Rugby-All Blacks' motivation not just about revenge – Retallick

PARIS (Reuters) – The All Blacks lock, Brodie Retallick, stated that avoiding an early exit from the World Cup is just as important as seeking revenge for last year’s home test series loss to Ireland, when they face Andy Farrell’s top-ranked team on Saturday.

Ireland managed to win a three-match series in New Zealand for the first time last year, coming back from one test down. However, the three-times world champions will have an opportunity to seek redemption in the quarter-final at Stade De France.

Retallick, a World Cup winner in 2015, emphasized that the memory of their defeat against England in the semi-finals four years ago is a strong motivating factor for the players who experienced it.

“To be knocked out and feel the pain of not being in the final, and then obviously when the Irish came to New Zealand,” he shared with reporters in Lyon when discussing his motivations for the upcoming match.

“I don’t think you would find any professional rugby player who enjoys getting beaten, so it is definitely motivating. We talked about 2019 as a team before we left New Zealand.

“Obviously, some of us have not experienced that, and it is a difficult lesson to learn when you do. Our plan is to avoid that pain this week,” he added.

The experienced second-row forward has particular reason to remember the loss to Ireland in the third test in Wellington last year, as he suffered a broken cheekbone that ruled him out of the Rugby Championship.

Irish prop Andrew Porter, who was shown a yellow card and cited for a high shot, received no further punishment for the incident, which would likely result in a red card at this World Cup.

“I’m not going to dwell on it,” Retallick said, a little disingenuously, after raising the matter.

“In my opinion, it was still a head-on-head collision, and it’s frustrating when you get injuries that rule you out of the game,” he added.

Retallick expressed his enjoyment of the atmosphere created by Irish fans at the tournament, particularly their renditions of the 1990s pop song “Zombie”.

“I think that’s one of the awesome parts about a World Cup, the enthusiasm the crowd brings,” he commented.

“I’ve seen them singing the Cranberries, it’s a great song, but hopefully they won’t be singing it on Saturday,” he joked.

Coach Ian Foster, who was close to losing his job due to the Ireland series loss, stated that tighthead prop Tyrel Lomax still has a chance to play on Saturday despite aggravating a knee injury in New Zealand’s final pool game against Uruguay.

(Reporting by Nick Mulvenney, Editing by Ed Osmond)