Update: All Blacks killing Ireland's back row with kindness

Ardie Savea says Peter O'Mahony is a warrior - 'I don't know how he does it'

KIND WORDS: Ardie Savea during a New Zealand media conference in Paris. 

All Black Ardie Savea has paid a fulsome tribute to the “warrior” Peter O’Mahony ahead of Saturday's  World Cup quarter-final meeting with Ireland in Stade de France.

The New Zealanders have been nothing less than complimentary towards their opponents this week, the fact that individual names have been spilling from their lips testament to the heightened reputation enjoyed by the Six Nations champions nowadays.

Go back even ten years and Kiwi teams were still pitching up in Dublin and struggling to name anyone beyond Brian O’Driscoll. More often than not their takes on Ireland amounted to empty words about fire and passion and physicality.

“He’s a warrior,” said Savea of the Munster veteran. “He has been around for such a long time but he is probably still one of the best loosies around. I don’t know how he does it, throwing his body around like that in every game.

“You watch him and then you play a few games and you relish the challenge. It’s testament to what Peter has done in the game and in the Irish jersey. For me it’s a great opportunity to go up against him and the other loose trio and for our brothers to go up against them and challenge ourselves against the best in the world.

“He is a legend of the game and of Irish rugby and he played his hundredth game last week so congratulations to him. Come Saturday it will be a good spectacle and a good battle.” Savea is one of the key men on this All Black side, a versatile, explosive talent with an incredible skillset who can play anywhere in the back row and he is clearly relishing the opportunity to go up against the world’s number one ranked side.

He was more than happy to spread the love.

“I would also say Josh van der Flier [is a player who has impressed]. A good mate of mine off the field, a good Christian man. He has been impressive. Always a hundred per cent, going hard. Just keeps going and could go for another 80.” 

Caelan Doris wasn’t left out, the Ireland No.8 meriting a mention at another point in the conversation and ahead of a game which will see an All Blacks side desperate to avenge the 2-1 series loss to Ireland on home soil last year.

Other motivations abound.

Their last crack at a World Cup ended at the semi-final stage when they were completely outplayed by a magnificent England performance in 2019 and Savea made no bones about the fact that this too has driven them on of late.

“Yeah, I guess different individuals tap into that. What happened in the last World Cup. We have some boys that weren’t even in there [in the squad] so I think it’s up to the individual, whether they tap into that.

“We’ve talked about… It’s a final for us. And there’s no second chance. So we want to go out there on Saturday and leave with no regret and no stone unturned. Whatever that looks like for us, we’re just going to go out there and jam, and play some footie."