THE ONLY ALL Black playing in Ireland says he doesn’t see Joe Schmidt’s men scoring a first ever win over New Zealand any time soon.
Munster centre Francis Saili, capped twice by the All Blacks, believes that his native country will continue their unbeaten run against the Irish when they meet twice later this year.
Dan Sheridan / INPHO
Dan Sheridan / INPHO / INPHO
And he reckons the dreadful weather in this country is a factor in the gulf in standards between the sides.
Ireland have not beaten New Zealand in 28 meetings, a 10-10 draw at Lansdowne Road in 1973 remaining the best result against the All Blacks.
And while there have been heart-breaking defeats, not least the last gasp 24-22 loss in November 2013, Saili doesn’t think that trend will change.
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The 25-year old said he cannot see the day when Ireland will beat New Zealand because there is a gulf in the skill levels between the sides.
The Auckland native, who joined Munster this season on a two-year deal, said that while Ireland went close in 2013 to a first ever win over the All Blacks, he still sees a gap between the sides.
“There’s an opportunity for them to do so in Chicago and Dublin in November. To be honest, I can’t see the day coming any time soon. I can’t see it in my head.
“You have to be truthful, although 2013 was a very close one. You almost took us then so there is hope. Back home in New Zealand, the skill level is a lot better than it is here. I am just being brutally honest. What is happening back home is way up there … it is run down from a young age coming through and is consistent throughout the years,” he said.
Saili in action for New Zealand in 2013. Photosport / Andrew Cornaga/INPHO
Photosport / Andrew Cornaga/INPHO / Andrew Cornaga/INPHO
Saili said there is a lot of ground to be made up to close the gap and he believes that the weather is a factor in the divide.
“There are a lot of things but I’m not in a position to say anything about that.
“The weather is a factor. It is a big factor. Back home, you’re playing on nice sunny days, you can throw the ball around and that’s the kind of game … free-flowing, getting offloads away, and you can see that if you’re watching the Super 15s. It’s nice to watch although being here is nice variety for myself and taking a lot more tackles than usual,” he added.
He has settled in well at Munster, scoring a couple of tries against Ospreys and Treviso during his 18 appearances so far and is looking forward to a big finish to the season.
I’ve been here now for over six months and it’s been going quite well for me in spite of the weather. I’m enjoying my time here so far although it’s been a little tough for the last few weeks. But it happens in rugby, you have to go through these stages and hopefully we will come out ahead.”
He said he didn’t come to Munster with preconceived notions and knew they would have a battle on their hands during a period of transformation.
“I came with an open mind. I knew there was a young and new group, that fellas like Paul O’Connell and others would be gone, a team that was rebuilding while making its mark.
“For the rest of the season, our immediate priority has to be to win this weekend. We are taking it a game at a time. It will be tough against Zebre because you don’t know what these guys are going to be like. They one of these joker teams that can go out and pull something out of the bag,” he said.
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Can Ireland beat the All Blacks? 'I can’t see it coming any time soon,' says Saili
THE ONLY ALL Black playing in Ireland says he doesn’t see Joe Schmidt’s men scoring a first ever win over New Zealand any time soon.
Munster centre Francis Saili, capped twice by the All Blacks, believes that his native country will continue their unbeaten run against the Irish when they meet twice later this year.
And he reckons the dreadful weather in this country is a factor in the gulf in standards between the sides.
Ireland have not beaten New Zealand in 28 meetings, a 10-10 draw at Lansdowne Road in 1973 remaining the best result against the All Blacks.
And while there have been heart-breaking defeats, not least the last gasp 24-22 loss in November 2013, Saili doesn’t think that trend will change.
The 25-year old said he cannot see the day when Ireland will beat New Zealand because there is a gulf in the skill levels between the sides.
The Auckland native, who joined Munster this season on a two-year deal, said that while Ireland went close in 2013 to a first ever win over the All Blacks, he still sees a gap between the sides.
“There’s an opportunity for them to do so in Chicago and Dublin in November. To be honest, I can’t see the day coming any time soon. I can’t see it in my head.
“You have to be truthful, although 2013 was a very close one. You almost took us then so there is hope. Back home in New Zealand, the skill level is a lot better than it is here. I am just being brutally honest. What is happening back home is way up there … it is run down from a young age coming through and is consistent throughout the years,” he said.
Saili said there is a lot of ground to be made up to close the gap and he believes that the weather is a factor in the divide.
“There are a lot of things but I’m not in a position to say anything about that.
“The weather is a factor. It is a big factor. Back home, you’re playing on nice sunny days, you can throw the ball around and that’s the kind of game … free-flowing, getting offloads away, and you can see that if you’re watching the Super 15s. It’s nice to watch although being here is nice variety for myself and taking a lot more tackles than usual,” he added.
He has settled in well at Munster, scoring a couple of tries against Ospreys and Treviso during his 18 appearances so far and is looking forward to a big finish to the season.
He said he didn’t come to Munster with preconceived notions and knew they would have a battle on their hands during a period of transformation.
“I came with an open mind. I knew there was a young and new group, that fellas like Paul O’Connell and others would be gone, a team that was rebuilding while making its mark.
“For the rest of the season, our immediate priority has to be to win this weekend. We are taking it a game at a time. It will be tough against Zebre because you don’t know what these guys are going to be like. They one of these joker teams that can go out and pull something out of the bag,” he said.
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