Head coach Foster, Beauden Barrett, Scott Barrett (NZL) - 'We love big occasions where there's no tomorrow'

Comments from New Zealand head coach Foster, full-back Beauden Barrett and second-row Scott Barrett at a media briefing on Friday, 6 October, after their 73-0 victory over Uruguay in Pool A at OL Stadium on Thursday.

Ian Foster, head coach

On Tyrel Lomax:

"We’re just getting some scans now. It’s definitely looking like a medial. It doesn’t look overtly significant but we’ll let you know."

On waiting to find out who they will face in the quarter-finals:

"It’s just a matter of where we want to put our emphasis this week based on who we’re playing. It’s quite nice to have a bit of breathing space in the next 48 hours as we figure that out and probably get a clear plan Sunday or Monday as we would normally do."

On New Zealand’s approach to the tournament and the pressure:

"It's about treasuring each day and knowing that this is what we’ve worked for - the preparation that we’ve put in is to get us to this point - and to make sure that each day we get what we needed done at a really high level.

"It’s a phase of the tournament that we love, we love these big occasions - there’s no tomorrow to them. It just narrows down the focus, so keeping it simple like that is key for us.

"Everyone hopes they can go well in the play-offs, I guess we know that we can and we have, and we’ve got to rely on that and build on it."

On whether they will adjust playing style due to the traditionally tight nature of knock-out rugby:

"Not going in with that preordained concept is key. Not all play-off rugby is like that. Some teams want to make it like that and if they’re good enough to put you into that position then you actually have to adapt, but we don’t want to shut down our DNA and how we go about things just because that’s what people are saying it’s likely to be."

On whether they have the weight of expectation when it comes to playing the most attractive brand of rugby of the top-ranked teams:

"My shoulder’s starting to get curved (from) all the weight of expectation.

"It’s not on our mind, our mind’s not to go out there and try to be the team that paves the way and plays the beautiful game. We want to play our game."

On drawing on past experiences:

"The key thing is not to go back and dredge through those experiences too much, but just to take the big rocks out of it.

"You can call it the quarter-final, but really it’s a final, isn’t it? Because it’s winner takes all on this weekend."

On learning from past defeats:

"In 2022 we had a poor start to the season but we lost to a team that’s world number one and played really well. We got smacked and that’s OK - we took our medicine. We’ve been rebuilding nicely since then so I like where we’re at. A little bit of adversity never hurt anyone if you use it well. The key to any path you walk on is you just own your errors and own your mistakes and get on with it. I believe we’ve done that.

"It was an uppercut we got and to be fair we’ve had those uppercuts before, but sometimes you get an uppercut but you just happen to come out on the winning side of it.

"We lost a few games but it doesn’t change where we are right now, and we’re ready."

Beauden Barrett, full-back (pictured)

On being desperate for revenge against Ireland after the home series loss in 2022: 

"We learned a lot during that series. It was a challenging time, some of the most challenging times we've faced as an All Black team and personally, losing a series in our backyard. But what we know is the beast that Ireland are and if you allow them to dictate up front and play they want they want to, they are a tough team to stop. 

"So if it's Ireland in the quarter-finals it's going to be great because there's a lot of us who are pretty keen to get one up on them and still hurting from what happened last year."

On being able to take some memories from defeating Ireland in the Rugby World Cup 2019 quarter-finals: 

"Yes, there's memories there. The game's changed somewhat since that so it's all on the day. It's all about who turns up on the day, we learned that in the semi-final last World Cup. You've just got to be able to maintain that intensity for three test matches when it comes to the knock-out rugby."

On specific lessons learned from the semi-final defeat at Rugby World Cup 2019: 

"It's about probably getting off the wave and just taking the time to build-up again because of the demands that test rugby requires against a team who were eyeing us for a while. It's about getting the week right, potentially tinkering a few things so the boys are hustling when it comes to kick-off, energy is as high as we can get it.

"If we progress through this tournament, how well we manage that is going to be critical in being able to back up big performances."

On the overall keys to succeeding in knock-out rugby: 

"It takes a full squad, team effort. Everyone's got to be fully onboard and every decision from here on in until kick-off is for the benefit of the team and to give ourselves the best shot. Looking to 2015, there was a lot of positives. Each knock-out game was so different to another and it was the same in Japan and Tokyo - the contrast between a dominant performance against Ireland and then a team who were eyeing us for a while in England and stunned us a little. We're not looking anywhere past the quarter-final, whoever it is because that's our final at this stage."

On how the free-flowing All Blacks game will have to adapt from the pool stage to the knock-out games: 

"There will be a little, certainly some tinkering around the freedom and the flow we've been playing, how we've been using the ball compared to the intensity of defences (that) will be stronger certainly in this coming week. And how we play with the ball and how we kick the ball and how we back our defence, it's going to be different, there's no doubt about that."

On looking ahead to the coming week:

"It's going to be enjoyable. We've got a weekend to have a bit of a breather and watch a bit of rugby, have a bit of a family time, down time but come Sunday morning for us, whoever we are playing against we are fully tuned into that and it's about preparation against who knows at this stage. 

"We enjoy these weeks, it really brings us together, tighter as a team because we all know what the opportunity is and also the consequence(s)."

On not planning to watch all of France versus Italy: 

"I've booked a bouchon in town, so it's one of the things I must do before leaving Lyon. But we'll keep an eye on the game." 

On his family and kids leaving him to it now: 

"I've been lucky to have them here for a good 10 days. It's been so positive to have them here and getting that balance right, them filling my cup without draining me too much from an energy point of view has been a balancing and juggling act. But they are taking off and leaving me to it for the quarter-finals."

Scott Barrett, second row

On believing the set-piece and breakdown will decide Rugby World Cup 2023: 

"A lot of the platform is started up front with set-piece and breakdown. Those are two huge areas that I guess will probably decide the World Cup. 

"Those two areas, along with defence are critical for our game."

On also not planning to tune in to France versus Italy: 

"I'm not too sure to be honest. No plans. I haven't thought past the next meal to be honest."