PARIS, France, Sep 15 – Head coach Ian Foster says New Zealand’s Pool A match with Namibia on Friday is “vital” for his side “to grow” after they lost to France in their World Cup opener.
The three-time winners were beaten 27-13 by the hosts in Paris on Friday.
It was their first pool-stage defeat at a World Cup, ending a 31-match winning record.
“[The Namibia match] is a key game for us to get right and we’ve selected accordingly,” added Foster.
“We are expecting a very tough Namibian side to test us on Friday. While we were disappointed with the result in the first round, it hasn’t moved our focus from what we need to do to in our pool games.
“This game is vital for us to grow and we can’t wait to get to Toulouse and test ourselves.”
Namibia, who lost 52-8 to Italy in their opener, have never won a match at a World Cup, losing 22 times since their debut in 1999.
Four years ago the Welwitschias were beaten 71-9 by the All Blacks in the pool stages in Japan.
“The Italy game was a big challenge for us, especially in the set-piece. Hopefully it will be better,” said Namibia head coach Allister Coetzee.
“We have to throw more punches. New Zealand is a top nation. Our plan is to stop the momentum and break their rhythm.”
New Zealand’s Sam Whitelock will make his 148th international appearance for the All Blacks, equalling Richie McCaw’s national appearance record.
The 34-year-old is one of six players retained by head coach Foster for Friday’s game in Toulouse.
“It’s a massive occasion for Sam and for us as a team,” added Foster.
“I think he has been a warrior for this team for a long time and to equal someone like Richie is a massive achievement.
“We all know how much it means for him to pull on a black jersey and to do it for the 148th time is a very special occasion, one that we make sure we put a performance on that gives that record a lot of respect and celebrate it with him afterwards.”
-By BBC Sports
