- Updates from the game at McDonald Jones Stadium
- Kickoff time tonight in Newcastle is at 7:45pm AEDT
- Any thoughts? Email or tweet @JPHowcroft
You don’t need me to tell you that things are not going according to plan for New Zealand rugby at the moment. An early World Cup exit followed by a poor run of form for the All Blacks has focussed attention on the game’s decision makers. As Matt McIlraith writes, Ian Foster’s role should already be under threat, while the suits who overlooked Scott Robertson’s claims to replace Steve Hansen should not be sitting comfortably either.
The national calamity – feared, if largely unspoken about, since the underwhelming appointment of Steve Hansen’s former assistant late last year – has become a reality.
Related: Argentina, Wallabies losses reveal All Blacks' attitude problem under Ian Foster | Matt McIlraith
We are in for one of the hottest Test matches in history this evening with Newcastle sweltering through a late Spring heatwave. Temperatures have hovered around the 40C mark for much of the day and despite sundown providing some respite the mercury will remain around 30C for most of the contest.
To make matters worse there is a not insignificant northerly breeze.
Related: Australia swelters under extreme heatwave as fire brigades on high alert
Continue reading...from The Guardian https://ift.tt/3fKnLZs
