All Blacks name a strong side to take on Canada in Rugby World Cup clash
All Blacks have named a strong side to face the inexperienced Canadians in their last pool match of the ongoing Rugby World Cup 2011. The sides will stand toe-to-toe on October 1 at Regional Stadium, Wellington to decide their fortune in the global showpiec.
All Blacks have already secured their berth for the quarter-final stages and Canada is looking forward to produce a miraculous performance to beat New Zealand on their own soil. Graham Henry made the announcement of his squad on September 29 and retained
his regular skipper Richie McCaw and kick specialist Dan Carter for the forthcoming clash.
Graham Henry has featured a fearsome combination to test the Canadian underdogs before their home crowd. Sonny Bill Williams and Jimmy Cowan have been given a rare opportunities with starting roles. Kieran Read has also been included in the All Blacks team
as he overcomes his ankle injury.
Henry told reporters about the team's future line of action and said, “We are looking to improve each week during the Rugby World Cup, with an increase in intensity and execution, and we will be looking to do that again this week.”
The coach further stated that, “Having said that, the Canadians have shown in this Rugby World Cup just what they are capable of, including a good win over Tonga and the hard-fought draw against Japan, so we are expecting a passionate contest.”
New Zealand has displayed a flawless performance in their so far played matches and is still unbeaten after three outings. They undertook the RWC campaign in an unimpressive way against the meagre side of Tonga but improved things after every battle with
great effort. The All Blacks produced their best show against Japan while thumping the Asian champs by a humiliating difference of 83-7.
All Blacks were tested against the French side but yet again they eased out their rivals comfortably.
All Blacks squad for the Canada clash includes:
New Zealand: 15 Mils Muliaina, 14 Israel Dagg, 13 Conrad Smith, 12 Sonny Bill Williams, 11 Zac Guildford, 10 Daniel Carter, 9 Jimmy Cowan, 8 Kieran Read, 7 Richie McCaw (c), 6 Jerome Kaino, 5 Ali Williams, 4 Samuel Whitelock, 3 Owen Franks,
2 Andrew h**e, 1 Tony Woodcock.
Replacements: 16 Keven Mealamu, 17 Ben Franks, 18 Brad Thorn, 19 Anthony Boric, 20 Piri Weepu, 21 Colin Slade, 22 Isaia Toeava.
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