42 Friday Sports Friday, August 9, 2019 All Blacks stick with Barrett-Mo’unga experiment against Wallabies

PERTH: coach has many opportunities against South Africa, point- demanded his team take their chances against ing to Barrett as a key link in the chain. “We’ve the Wallabies in tomorrow as he persisted just got to make sure we keep providing oppor- with twin playmakers in their build-up to the tunities and if you looked at the footage against World Cup. South Africa we did create plenty of opportuni- The experiment of at 15 ties, didn’t take too many of them,” he said. and Richie Mo’unga at 10 was first trialled with “So it’s now about taking the next step and mixed success against South Africa two weeks taking those opportunities that we’re creating ago. But when naming the team on Thursday from having him (Barrett) back there.” Barrett Hansen said there was now “improved clarity said he and Mo’unga learned a lot from each of roles”. Hansen made several changes to the other in the last game. “Playing alongside him, side that drew 16-all with the Springboks, in- there’s a great sense of calmness and that’s a cluding the return of blockbusting loose for- quality of his that rubs off on the boys in those ward . Savea will take the six tough moments when you just need to steady jersey, with Hansen resisting the temptation to the ship and keep things simple,” he said. move skipper , in his 120th Test, to the side of the scrum. DESPERATE AND HUNGRY Other changes see as the start- Although this is the final round of the Rugby ing hooker, while Scott Barrett takes over from Championship, it is also the first match in the an- Beauden Barrett (left) and Richie Mo’unga. the injured in the middle row nual series against Australia which and returns as the openside . New Zealand rate as second in importance only In the backs, Aaron Smith will start at scrum- to the World Cup. and Hansen said they were “desperate and hun- NEW ZEALAND (15-1) half. It was noticeable in the South Africa Test, “Our preparation this week here in Perth has gry” to win it again. “It has always been incred- Beauden Barrett; , , when he came on in the second half, that the been very good. We can tell that it’s ‘Bledisloe ibly important to this team and teams before us. Anton Lienert-Brown, ; Richie Barrett partnership with Mo’unga meshed One’ week as there’s a real sense of purpose in It’s those teams, ourselves, our country and our Mo’unga, Aaron Smith; Kieran Read (capt), Sam more smoothly. everything we do, and a real desire to do it well,” many fans that inspire and drive us to want to go Cane, Ardie Savea; , Scott Bar- Anton Lienert-Brown has the 12 jersey while Hansen said. “With the extra time together, we’re out and re-take the trophy,” he said. rett; , Dane Coles, . Re- remains in New Zealand to starting to see an improved clarity of roles out “We’ve never felt that it’s about going out placements: , , Angus work on his match fitness. Hansen said he ex- on the training park.” New Zealand’s current run and ‘retaining’ the Cup because it’s always been Ta’avao, , , TJ Pere- pected his team to step up after squandering too of holding the Bledisloe Cup dates back to 2002 about earning the right to have it.” nara, , . — AFP

Australia’s O’Connor: From golden Ducati face moment boy to bad boy, and back again of truth against PERTH: James O’Connor, who went from Wal- unstoppable labies golden boy to exiled bad boy in a few short years, will complete his redemption tale tomorrow after being named to start against Marquez in Austria the All Blacks. The formerly wayward star played 12 minutes off the bench against Ar- SPIELBERG: After winning the last three Mo- gentina a fortnight ago, but he hasn’t begun a toGPs in Austria, it is make or break time for the game since 2013 when his Australian Rugby Ducatis this weekend as they return to Spiel- Marc Marquez Union contract was torn up. berg, hoping to stop Marc Marquez’s seemingly It followed the-then 23-year-old being unstoppable march to the title. prevented from boarding a flight from Perth to James O’Connor Ducati’s Andrea Dovizioso, winner of this race strengths of his Honda. He will again be teamed Bali for being drunk. His chequered past also in 2017, is 63 points behind the Spaniard whose up with the German Stefan Bradl while Jorge includes being arrested and fined in dur- alise “a deep desire to play for the Wallabies Honda has taken the chequered flag in the last Lorenzo-won won here for Ducati last year-is ing a cocaine bust while playing for Toulon, again”. That dream has now come true with two races in Germany and the Czech Republic. still recovering from injuries he picked up in before a move to England’s Sale Sharks and his selection at outside centre in place of Another Marquez victory in Austria-he already Assen in June. He is expected to return at Silver- then the last month. Tevita Kuridrani against New Zealand in Aus- has six out of 10 so far this season-and Dovizioso stone at the end of the month. “I’ve been on a journey... to understanding tralia’s Rugby Championship clash, which can all but kiss goodbye to the title even though Suzuki will be a man down following Joan my true self and how I’m meant to use my doubles as a Bledisloe Cup Test. there are a further eight races to come. Mir’s high speed accident during testing in Brno privileged position in rugby,” he said recently. Coach said he had faith in “The Red Bull Ring is an excellent track for us, on Monday. “It was a big crash and I was trans- “I see now that rugby is a gift and I want my the versatile O’Connor to deliver in Perth to- this is clear from the results achieved there in the ferred to the hospital for further checks because journey back to inspire possibly other young morrow, banking on the All Blacks’ lack of fa- last few years,” said the 33-year-old Italian who I rolled through the gravel many times and took men out there who may be a little lost in the miliarity with his game. “I think James will is still searching for his first world title. “But as I’m a lot of hits,” Mir told the team website. world right now.” bring something a little bit different that we always saying, each race has its own story to tell. “At the beginning I struggled to breathe be- The troubled player, who made his inter- haven’t seen, so definitely our opponents won’t Last year M?rquez finished ahead of me, so I’m cause of the pulmonary contusion, but step by national debut in 2008 aged just 18, revealed have seen it either,” he said. “He seems to have sure that this year he will again be competitive.” step I improved and now I’m feeling better.” Al- last year that he faced his demons at a retreat handled it pretty well in training. I am looking The Ducatis will certainly give the Hondas a though he is out of hospital, Suzuki decided Mir, in Iceland which used sensory deprivation, forward to seeing him out there.” O’Connor good race although the speed of the bikes of who won two Moto 3 races at the Red Bull Ring, heat exhaustion and deep states of meditation. hasn’t played in the centres in his 45 Tests, but Dovizioso and Jack Miller, who finished second should skip the race in Austria. “My reaction to each stimulus has forced Cheika said he was satisfied he wasn’t throw- and third in Brno on Sunday, cannot compensate With Mir absent, Alex Rins will be the sole me to face myself and my darkness in a way ing him in the deep end. “There will be certain for a lack of agility on the turns. Suzuki on the start line. Yamaha, meanwhile, are that I have never felt before. I now know who set-piece requirements that he’ll need to fill But the Austrian circuit is fast and the record raring to get to grips with this fast circuit. Their I was but more importantly, I now see who I there and then after that it’s just be there and top speed of 316.5 km/h which they set in 2017 tuned-up bikes went well in the Brno testing with must become,” he wrote on Instagram. He play footy, and that’s what he’s good at, he’s could be beaten. Marquez, though, who has young Frenchman Fabio Quartararo, Maverick added that the experience had made him re- good at playing footy,” he said. — AFP never won in Austria, will be well aware that the Vinales and Franco Morbidelli putting in the best course requires a lot of braking, one of the three performances. — AFP