammer and tongs is quite fun. A fair bit of tempers and emotions got up but if you can build that resilience and hardness against your mates, it always stands you in good stead for another opposition.”

Tensions flared during breakdown drills as the All Blacks prepared for a physical game. “We had a few guys pretending to be the jacklers today,” Smith said. “There’s a fair bit of competitiveness and fire in the squad for every position which is really good.

“When you swap in you want to put your best foot forward. That can only bring out the best in our squad. There’s a genuine chip in the changing room around who got who, who got done over or who missed what. 

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“That’s what you love about rugby. In these weeks you’ve got to find that competitive edge to compete every day. We’re trying to maximise this week to improve our game and push forward in the coming weeks. We’re looking at Italy as a playoff game. It’s do or die for us. That’s how we have to treat it.

“You can feel it already around what’s coming next Friday and wanting to be in the team that gets that opportunity.” 

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